Fandoms: Gender in fandoms

Gender can play a role in any aspect of fandoms. Being a fan of metal music, it's often said that women are not interested in as 'hardcore' music as males, which is simply not the case. I found a forum8 online where this was being discussed by people who associate with the community, who seemed to only boost and almost support this notion. Female contributors continuedly pointed examples of females in the industry such as Alyssa White, who is a growl artist from Arch Enemy, whilst males referred to music called 'entry level' bands, which are known as being 'soft' metal. My favourite quote from the group was one that I feel sums up how myself and others I have witnessed are treated in the subcuture, 'I think female artists and fans are often considered odd or disturbed, sometimes a little slutty, by the prejudice people outside the metalculture'.9

Robert Walser touched on this topic in Running with the devil, where he doesn’t particularly speak of a prejudice in genre, but more of a difference in fan practise amongst the genders. The only example where I interpret that he acknowledges there is any divide is when he states, 'I have observed and interviewed female fans who dress, act and interpret just like male fans, for example particularly of concerts of bands like Metallica- Bands that avoid reference to gender in their lyrics, dealing with instead experiences of alienation, fear, and empowerment which may cut across gender lines'10 . I interpret this as him noticing a slight divide as he uses the term 'bands like...', which suggests that there are bands on the other end of the spectrum that use gender in a derogatory way in their songs, however without wanting to appear judgmental about a culture he is not a part of without sufficient evidence.

To conclude, gender plays a role in every fandom. In the case of heavy metal music, female fans are less likely to be taken seriously due to the genre having element which as are associated with aggression and therefore masculinity. The quote sourced from Robert Walser could be used in multiple ways, such as the example I used or to promote bands that are trying to deter the view that women can't be metalheads.

8: http://www.metalstorm.net/forum/topic.php?topic_id=44308

9: As a note, I just want to clarify, I know that the quote is referring to none-metalheads thinking that bout female metalheads, however I feel it is also an outlook from inside the culture.

10: Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music By Robert Walser, Professor and Chair of Musicology Wesleyan University press

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