Final Project - Gender Performance in 80's Music Podcast: What Does it Mean?

Gender performance in the 80’s. It’s pretty messed up. The combination of alpha males in feminine outfits being presented as the macho alpha male if you will. Is it a critique of gender norms? Or is there something more “sinister” behind it? Originally I wanted to make a rather academic work either in an essay or a video, as I have done some research on this topic. However, I decided to take a different path in the end. I am a musician as well as a student of media and I felt that an audio podcast would be most appropriate as it is a simple and direct way to get thoughts and ideas across.

The subject of this podcast is centered around gender performance in 80’s music, not only what it means, but where it came from. My co-host on the podcast, Jake, is a student of music history (specifically rock-n-roll) and with him I discuss the origins of this type of performance evolving with the counter-culture in the 60’s. We explore the effects of corporate influence on media production and how it relates to the popularity of the image and counter-culture.

Another part of the podcast focuses on the depth of the mixed gender messages. The objectification of women is extremely prevalent in the music of this era. Music videos were in a bit of an adolescent stage at that point in history, and paralleling the machismo lyrics, women portrayed in these videos were shown in a highly sexualized and misogynistic manner.

Whitesnake circa 1986 - Classic 80's band getup

Classic 80's frontman "Mic-Stand Phallus" move.

The main band we critique is Whitesnake, an extremely popular 80’s band which is a paragon of the mass-produced 80’s image down to the band name. In this podcast, Jake and I analyze the lyrics of their songs, their physical presentation, stage antics, and their eventual downfall at the turn of the decade. Did a generation actually wake up and realize the hypocrisy going on in that culture? Or was it something external that changed their media viewpoint? To close, the analysis moves to the current era where corporations have to become more devious in order to convince people to consume their products. It’s no longer about having an edgy image that can purely attract attention, they have to do more in order to reach target audiences that are starting to openly critique the mainstream using the greatest forum in history, the internet.

I find it very fitting that I chose to make a podcast in the end. I think that this project has served as an inspiration for me to create my own content to critique the media. Podcasts are easy to make. Anyone can broadcast content openly over the internet and gather a following and spread their word (for better or for worse, but hey, freedom of speech right…). This project has definitely provided a necessary learning experience for me, and I hope to continue the production of these podcasts being critical of the media in the future.

Now sit back and enjoy!