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Music

Battling the Stage Personas

Our punk powerhouse Mish goes head-to-head with cohort and counter Louise Burns on the "good girl/bad girl" dichotomy.

The thing about being a front person is that you are going to get labeled. I don’t know what it’s like to be a man playing music, because I’m not a man playing music, but I do know that when you are a woman on stage, the good girl/bad girl dichotomy is a common one. When you get labeled, it’s solely based on your stage persona. So, if you stand on stage in lace, strumming your Fender Telecaster while you belt beautiful lyrics, you are going to get called a “good girl.” If you scream, rip at your hair, and roll around on the floor like a child, you get the opposite. Pop is good. “Punk” is bad. But the oppositions happen within genres too. Jessica Simpson defended her virginity, while Christina Aguilera proudly proclaimed herself as a vixen. You know the story. It’s always been the way. It’s annoying, but the opposition obsession isn’t going anywhere.

I’m not tough, but the stage would categorize me as bad (or more likely crazy or gross). My friend and singer-songwriter Louise Burns has the ultimate good girl persona. She’s more badass than me on any day, but this isn’t what an audience would believe.

Read the rest over at NOISEY.