What Will You Do March 9th?!

Hello Friends!

I've got about an hour left before International Women's Day gives way to normal Everyday-Is-Men-Around-The-World-Day... ok, so I'm not funny... I'm actually tired. And wired. And fired up.
So, that's your warning! 😉

I only have 60 minutes before midnight strikes and I have to censor my words or risk being dismissed as a Karen or crone or (gasp!),a feminist! So what follows is my love letter to the men in this music trade we're all part of, in the hopes that they will, for a short moment, see me.


 

What Will You Do March 9th?!

Dear Men in the Music Trade,

xxx

Actually, I can't do it. It feels overwhelming to tackle this today... a day of men filling up my feed with THEIR declarations of how THEY think women are special and how THEY want to acknowledge it and THEY want to be heard on how THEY want to lead the change... ugh.

So on March 9th, what I really hope to SEE is men in both art and industry taking a step back for the next 365 days to MAKE SPACE for women, to LISTEN with open hearts and minds, to WORK THROUGH their feelings of defensiveness without expecting women to console them or commisserate. I want them to CHECK line ups to make sure there is diversity in the choices - and not just one of each "flavour" - we are not donuts. I want men to pick up on and call out the micro-aggressions. (Google it if you need clarification) I want them to hire more female musicians, techs, engineers, producers, photographers so that there's more diversity on and behind stage.

100% of the women I know have been assaulted, insulted, degraded or dismissed in this business because of their gender. That's only going to change when the systems that lift men and hold women back are dismantled and rebuilt.

There's a bit of a buzz going around that with vaccinations on the calendar, we'll be seeing the music industry reopen. Let's resist the temptation to go back to what was, however comforting that might have been for some. We've had a year to sit back, educate ourselves, witness injustice, dream about a better future... it's not just about gender disparity but pretty much an upheaval of society where many silenced voices are now demanding to be heard. And we need to listen up!

So as a white CIS-gendered woman, I am going to invite you, my male friends and colleagues, to make space for me and other female-identifying folk. And in parallel, I am going to make space for those who don't share the privilege of my skin colour, age, social position or sexual orientation.

It's a bit overwhelming. But I am committing to that...

Because ironically, all I could really think about all day, as I read and reflected about women and their journeys, is how my experience of exclusion and missed opportunity is but a mere fraction of what so many others experience every day. And that thought is humbling. And devastating.

So... What will we do March 9th?! 🤔 🧡


 

Feeding On Last Week's Fuel for Creativity!

Thank you Kym Gouchiefor recommending the touching documentary Adam and Satan which explores the relationship between two musicians when their diverse journeys meet. Lots there to feed the soul.

Thank you Mark Perry for sharing your experience of Pretend It's a City with Fran Lebowitz.
I felt I was listening to a friend (or someone I'd love to have as a friend) while virtually visiting her New York!

If any of you are looking for a something on screen that won't suck your life-energy but will leave you with warm fuzzies and laugh lines, these are worth discovering! I am now going down the rabbit hole of Fran Lebowitz interviews on youtube and they continue to make me think and snort... and make me glad she exists and that I am not alone.

 

xo Nat