Best Coast frontwoman Bethany Cosentino is the latest starlet to be featured in Girls actress Lena Dunham's online newsletter, Lenny. In the article she speaks out about misogyny in the music industry following recent allegations of sexual assault committed by her former publicist.
The allegations against Heathcliff Berru, former CEO of Life or Death PR (who represented artists such as DIIV, Killer Mike and Tyler, the Creator), were brought to light by Dirty Projectors' Amber Coffman in a series of Tweets. Shortly thereafter, Cosentino came forward with her own allegations.
The new post was not the first anti-sexist letter to appear in the newsletter, with Chvrches' Lauren Mayberry discussing an abusive relationship that she went through last year. Cosentino's letter addresses her concerns with comments made during her live shows and some of the show reviews that follow.
"I recently read a review that mostly lauded a Best Coast show - it specified how great the band sounded and how 'sexy' I looked - but it bemoaned my lack of smiling. This article has, and continues to, deeply trouble me," she stated. "This reviewer's gendered critique of my presence onstage revealed how he thought a woman who he saw as 'sexy' should behave. It also showed how ideas about the sexualization of women are reinforced. Many people did not see the underlying sexism of the review. In fact, in the social media referencing the article, countless people attacked me with comments like 'Get over it! He complimented you! Quit being a whiny b*tch!'"
She adds that there are four men in her band and nobody makes remarks about how good they look, whether they're smiling or not or "how hot their outfits are." She also mentions that the essay was partially written prior to Berru's allegations.
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