#your taste in non-pornographic media/art especially
Text
Lit Review Draft 2
What Is the Correlation Between Sexual Orientation and Music Taste?
Is there a history of correlation between sexual orientation and certain genres of music? Is there even reason to believe that this correlation would exist? Do the spheres of music and sexual orientation overlap in any ways? These are the supporting questions to my main inquiry which I set out to answer through my secondary research. To this end, I researched the overlap of aspects of music and sexual orientation, the interwoven history of sexual orientation and the aesthetics of musicians, and the public impression of sexual orientation among music genres.
Sexual Orientation, Presentation, and Music
Presentation and aesthetic is regarded as an important aspect of belonging within groups, and the perception of minority sexuality groups is no different in this regard. Certain behaviors, appearances, names, voices, and more are frequently considered to belong to specific genders or sexualities, no matter how true that assumption may actually be. While these assumptions affect the groups that gravitate towards these aspects of personal presentation, they also affect which groups gravitate away. Young straight men seem to easily fall into this avoidant group, especially in situations where they believe they are being judged by male peers (Abramo, 2011). Abramo’s observations with high-school aged boys seemed to show an assumption among young straight men that having certain presentations in music, like using the head voice or singing softer lyrics, imply damaged or abnormal masculinity, and cause them to become defensive to avoid the ridicule of being assumed as not heteronormative.
Conversely, many music artists intentionally evoke queer presentation as a method of performance. Artists like The Scissor Sisters utilize the colorful, purposefully overblown aesthetic of camp to express queer narratives and experiences through both their music and their bodies. Rappers like Jwl B reveal their entire body on stage, showing the real form of queer bodies, not the idealized and pornographic images of performers often edited or circulated beyond the control of the original person. Especially for non-straight performers, taking charge of their own bodies and aesthetic and pushing them away from heteronormative expectations is an important part of the declaration of the unique queer experience (Miller, 2011).
Aesthetics that are attributed to minority or marginalized groups are important to music creators and consumers, both in terms of identifying groups that are close to your own identification and in terms of designating groups which heteronormative individuals are afraid to engage with for fear of their own sexuality being questioned. This divide by aesthetic may point to a correlation between members of certain sexualities and creators and music in certain genres.
The History of Sexuality as an Aesthetic among Music Creators and Performers
While individuals of minority sexualities and gender presentations have existed so long as to have explicit reference made to them in ancient myth and art, serious and anti-homophobic scholarly thought into the presence of queer artists in music and theatre was not even starting to be normalized until the late 1970s, aided by the influential article Britten and Grimes published in the Musical Times. Author Brett breaks down the opera Peter Grimes musically, stylistically, and in story, pointing out a queer narrative of rejection and fear of discovery stemming from both the main character and the author himself. Though the article is short and refrains from even mentioning homosexuality until nearly the last page, it still features a strong and unflinching depiction of the fear of discovery felt by gay creators and the rejection they experience upon coming out. This intentional lack of queer aesthetic by queer creators in theatre at the time still displayed a desire to be known, disguised beneath other factors but still desperate to be recognized by those who would understand the fear and shame that being queer carried in their society (Brett, 1977).
The history of feminism’s rise goes hand-in-hand with this rise of queer theory and the fight for acceptance. While Brett penned one of the first scholarly articles to take non-straight identity seriously in music theory and theatre, queer and feminist creators had already long begun the fight to be seen and not dismissed in music culture, striking out boldly. The Stonewall Riots sparked an emergence into the public conscious of women led and lesbian-feminist bands, record labels, and production companies, and disco was born as the voice of gay liberation, specifically for and by gay people of color (Brett, Wood, and Hubbs, 2012). The 1980s saw a counter-period of silencing of gay musicians and aesthetic, which then re-emerged with a vengeance with the rise of urgent anti-AIDS activism, and saw kick-back in the form of forcible outings of musicians in the 1990s (Brett, Wood, and Hubbs, 2012). Into the modern day queer and feminine aesthetic is degraded in popular media, even as it advocates true acceptance beyond the music industry, but is once more beginning to pick up steam with the modern push for equality.
