Well, sexism is alive and well in 2011 and while most of you will scoff and say "Hells No" it's very much a reality.
I'm a lighting tech, a backline tech, I dabble in tour managing and assisting, and I'm also a merch girl. I have experience fixing and maintaining guitars, and if you asked me nicely, I could tune your drum kit. I'm good at what I do, I'm proud of what I do, and I love doing it.
Here's the catch. I'm a girl.
There was a 1 in 2 chance that I would be born a boy, and hell, it looks like i drew the short straw. Don't get me wrong, I love being a woman. It has its perks, but I chose to work in rock and roll, silly me, and in my case the drawbacks far outweigh the perks. It's hard.
It's really hard to be a woman in rock and roll, not because boys are smelly, not because it's hard work, or the gear is heavy, or any of those stupid things.
People judge me before they meet me. I can get fired from a job without having worked a day, or without even meeting the band. I can be denied opportunities and employment based soley on my gender. Despite my skills and professionalism I often will be sent to the bottom of the pile of candidates for almost any position in music. I have to work twice as hard to prove I'm as good as a male half as good as me.
If I'm even remotely loud or direct I apparently come off as a bitch, whereas a male counterpart is taking charge. If I talk to a male in another band or crew, I'm flirting not talking, and of course, I can't lift anything because my womanly arms aren't strong enough.
While at home, I work for a sound production company. Whenever I walk into a venue with my boss, the clients always assume he's my father. At first this struck me as odd, since he's still fairly young, and not quite old enough to be my dad. When I asked a client why they thought he was my father, they responded with "Well, why else would he have hired you." No joke.
I was able to spin the situation in my favour, and now I jokingly refer to my boss as Dad on a regular basis, and it actually helps keep the creepy roadies from hitting on me while I'm trying to work.
So, with the help of the internet, I have posted this list for all touring bands and managers that refuse to hire a girl on their crew.
1. I kick ass at my job, and I take pride in a job well done.
2. I don’t want to fuck you
3. I don’t want to fuck any of the band or crew
4. You can tell your wives/girlfriends that
5. I don’t care who you fuck
6. I don’t care who any of the band/crew fuck
7. I wont tell your wife/girlfriend THAT
8 . I leave my personal life at home.
9. I don’t need any more privacy on the bus than you do
10. I won’t cry if I can’t get a shower everyday
11. I won’t cry if there is no mirror on the bus
12. I wont turn into an evil bitch when I get my period (that’s YOUR girlfriend) and yes I can still do my job and you probably wouldn’t even know
13. I have seen dicks before
14. I know what groupies are there for (duh)
15. I have seen/heard about EVERY sexual act performed in the dressing room/back lounge
16. I have seen/heard EVERYTHING you think a woman shouldn’t know about "the boys club"
17. I am and can be "one of the boys" (in fact, I’m probably more of a dude than some of the band)
18. I like guys, but I’m here to work, not to flirt.
19. I’m perfectly capable of lifting things on my own. If I need help lifting something I’ll ask for it.
20. I am a HUMAN BEING.
Please add here any other things that would prevent you from hiring a woman.
