The women of music have stepped up their games a long time ago, but the executives that control the industry are turning a blind eye.
The 2018 Grammys that took place on Sunday, Jan. 28, was surrounded by controversies. Lorde, the only female artist nominated for Album of the Year, was not allowed to perform solo while her male counterparts took the stage. Alessia Cara, who won Best Artist, was the sole female to win a major category.
The awards ceremony which was initially lauded for its diverse set of nominees months back is now being criticized for its lack of female winners. The situation was made even worse when the Recording Academy's Neil Portnow made an egregious comment suggesting that women should step up.
Women Clap Back
A woman who is in the music industry — and in a male-dominated genre no less — has responded to Portnow's statement. Rapper Iggy Azalea has argued that female artists have been stepping up their game.
"The 'step up' 'we would welcome you' comment is infuriating for women in entertainment, for reasons far bigger than if a man or a woman wins an award or even 'the Grammys' themselves," the "Fancy" singer said in a series of tweets. "I think it's that every single woman in the entertainment business has stepped up again and again and been met with the door to the boys clubs cigar bar slammed in their face."
She said that it is not time to boycott the Grammys yet, but she and her fellow female artists need to see some change and it should happen soon. Otherwise, more drastic approach should be taken to force the industry to recognize the hard work of female artists.
"I just want to see my peers valued," she added.
White Rose
Similar to the Golden Globes earlier this month, social justice was the theme at the 2018 Grammys. Female artists like Lady Gaga wore or carried a white rose to the event to signify their silent protest against the sexism in the industry.
Lorde even stitched powerful message on the back of her red dress. The text, apparently, was from Jenny Holzer's Inflammatory Essays.
"Rejoice! Our times are intolerable. Take courage, for the worst is a harbinger of the best," the note reads. "Only dire circumstance can precipitate the overthrow of oppressors. The old and corrupt must be laid to waste before the just can triumph. Contradiction will be heightened. The reckoning will be hastened by the staging of seed disturbances. The apocalypse will blossom."
— Lorde (@lorde) January 29, 2018
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