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Europe; a popular 80's "hair metal" band known for their hit
"The Final Countdown". Note the hair (good lord...) and the
feminine "glamour" look applied to their faces. |
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Heavy metal music in the 80's. Not a widely discussed topic nowadays amongst the youth of this generation. Nobody really listens much anymore except for the lone few hits and ballads that grace the airwaves on classic rock/oldies stations from time to time. I want to bring that era back into the fold as part of a more contemporary discussion of gender representation in rock music. Most of this comes about because of a guilty pleasure of mine. As a guitar player, I happen to enjoy listening 80's metal music with its driving rhythm and scorching guitar solos. However, for many of these bands the gender representations with the way the dudes in the bands dressed and acted on stage is just totally screwed up. In the 80's rockers, the alpha males, the guys singing aggressive machismo lyrics were the ones wearing lipstick, 'fabulous' dyed hair sprayed to death and then some, as well as spandex (yup, lots and lots of spandex...).
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Wait... That's a dude? Um, Hugh? We have
a problem... |
In my final project I want to examine this expression of gender. What makes this portrayal of androgyny/femininity displayed by these rockers a possible expression of masculinity as perceived by the audience (believe me, these guys were not considered homosexual, the stories pertaining to the hordes of groupies can attest to that). Not only do I want to examine the reasoning behind it, but how it is or is not reflected in the mainstream music industry that we are experiencing in the present.
My project will take the form of a podcast, I have access to a recording studio so that seems like the best option for the moment. I initially wanted to make a "vlog style" presentation, however, I don't believe that I have the time or the equipment to create a high-quality video presentation with the time that I have. The podcast will be posted on my personal blog and I will use it to further my creative portfolio by hopefully doing more podcasts in the future.
I think it is a really good topic! it is true in the 80's long hair on guys was a normal thing. you should research a little how and why this change? since, now a days guys having long hair is consider homosexual. Also i think it is a good idea if you can get some interview of people that experience this era (the 80's) and some experience from people that now a day do not care what others thing and still use a long hair. what is the point of view, their experiences, and of curse how society treat them.
ReplyDeleteYou can perhaps find out why it began and where the idea evolved from. That movie Dazed and Confused captures that era pretty well but I don't remember the year it came out in. Maybe bring it back to the first time when we would see men dressing up femininely when George Washington was President and all the guys wore wigs and tights, maybe its an evolutionary concept that influenced these guys? Haha I really like your idea, have fun with it! How far did these guys go? Did they shave facial hair and wear make up too?
ReplyDeleteUnique idea! This topic definitely isn't focused on nowadays so it's cool you're bringing it back. Maybe you could also focus on how women were portrayed by this genre and how that connects to the masculinity aspect. I'm sure you know these videos but maybe you could analyze the way women are objectified yet look almost exactly the same as the men.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3MXiTeH_Pg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujnH4yNqL8E