Woman in magazines (2)

 Where I take a look at how women in music have been written about in the music press

The 90s/00’s music press guide to writing about women:

1. How can we make this about men?

2. How can we compare them to other women?

3. How can we make this about their looks/body?

Let’s have a look at the Sept 1998 issue of NME…

There's slim pickings in this issue, but this review of Theaudience at Reading festival did make me throw up a little in my mouth

The big album review of the week is the brilliant Celebrity Skin by Hole. How many times can the reviewer mention Kurt Cobain? Well I counted and it's 5. 

Over in the singles review section we have "gloopy Alanis" with a shoehorn mention of Dave Stewart in the Alisha's Attic reivew

For the Sleater-Kinney review the writer couldn't resist slagging off the whole riot grrrl movement, and insult Huggy Bear with the "if Huggy Bear had been this intelligent, this fierce, this damn good back in 1992" line

Over on the letters page someone is bitching about All Saints being on the cover because they are "attractive to Loaded (sexist lad mag) style readers" and "teenyboppers." Wonder if they felt the same when Vic & Bob, Michael Jackson, East 17, Robbie Williams, Fat Les and Tony Blair were on the cover?

Just for context in 1998 out of the 51 issues that year there were only 6 women musician covers (Madonna, Garbage, All Saints, Hole, PJ Harvey, Alanis Morissette)

Finally, also on the letters page someone writes in to say "right, I've had just about enough of Garbage being slagged off!" to which the editor sarcastically replies "anyone who doesn't realise that Garbage are better than The Verve, Embrace, the Manics and Babybird put together is a cloth-eared spasm-monkey FACT! Right?" I mean, they are miles better than all of those bands (Babybird LOL) so what's your point?