scenestr publisher, Howard Duggan, has responded to claims an article published on this website was sexist, misogynistic and more.
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UPDATE: 11am Monday 6 March, 2017
scenestr has been inundated with messages of support for our common sense approach on the latitude with which artists' performances – and personal experience to them – can be interpreted and reported.
In particular, one reader has been kind enough to alert us to this interview with Warpaint in The Guardian. The interview cities Warpaint's commentary and interpretation of their own performances as mirroring exactly what our writer witenessed and reviewed. Warpaint's own words single-handedly defeat the misgiuded accusations against us as the group themselves claiming ownership of the very sexual performance attributes we wrote about and which caused a handful of readers to accuse our writer of "hating women".
On their performance, Warpaint's own Theresa Wayman offered:
"Playing, it's the same space as when you are with a lover. You can see guitar players as being in the same ecstatic moment as when they're alone with someone."
But she wasn't alone. Singer/ Guitarist, Emily Kokal, told The Guardian in the same interview,
"That song, to me, is about the sensuality of love being life… This song was about getting inside my own private sexual experience and my love and talking about that feeling."
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Prior to Warpaint's testimony coming to light, Howard Duggan's original defence of his writer and scenestr's standards continues:
On Monday last week we published an article entitled 'Warpaint @ Sydney Opera House Review'. The article was shared with Sydney Opera House, Warpaint and the band's connections.
Four days later (Friday) one reader felt the article was misogynistic and called for action on social media. And so a cricket team of objecters collectively took umbrage with our writer's observations that Warpaint were attractive and sensual. Throw in some yawn-inducing calls of misogyny and multiply it by social media and you get … a bucketload of traffic to your website.
The article has now been viewed many tens of thousands of times and (at time of writing this article) had moved 25 people to describe their outrage in the comments section. A significant number of the objectors were working journalists in the music/ youth audience sectors (at least two radio hosts, at least two magazine editors and so on). The balance appeared largely comprised of their lackeys.
Comments variously demanded to know "who the fuck authorised the piece" with lashings of personal abuse of the writer (the worst were moderated).
While others were genuinely alarmed at what they perceived was misogyny and the objectification of women. It is largely for this second group this piece is written. The process of review provided a good opportunity to reflect upon our standards and our audience.
Reader Objection #1
Should Writers Comment On The Sex Appeal And Sensuality Of Performers?
Why not? Sex appeal can be a massive part of a performer's offering. Often inextricably linked to the brand and buy-in.Rolling Stone recently noted that sixty-one years ago "'Elvis the Pelvis' earned his nickname (and then some) during his second appearance on the Milton Berle Show. During the 21-year-old singer’s rendition of 'Hound Dog', he debuted his suggestive gyrating-hips movement for the first time, driving a nation of teenagers wild and their parents apoplectic."
Forty years later a friend described the effect a witnessed Michael Hutchence performance had on her. She wasn't talking about his voice. Or hers.
Performers can exude sexuality and scenestr writers are free to convey what they see.
One of the most popular music reviews on scenestr was this shared by Megan Washington and hundreds of fans (the record of social media interaction was lost on a website migration).
A beautifully-written piece in which the writer enthuses of Washington "Already attractive, this level of bareness and heartfelt emotion simply added another intoxicating layer to the complicated singer." and "A singer with an undeniable irresistibility..."
Not one of the hundreds of Megan Washington fans who shared the article – and Washington herself who also shared – raised an objection to the idea of Megan being described as attractive or irresistible.
Reader Objection #2
Did the writer objectify Warpaint? Is he a misogynist? Is the quantum of the piece sexist?
Did the writer objectify Warpaint?
Rebecca Lee Williams, editor at the now-defunct PAN Magazine thinks so. We disagree. I assess objectification to occur when physical/sexual attributes are observed and promulgated to the exclusion – or all-but exclusion – of all else. This is clearly not the case here.Is our writer a misogynist?
misogynist noun: 1. a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women.Pfft. Even his detractors believe he's a massive fan.
Is the piece sexist?
I sought the opinions of women whom I knew to be pro-feminist and whom I respected. The majority saw nothing wrong with the article – at all. Further, many were just as disparaging of the commenters.One response I received was that from of a 20-something, female journalist who'd previously advised us on matters pertaining to sexism. Her assessment is reproduced verbatim:
"But the sexist paragraph, as follows, needs to be taken out the back and shot. I agree that it's sexist: "I mean, girls can be attractive for whatever reason. Put a guitar on and it increases 10 fold. For boys too, I'm sure. And, well, when there are four and you make music that Robert Smith would wish he thought of, it's a pretty potent mix. Warpaint are hot."
"The fact they are women and are hot doesn't need to be said. They're just musicians. If you read that same paragraph and swapped the sex, you'd be like "what?!" Because no one would ever say that about an all male band."
"The fact they are women and are hot doesn't need to be said. They're just musicians. If you read that same paragraph and swapped the sex, you'd be like "what?!" Because no one would ever say that about an all male band."
Our writer does not hate women. And nor do scenestr's values promote misogyny.
I am removing one paragraph from the article. I am leaving in other references to Warpaint's appearance as they are relevant and testament to Mark's review. As indeed they were to Majella's review of Megan Washington three years ago.
Readers can expect more references to curves and bulges, from fan boys and girls, and references to oozing and grinding as our writers see fit.
