Left confused by article about sexism in the music industry.

[JimmyCorkhill]

I read this article in The Huffington Post today. If you don't want to click the link it's by Emma Jackson who was in indie band 'Kenickie'. The article is about the sexism she received in the music industry back in the 90's but also how even now, in 2015, the contribution to Britpop by female artists has been largely ignored by the recent BBC documentary 'Music for Misfits'.

However, one part of her article really bothers me:
As a young woman in a band I was patronised by sound men, literally kicked by roadies who saw us sitting down in a corridor and assumed we were groupies when we were locked out of our dressing room at Brixton Academy (The Ramones' roadies. Joey Ramone came and apologised afterwards. He was a sweetheart).
So is kicking a groupie acceptable? Is her point that she was mistaken for a groupie the sexist bit, or the kick? And why did Joey Ramone have to apologise, why didn't the roadies have to?

I think her point is simply that, simply by being present in that space, women were assumed to be sexual hangers-on serving men, and not professionals in their own right. I don't think she is in any way condoning violence towards groupies.

Like when a businesswoman turns up to present at a meeting and is asked to make the tea.

Thanks for your answers. I didn't really feel that Emma Jackson was being sexist but the wording was awkward. I am just so shocked that groupies got kicked and that the roadies were not held accountable in any way. Even if you were a 'sexual hanger-on' that doesn't give anyone the right to hurt you. This has really upset me.

For me that just points out that it's MORE sexist! But I can see what you mean as well. It wasn't "Groupies (overwhelmingly female) were considered less than human AND we were assumed to be groupies", it was "We were assumed to be groupies, who are, obviously, less than human".

That's a better way of looking at it. I feel rotten now, like I've blamed her for being sexist because of one ambiguous sentence, rather than focusing on all the crap she had to put up with. Sorry Emma.

No, don't feel bad! You asked a totally legit question about something that bothered you!

Thanks shovetheholly!