The metallic scene and its related subgenres have lengthy been seen as a boys membership, with the objectification of scantily clad ladies and misogynistic lyrical content material having been pretty commonplace all through the majority of the style’s existence.
Whereas views have markedly advanced throughout the previous decade or so, it wasn’t all that way back that sexual objectification of females within the scene remained the norm. After all, some bands leaned into that personal sexuality to their benefit, with the Butcher Infants‘ early nipple tape days permitting them to titillate their early audiences not all that way back.
Then there are artists on the market right this moment like Scowl‘s Kat Moss, who nonetheless wrestle with embracing femininity and sexuality in a male-dominated scene to this present day. Amid the aughts and past, Revolver journal — on the time maybe the most important U.S. print publication catering to metallic and laborious rock — would yearly publish a difficulty devoted to the ‘Hottest Chicks In Metallic’ and ‘Hottest Chicks in Rock’.
Feminine musicians collaborating in these options had been typically wearing lingerie, skimpy leather-based, or usually at the very least tight becoming apparel, and ranked on a scale from 1 to 25. Many well-known females within the scene partook in these points, together with Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), Marta Demmel (Bleeding By means of), Amy Lee (Evanescence), Taylor Momsen (The Fairly Reckless), Lzzy Hale (Halestorm) and lots of extra.
The success of these points was evident, because the related photoshoots wound up being launched by Revolver as calendars, and excursions underneath the banner of ‘The Hottest Chicks In Laborious Rock‘ had been offered by the journal as not too long ago as 2015. Nonetheless, Revolver would in the end bear a workers change and model revamp, with these points in the end dropping by the wayside.
In a newly performed interview with Belgian Jasper, Cristina Scabbia, who graced the quilt of at the very least two of these points across the mid aughts, shared her ideas on being featured in them [transcribed by Blabbermouth.net]:
“The factor is that I by no means noticed the malice in it. I at all times thought that it’s really a really highly effective factor for a lady to be female. I like ladies energy. I like to be empowered by who I’m, and I don’t need to disguise myself as a result of I’m a girl and if I present my legs which means I’m value much less. That’s not my drawback. So once I really went on that cowl of Revolver journal, as a result of I used to be the very first lady to to truly seem on that cowl, for me, it was simply the largest honor as a result of it was the primary time {that a} journal, an American journal, would give a girl the pleasure of being on a canopy. So for me, it was one thing that blew my thoughts again then.”
“I used to be simply blissful if extra ladies might come on board of this women-fronted, the female-fronted band [movement], stuff like that, even when that’s a definition that I by no means appreciated. Perhaps as a result of I used to be coming from a special world earlier than Lacuna Coil — I used to be listening to numerous dance and R&B music, so, for me, it was already regular to see ladies taking part in music and singing. It was nothing new. Metallic was predominantly adopted by guys as a result of it was a extra aggressive and heavy sound, however I by no means checked out myself because the totally different ingredient or I’m totally different or I’m value much less as a result of I’m a girl.
So it was by no means my private drawback. It’s true that notion of individuals — you need to take care of it. It’s a must to count on a response. Every thing you do, every part you say, you need to count on a response. And I might by no means go over the road, displaying myself, however that’s as a result of I don’t need to do it. However I don’t care about what different individuals need to do, different ladies need to do with their physique — it’s as much as them, and I’m not going to evaluate them, however for certain you need to put together to a response as quickly as you do one thing.
It’s discouraging that they solely see the look of it, however I’m additionally certain that each lady included in these Revolver journal ‘Hottest Chicks In Metallic’ had been proficient as nicely. So at the very least we received consideration again then. And I imply, it occurred to girls as nicely to take a look at a singer as a result of he was sizzling or thought-about attractive a singer. So no matter. If you should utilize it as a instrument to get consideration and also you’re okay with it, so long as it’s your choice, you are able to do no matter you need.”
Not each feminine musician distinguished within the heavy metallic scene on the time embraced the idea of what Revolver was doing with these points nonetheless. Again in 2011, former Arch Enemy vocalist Angela Gossow alleged her band had been blacklisted by Revolver for not agreeing to take part in these points, stating on the time:
“It mainly got here right down to Revolver telling us that in case you don’t need to be in these Revolver Journal chicks points anymore, then they’d be certain that Arch Enemy would by no means be featured in one other journal by their writer. So we’re now not seen in any magazines by their writer. We’re not a small band so we simply don’t give a fuck.”