Girls in Audience, Girls in Bands

Girls in Audience, Girls in Bands  .

It was great to have girls in the audience from different backgrounds, it meant in a way that we had reached out and inspired young women , in a way to do something more with their lives , to take action for themselves.

I always think that when you are in a band that has some success that you have some sort of influence. even subtle, on the public , and I always think , what message to give ?, especially to young women . To be in a band is to maybe acquire a certain role... so what would you do with it  ? What is the best way  ?, how do you want to encourage, support and inspire other  women ?  to be independent , confident in themselves , creative , start initiatives , be more respectful of their gender ?

Also at that time there were very few all girl groups ( that were not stage managed by men /heavy management ) , since punk a few were emerging -  The Slits , Mo-dettes , and girl singers in punk groups,  Polystyrene in X Ray Spex and Pauline Murray from Penetration . These young women really inspired me and in turn I hope the Bodsynatchers could /can inspire women also . 

The thing about those times also was there was a different take on female style ,ie you could wear a binbag or have spiked hair , there was a different take on ‘femininity  and appearance and image …you were not dressing for men ,  it was always about creativity and expression , and what ideas were going on …and the guys at the time supported you in that.

I am disappointed nowadays that in the last 10 years women seem to be  tremendously limited in the mainstream as to their appearance , almost obsessed with ultra grooming as a kind of pastiche or augmented type of femininity as if to be feminine meant only one thing and everyone's visual appearance is similar and manciured/curated by  what they have been told to wear or what they should look like  by the media or peer group . 

It has never occurred to me that I had to take my clothes off  to make music.

cc Nicky Summers