The history of sexual orientation as a presentation and aesthetic in music is one of rebellion and advocacy. When who you are is seen as lesser, it is easy to gravitate towards spaces which display people like you and acceptance for your identity. It is possible that the history of queer acceptance and rebellion among certain genres could carry into the modern day, leading to genres with more queer representation among their musicians and listeners.
Sexual Orientation Among Listeners and the Public
There is certainly a precedence for the idea that certain individuals of certain beliefs or orientations would be drawn to certain music, for sound, artist, or aesthetic. Marketing tactics targeted at music-listening audiences have found it highly effective to hone in on fans of specific artists for political, social, and commercial messages (Waldrip, 2017). With artists holding such influential positions, the identity and sexual orientation of artists could quite easily influence both their audience and the spaces which their audience inhabits, and having an artist vocally identify with a minority sexuality could normalize the existence of that orientation among their audience.
The lens of sexual orientation and presentation itself, especially in regards to music, also changes drastically based on the space it is present in, even among queer spaces. Queer bar spaces, for example, are led by a sense of erotic sexuality, and their queer aesthetic is thus far more sexualized compared to queer choral music spaces (Miyake, 2013). Queer music spaces being eroticized, even in research, is not very surprising when the fight for rights for all sexualities is one based around the spectrum of expressing sexual attraction. However, queer musical aesthetic extends outside of specifically gay and lesbian musical spaces as well, creating communities that become forces of activism and reminders of community support for queer individuals (Miyake, 2013).
As well as looking at groups of people of certain sexualities to try and discern leanings towards certain genres, it’s possible to look at fans of certain genres and try to discern leanings towards certain sexualities. It’s even possible for the fans themselves to be the ones doing this. Discussion among pop music fans especially leans into queer aesthetic and queer-friendly spaces, generating in-jokes and assumptions that participating members are not heterosexual (r/popheads, 2019). Even participating heterosexual individuals express a fear of being considered more homosexual or less masculine by admitting to participating in the genre. Discussion like this in these spaces also opens up the idea that, instead of actually having a majority population of a certain sexual orientation, individuals are instead scared to speak up if they do not fit the stereotype of the community for fear of being othered and outcast (r/popheads, 2019).
Music, Sexual Orientation, and Correlation
The general consensus of my sources leads towards the idea that music has been highly important to the history of expression and community among queer individuals. Queer individuals who create music have done so from inside the closet, and also by creating their own genres through explicit use of non-heteronormative practices and aesthetics. Genres heavily influenced by queer individuals and aesthetic could still contain higher representation of minority sexualities However, it is just as possible that such histories have not truly shaped the medium to this day, but only created a stereotype of the medium in the eyes of a heteronormative-aligned public. Whether queer spaces in music have persisted to this day or not, their history is important not just to the queer community, but to the whole of music and theatre.
Bibliography
Brett, P. (1977). “Britten and Grimes.” The Musical Times, 118(1618), 995-1000. doi: 10.2307/959289
Brett, P., Wood, E., & Hubbs, N. (2012, July 10). “Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer music.” Grove Music Online. Retrieved 29 Sep. 2019, from https://www-oxfordmusiconline-com.du.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002224712.
Joseph Michael Abramo (2011). “Queering informal pedagogy: sexuality and popular music in school.” Music Education Research, 13:4, 465-477, DOI:10.1080/14613808.2011.632084
Miyake, E. (2013, March 3). Understanding Music and Sexuality through Ethnography: Dialogues between Queer Studies and Music. Transposition, (3). doi: 10.4000/transposition.150
r/popheads (2019, August 1) Is there a correlation between sexual orientation and music taste?. Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/popheads/comments/ckmit8/is_there_a_correlation_between_sexual_orientation/.
Waldrip, R. (2017, November 30). We Are What We Listen To: How Music Makes Our Identity. Retrieved from https://www.martechadvisor.com/articles/data-management/we-are-what-we-listen-to-how-music-makes-our-identity/.
