By Noemi Orozco, Oct. 15, 2024
As female pop artists continue to dominate radio stations and tour sales year after year, the unwarranted attention precipitated by misogyny and misconception still hinders their spotlight.
At just 26 years old, breakout pop star Chappell Roan is the voice behind multiple Billboard-charting songs, a headlining act for festivals around the world and is soon to make her musical guest debut on “Saturday Night Live.” With a push from her vibrant cherry curls and unapologetic queerness, Roan’s refreshing individuality strays away from the abundance of one-hit wonders we see planted from TikTok today.
What makes the singer even more special is she knows it, calling herself “your favorite artist’s favorite artist” on multiple occasions.
However, her boldness has been under fire after she posted a blunt stance about not wanting to engage in obsessive fan behavior due to recent stalking and harassment issues she and her family have undergone both in person and online Aug. 19.
More pressure followed Roan based on another TikTok post on her account Sep. 25, where she addressed pushback because she had yet to publicly pledge her vote to Vice President Kamala Harris due to the party’s negligence on transgender rights and liberating Palestine. This uproar eventually led to the last-minute decision to cancel two scheduled performances because of “overwhelming” pressures that followed.
Just as I was beginning to think there was a world where female musicians could finally be outspoken and critical without the worry of shame, the backlash Roan received was a reminder of the unfair double standards between male and female artists from all corners of the industry.
The music and entertainment industry has thrived off gender disparity for years. According to musicianwave.com, women represent less than one third of artists in the music world today and because of this lack of visibility, women are plagued with sexist stereotypes that look past their talents.
Moreover, women must suffice to greater appearance and behavior standards than men, without objection. For Roan, her valid complaints have labeled her “untitled” and “whinny.”
Although Roan garnered four awards and delivered a standout performance at the MTV Video Music Awards Sep. 11, her accomplishments were dismissed after she had confronted an aggressive photographer while posing on the red carpet. Once again, Roan’s understandable brusque reaction toward being told to “Shut the f-k up” gave many people another reason to find her difficult, as if there was a limit to her complaints.
In a 2019 interview with CBS, Taylor Swift echoed the unfair treatment she has received in comparison to her male counterparts within the industry.
“There’s different vocabulary for men and women in the music industry, right?” said Swift. “A man does something, it’s strategic. A woman does the same thing, it’s calculated. A man is allowed to react. A woman can only overreact.”
Male artists are also free to stay silent when convenient, most notably when it comes to the upcoming election. Female celebrities like Roan and Swift have been held to a higher pedestal than males to share their political views with the public. If hesitant to do so, fans are quick to assume the worst of their beliefs.
I have yet to see the same for stars like Post Malone or Kendrick Lamar.
We’ve seen time and time again the danger that comes with immense fame, especially toward women. For example, singer Christina Grimmie was gunned down at a meet-in-greet by a man deemed a “super fan” in June 2016.
Roan’s vocalness on her dissatisfaction with current policies from the two-party system isn’t something new as it’s typical to question politicians running for office. When Roan opened up about her dwindling mental health, I was disheartened to witness so many people entirely ignore her plea for sympathy.
A male artist in Roan’s shoes would never face so much scrutiny.
Some may not like this example (and if you don’t, you are part of the problem), but I rest my case with rapper Ye, formally known as Kanye West. I bring Ye to the forefront to examine how quickly people separate the art from the artist when it comes to male musicians, no matter how controversial they may be.
Similarly to Roan, Ye has shown a lack of interest in accommodating fans and paparazzi. His resistance to smiling and annoyance is viewed as a personality quirk. They even have become viral GIFs reactions for people to share online.
His highly problematic ideas on political and social issues may have brought down his relevancy, yet many overlook these stances because of his musical genius. Although Ye praised Hitler and repeated antisemitic jokes in a podcast interview with conspiracist Alex Jones Dec. 1, 2022, he was still ranked No. 7 on Forbes list of “The 50 Top Rappers of all Time” Mar. 16, 2024.
Ye’s openness about having bipolar disorder just made him more admirable.
So why can’t that be the same case for Roan?
I am not only a fan of pop stars like Roan because of their undeniable talent through song and performance but also because they refuse to fall under the double standards that all women beyond the music industry face.
Feature image courtesy of Island Records