The Girls Are...

[DontCallMePeanut]

For all of you music loving women, can I please point you towards The Girls Are, an online music magazine which focuses on females in the music industry, please? One of my friends is involved with the magazine, and I thought it might provide an interesting source, considering how male dominated the music industry is.

Sounds great for girls, but what about women (ie over 18s, 21 at a push)?

The Girls Are, from what I've gathered, is just a name. It doesn't come across as too youth marketed, yet being still young (ish) myself, perhaps that's my perception.

There have been a few threads on this theme. I pointed out on one of them that everyone had missed the most dangerous female artist of all- Diamanda Galas.
It's about as far removed from "girlie" as you can get but anyone brave enough should check her out- both her music and her views.

I'll hunt her out, Tyr. Thanks for the nod

Galas was born in 1955, so by no stretch of the imagination is still a girl.

DCMP: I'm not bothered about who it is marketed to.

But it's called "The Girls Are". I don't really see that a publication about under 18s is going to have much durability (lack if material, for a start).

I might be interested in this as a one-off (or use it to inspire DD, though I think there are mixed messages with early success - not that many teen sensations become successful women performers).

And of course, aside from performers, there can't be many girls in the business - companies only employ over 18s (ie women).

Pity, really, it does sound as if the underlying idea could havehad something going for it.

Are there any plans for a parallel site, covering adult (or all) female achievement?

From their website...

"the girls are is a UK based independent online music magazine, celebrating and supporting women in music. We feature women working behind the scenes, emerging musicians right through to iconic artists. We feature daily content from an international team of writers and photographers, with a heavy focus on discovering unsigned new talent."

The name may not be ideal but I think you more than made your point meditrina. The use of girls as a term for adult females is not great I'll grant you but the use of it doesn't necessarily preclude the website from being a force for good for women in the music industry.

Haven't looked into it in great detail yet so don't know whether it's any good or not but I don't think the name should be an automatic stumbling block.

Thanks peanut! Looks great.

I do agree on the name though. But I do sometimes think it's rock and hard place on these things. There isn't a depoliticised way of referring to women. Rather like vulva. I do use both of those terms deliberately, but it isn't neutral. And if you're trying to appeal in a context not of your own making, it's pretty hard.

Meditrina I'm not sure if you've looked at the website yet, but it by no means focuses on girls or under 18's.

I do agree the name is slightlly off kilter. I've sent my friend a message about Diamanda, and may raise the point of the name when she get's back to me as a general point.

But like Alice said, sometimes it's a rock and hard place in these scenarios. It's a start in the right direction, IMO

The name is a complete show stopper as far as I am concerned.

It find it objectionable when publishers infantalises women by referring to them as girls.

I knew when posting before that it was highly unlikely that this was genuinely about children and young people.

And, no I won't be looking at a site with such a name. Of all the possible titles that could have been chosen, here were are again, keeping women in a subordinate place in this industry by even denying them adulthood.

Labelling women as "girls" has an equivalent for men though. Groups of men are often referred to as "lads" or "boys". E.g. compare "night out with the girls/night out with the boys" - they have similar connotations I think. Girls can be used negatively to infantilise women but largely it's a term used by women to suggest camaraderie between a group of females.

^ditto what allo said.

Exactly my point - context is all. As OP pointed out - it's a male dominated industry, and women are still singled out and belittles as "girls" in publications.

This isn't a social nit out with friends. This isn't an office or peer group norm.

This is world-wide publication, and a very telling choice.

Really don't see that as the same. It would be the same if we lived in a world where men and women are treated equally. As we don't seemingly equivalent terms simply aren't. They have to be taken in their context. There would be no need for a "The Boys Are..." website, because the 'boys' are there in the mainstream.

xpost, agree meditrina

But given the fact that is a website made by women for women (it seems going by staff names down the side) and their aims seem to be laudable - completely refusing to even look at it simply because of its name doesn't seem logical. However, each to their own.

Site is great though. Loving the spotify playlists!