Miller, J. (2011). Spectacle and Sexuality: Music, Clothes and Queer Bodies. In Fashion and Music (pp. 131–154). Oxford: Berg. Retrieved October 07 2019, from http://dx.doi.org.du.idm.oclc.org/10.2752/9781472504418/Miller0009
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Text
Lit Review Draft 1
What Is the Correlation Between Sexuality and Music Taste?
Sexuality, Presentation, and Music
Presentation and aesthetic is regarded as an important aspect of belonging within groups, and the perception of sexuality groups is no different in this regard. Certain behaviors, appearances, names, voices, and more are frequently considered to belong to specific genders or sexualities, no matter how true that assumption may actually be. While these assumptions may affect the groups that gravitate towards these aspects of personal presentation, they definitely affect which groups gravitate away. Young, straight men seem to easily fall into this avoidant group, especially in situations where they believe they are being judged by male peers (Abramo, 2011). Abramo’s observations with high-school aged boys seemed to show an assumption among young straight men that having certain presentations in music, like using the head voice or singing softer lyrics, imply damaged or abnormal masculinity, and cause them to become defensive to avoid the ridicule of being assumed as not heteronormative.
On the opposite end of aesthetic, many music artists intentionally evoke queer presentation as a method of performance, whether they are queer or not. Artists like The Scissor Sisters utilize the colorful, purposefully overblown aesthetic of camp to express queer narratives and experiences through both their music and their bodies. Rappers like Jwl B reveal their entire body on stage, and through doing so show the real form of queer bodies, not the idealized and pornographic images of performers often edited or circulated beyond the control of the original person. Especially for non-straight performers, taking charge of their own bodies and aesthetic and pushing them away from heteronormative expectations is an important part of the declaration of the unique queer experience (Miller, 2011).
Aesthetics that are attributed to minority or marginalized groups are important to music creators and consumers, both in terms of identifying groups that are close to your own identification and in terms of designating groups which heteronormative individuals are afraid to engage with for fear of their own sexuality being questioned. This divide by aesthetic may point to a correlation between members of certain sexualities and creators and music in certain genres.
The History of Sexuality Aesthetic of Music Creators and Performers
While individuals of minority sexualities and gender presentations have existed so long as to have explicit reference made to them in ancient myth and art, serious and anti-homophobic scholarly thought into the presence of queer artists in music and theatre was not even starting to be normalized until the late 1970s, aided by the flagship article Britten and Grimes published in the Musical Times. Author Brett breaks down the opera Peter Grimes musically, stylistically, and in story, pointing out a queer narrative of rejection and fear of discovery stemming from both the main character and the author himself. Though the article is short and refrains from even mentioning homosexuality until nearly the last page, it still features a strong and unflinching depiction of the fear of discovery felt by gay creators and the rejection they experience upon coming out. The aesthetic of queer creators in the time of the second World War was a quiet language, disguised beneath other factors but still desperate to be recognized by those who would understand the fear and shame that being gay carried in their society (Brett, 1977).
The history of feminism’s rise goes hand-in-hand with the rise of queer theory and the fight for acceptance. While Brett penned one of the first scholarly articles to take non-straight identity seriously in music theory, queer and feminist creators had already long begun the fight to be seen and not dismissed in music, striking out boldly. The Stonewall Riots sparked an emergence into the public conscious of women led and lesbian-feminist bands, record labels, and production companies, and disco was born as the voice of gay liberation, especially for gay people of color (Brett, Wood, and Hubbs, 2012). The 1980s saw a period of silencing of gay musicians and aesthetic, which then re-emerged with a vengeance with the rise of urgent anti-AIDS activism, and saw kick-back in the form of forcible outings of musicians in the 1990s (Brett, Wood, and Hubbs, 2012). Even into the modern day, queer and feminine aesthetic is degraded in popular media, even as it advocates true acceptance beyond the music industry.
The history of sexuality presentation and aesthetic in music is one of rebellion and advocacy. When who you are is seen as lesser, it is easy to gravitate towards spaces which display people like you and acceptance for your identity. It is possible that the history of queer acceptance and rebellion among certain genres could carry into the modern day, leading to genres with more queer representation among their musicians and listeners.
