Is Ageism the Last Acceptable Form of Discrimination in the Music Industry?
By Harriet Lambert, in-house writer
Here in the willful west, the vast majority of us are determined to resist ageing. Our collective fear of death has never felt so prevalent, as we move away from organised religion and the idea of an afterlife, towards the wellness industry, in search of the elixir of everlasting life on earth — or rather, the elixir of everlasting youth. As a woman in her twenties, I often catch myself fretting over a deep-seated fear of ‘losing the currency of youth’, as Fleabag put it. Millennials are at once preoccupied with the extension of life, as well as the prevention of what’s to come. I believe this fear is rooted in the reality of dwindling opportunities. As we advance through life, doors are slammed, often prematurely. Is there really a cap on how far you can advance up the echelons of your career past a certain age?
This paranoia of ‘ageing too quickly’ is particularly common among women in the music industry. Maturity is seen as a negative, with iconic artists such as Madonna, now 61, being criticised for not ‘ageing gracefully’. In an interview with Rolling Stone back in 2015, Madonna expressed her outrage, controversially stating, “it’s the one arena where you can totally discriminate against somebody…And talk shit. Because of their age. Only females, though. Not males. So in that respect we still live in a very sexist society.” She certainly has a point. Old people are not allowed to be sex symbols, they are largely expected to dress exclusively from Per Una and keep their well-weathered faces off the telly box. This desexualisation of the mature places them in a bad spot, in a society where sex sells.
Seeing this marginalisation play out in the media makes it difficult for women to enjoy their careers at any stage. How are we expected to ‘embrace our youth’, whilst simultaneously being reminded of it’s fleetingness at every turn? In her article for Vice, pop star Lola Blanc reveals the countless number of times music execs have made both passing and pointed comments about her age, alluding to the fact that her time is running out. Some even suggested she lie about her real age in order to get more radio play. This pervasive anxiety of feeling as though your career should have taken off before your mid-twenties has young women in the music industry feeling like 30 is the new 80.
Bebe Rhexa reported a similar experience last year, setting off a firestorm on twitter, when she tweeted out a photo of herself in her underwear with the caption “I recently had a MALE music executive tell me I was getting too old and that my brand was ‘confusing’ because I’m a songwriter and I post sexy pics on my Instagram and that’s not what female songwriters are supposed to do, especially for my age. I’m 29. I’m fed up with being put in a box.”
Unsurprising then, that a handful of successful musicians, songwriters and DJs choose to stay out of the spotlight via some form of disguise. In her 2013 ‘Anti-Fame Manifesto’ for Billboard, Sia explains her reasons for not wanting to show her face, chalking it up to a rejection of celebrity culture and ergo the avoidance of public scrutiny.
Ironically, Sia’s attempts to hide her identity, by only ever showing her back to the camera during interviews and performing in a giant blonde bob which covers the upper half of her face, have garnered mass media attention, provoking opinion pieces such as Vulture’s imperiously titled ‘Sia, Show us Your Face.’
In 2017, Sia was accused of child exploitation, having seemingly adopted Dance Moms star Maddie Ziegler as her alter ego. Last year, she reflected on this, speaking candidly to Lena Dunham on her popular Luminary podcast The C-Word. She asserts that whilst she does feel guilty for exposing Maddie to a wider audience, she is also fiercely protective of her, checking in at regular intervals and providing her with 24/7 security. She spoke of going to A list celebrity parties and looking around thinking “We’ve all tap danced the hardest… Here we all are — trauma-bonding.” Indeed, the disastrous effects of fame are numerous and indisputable.
Other artists, mostly male, have been subject to lesser scrutiny for choosing not to show their faces and are in fact, largely respected for doing so. The likes of Daft Punk, Gorillaz, Slipknot. Manchester rock band Nearly Skulls are particularly mysterious about their true identities, giving names but no assurance that the names given are their actual names. Once you’ve wrapped your skull around that, consider also the speculation that their name and bare bones image may be a nod towards their impending deaths. Who knows?
We each have a responsibility to take a less patronising view of the mature generations, if we ourselves are to avoid a decline into the cyclical fate of re-infantilization. If the latter halves of our lives are deemed obsolete, what’s the point in eating organic vegetables and drinking kombucha? It is time we see older people as the capable, nuanced human beings they are, lest we end up in their velcroed Hush Puppies (eesh).
