As an iconic figure of the 90’s alt-rock movement, Shirley Manson has endured the many facets of the music industry that have often and continue to place women in positions of discomfort and exclusion.
Opening up about her experiences in a recent interview with Yahoo to discuss her involvement with ‘Girlschool’, Manson has detailed the ways in which authoritative figures in the industry made her feel like a “submissive dog”.
Speaking on the issue of gender inequality within greater society, Manson describes how the inequality presented in music acts as a microcosm of issues present. Manson pondered on how “male record execs” objectified her worth, saying “I feel like it happens to women every day, in really subtle ways. You’re not always aware of that when all the male record execs are commenting on your hairstyle.”
She continued to reveal that it was only maturity and experience that lead her to understand how “ridiculous” those circumstances were, revealing that is was “only a few years later that I’m thinking, “What the f***? What’s my hair got to do with you? You wouldn’t be talking about a male artist in this way!” I was an object. I was too young, and too naïve, and too vain to really detect it at the time, but now looking back, I’m like, “That was just ridiculous.”
Speaking further on how naivety and inexperience hindered her earlier career, she went on to describe the “submissive” role she played, that she says women have to adhere to in business in order to get what they want.
“I’m very aware that during the very first part of my career, I played submissive dog all the time. I wouldn’t come into a work situation and say, “This hi-hat doesn’t sound good to me.” I would fudge the margins and deliberately dumb myself down, use simple language and try not to be threatening. “
“I would never take ownership over any directive. I knew that if I didn’t act like a submissive dog, I wouldn’t get what I wanted. Men don’t have to do that; women continue to have to do that often. You’ll see it in a lot of female execs. They’re very fun, and energetic. I feel that that’s methodology to get what they want, but men can be as grumpy and unpleasant as they wish and nobody has a word to say about it. If a woman acts that way, she’s a c***, literally. She’s a “bossy c***.”
Manson has spoken on the issue before, stating back in 2012, “There’s a lot of girls now who are disempowered, they’re not being giving a lot of chances. They are worked really hard, they are wrung dry on tour, then given new songs, which are written by man to start the process all over again”.