Sexuality Among Listeners and the Public
There is certainly a precedence for the idea that certain individuals would be drawn to certain music, for sound and artist and aesthetic. Marketing tactics targeted at music-listening audiences have found it highly effective to hone in on fans of specific artists for political, social, and commercial messages (Waldrip, 2017). With artists holding such influential positions, the identity and sexuality of artists could quite easily influence both their audience and the spaces which their audience inhabits, and having an artist vocally identify with a minority sexuality could certainly normalize the existence of that sexuality among their audience.
The lens of sexuality and presentation itself, especially in regards to music, also changes drastically based on the space it is present in, even among queer spaces. Queer bar spaces, for example, are led by a sense of erotic sexuality, and their queer aesthetic is thus far more sexualized compared to queer choral music spaces (Miyake, 2013). Queer music spaces being eroticized, even in research, is not very surprising when the fight for rights for all sexualities is one based around the spectrum of expressing sexual attraction. However, queer musical aesthetic extends outside of specifically gay and lesbian musical spaces as well, creating communities that become forces of activism and reminders of community support for queer individuals (Miyake, 2013).
As well as looking at groups of people of certain sexualities to try and discern leanings towards certain genres, it’s possible to look at fans of certain genres and try to discern leanings towards certain sexualities. It’s even possible for the fans themselves to be the ones doing this. Discussion among pop music fans especially leans into queer aesthetic and queer-friendly spaces, generating in-jokes and assumptions that participating members are not heterosexual (r/popheads, 2019). Even participating heterosexual individuals express a fear of being considered more homosexual or less masculine by admitting to participating in the genre. Discussion like this in these spaces also opens up the idea that, instead of actually having a majority population of a certain sexuality, individuals are instead scared to speak up if they do not fit the stereotype of the community for fear of being othered and outcast (r/popheads, 2019).
Music, Sexuality, and Correlation
The general consensus of my sources seems to lead towards the idea that music has been important to the history of expression of queer individuals, and such individuals who create music have done so both from inside the closet in many genres and by creating their own genres through explicit use of non-heteronormative practices and aesthetics. The idea that genres heavily influenced by queer individuals and aesthetic could still contain higher representation of minority sexualities is highly worth considering, but so is the idea that such histories have not truly shaped the medium, but only a stereotype of the medium in the eyes of a heteronormative-aligned public. What remains absolutely inarguable is this; queer and feminist music history is integral to the shaping of our modern day music culture, not just in the pop music scene.
Bibliography-
Brett, P. (1977). “Britten and Grimes.” The Musical Times, 118(1618), 995-1000. doi: 10.2307/959289
Brett, P., Wood, E., & Hubbs, N. (2012, July 10). “Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer music.” Grove Music Online. Retrieved 29 Sep. 2019, from https://www-oxfordmusiconline-com.du.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002224712.
Joseph Michael Abramo (2011). “Queering informal pedagogy: sexuality and popular music in school.” Music Education Research, 13:4, 465-477, DOI:10.1080/14613808.2011.632084
Miyake, E. (2013, March 3). Understanding Music and Sexuality through Ethnography: Dialogues between Queer Studies and Music. Transposition, (3). doi: 10.4000/transposition.150
r/popheads (2019, August 1) Is there a correlation between sexual orientation and music taste?. Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/popheads/comments/ckmit8/is_there_a_correlation_between_sexual_orientation/.
Waldrip, R. (2017, November 30). We Are What We Listen To: How Music Makes Our Identity. Retrieved from https://www.martechadvisor.com/articles/data-management/we-are-what-we-listen-to-how-music-makes-our-identity/.
Miller, J. (2011). Spectacle and Sexuality: Music, Clothes and Queer Bodies. In Fashion and Music (pp. 131–154). Oxford: Berg. Retrieved October 07 2019, from http://dx.doi.org.du.idm.oclc.org/10.2752/9781472504418/Miller0009
0 notes
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