Plain Jane, a 24-year-old singer-songwriter from London, is the
star that everyone is talking about. Having recently been voted ‘best female
role model’ by RealMusic Television, her hugely anticipated album ‘Independent
Woman’ did not disappoint her enthusiastic fans. Climbing up to the top of the
charts, she has been likened to the controversial success of Madonna and Lady
Gaga with the fresh excitement of contemporary artists like Miley Cyrus. Behind
all the fame however, there’s a woman criticised and discriminated against for
her body image. Plain Jane tells Melody Magazine how she receives daily hate
comments on YouTube telling her she’s ‘too masculine’ and ‘not sexy enough’.
Plain Jane gives Melody Magazine and our eager readers a fiery response,“Enough is enough! Stop sexualising women
and likening them to voiceless objects of sex!”
Q: What’s the
significance to your stage name, ‘Plain Jane’?
A: ‘Plain Jane’ is the term used about women who are
categorised as unattractive and boring. It basically means ‘average’ and is a
term based entirely on physically appearance and first judgments. My question
is, how can you judge someone by their body and appearance when this doesn’t
tell you anything about the person? I’m not one of those girls who get naked for
the camera, yet I consider myself an outgoing and confident lady. I chose this
name because it encapsulates the generalisations of body image by our
generation. Some people may thing that I look ‘plain’ and boring on the
outside, but on the inside I am strong, talented and independent- and at the
end of the day, that’s all that matters.
Q: What points are
you trying to get across to your fans in your recent music video, ‘Lady in a
Lad’s World’?
A: I wrote ‘Lady in a Lad’s World’ to show that women
are just as powerful, independent and talented as men, and also to show how the
sexualisation of genders can really affect people. I decided to play the roles
of both male and female characters to reflect how women can have masculine traits
and men can have feminine traits- and still be beautiful. I want society’s
warped image of beauty to be abolished, as well as sexualised misconceptions of
women in this industry. Therefore, I challenged the objectification and
sexualisation of gender through my music video. I’m not what is categorised as
‘a conventional beauty’ and people criticise me for being too ‘masculine’. So
what? I love the way I look and that’s all that matters. Should I succumb to
the ‘sexy’ stereotype that the media forces women in the music industry to be?
No. I refuse to, and other women should do too. I chose this controversial
approach because overt gender sexualisation is an issue, and I feel women in
music videos are especially subjected to this.
Q: Why has your
music video has caused such uproar of controversy?
A: Has anyone noticed how male produced videos are
extremely suggestive? They say actions speak louder than words, and in the case
of music videos, actions suggest women passively do whatever men want them to
do. Women are just objectified for their bodies and barely have a voice or
identity. I wanted to create a music video where the stereotypes of women’s
primary purpose of being ‘sexy’ and ‘there to please’ are scrapped. We deserve
to be credited for our talents rather than be objectified for our bodies and
scrutinised for our sexuality. This is why my music video has caused so much
controversy; people are shocked that there are no rigid gender roles or
stereotypes.
Q: How have you
responded to the positive/negative attention brought upon by your controversy?
A: Some people may be shocked at the way I dress and
how I ‘lack feminine qualities’. I am walking proof of the fact that women
don’t need to strip sown and expose their bodies to get attention in the music
industry. When my producer told me I needed to take my clothes off and ‘act
more sexy’ for my male fans, I fired him. I strongly detest misogyny and will
do all in my power to discourage it. I’ve received lots of positive media
attention by representing something new, fresh and exciting in the music
industry, and I’ve also recently been voted one of the top female role model
for young teenagers. Women shouldn’t be discriminated and objectified by their
bodies and it’s important that young children do not grow up to be desensitised
to this issue. Women shouldn’t have to feel like ‘sexual objects’. Everyone
needs to be aware of the overt sexualisation of gender that takes place in the
music industry, and music videos like Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ encapsulates
this disgustingly, over-sexualised music culture.
Q: Why do you
think gender roles are so defined in the music industry?
A: The representation of men and women is something
that has stemmed from society ideals. Society tells us to expect people to
looks/act/dress one-way or the other. You’re either categorised as completely
masculine with strong muscles and flashy suits, or you’re ultra feminine and
have the perfect boobs, bum and face- in that order! The music industry is so
influenced by these gender stereotypes. Women, in particular, are used for
their bodies to attract male audiences and producers believe that women have to
dress half naked in order to receive any sort of attention or recognition as a
female artist or music video dancer. Apparently if you’re not ‘sexy’ you’re not
selling. This needn’t be true. In my music video, ‘Lady in a Lad’s World’, the
women tale on the ‘masculine’ role, being dominating and intimidating, while
the men are portrayed as weak, dumb and sexy- the typically ‘female’ stereotype.
I did this to subvert how the music industry exploits gender sexuality, using
it as a means to sell, and also to demonstrate how these gender stereotypes are
old-fashioned and sexist. Beauty is becoming plastic and artificial because the
media and music industry conform to stereotypes and unrealistic perceptions of
beauty. Women are stripped of the freedom of being more than a pretty face and
a sexy body.
Q: Why do you
think you have been voted #1 Role Model for Teenagers in the RealMusic Television
awards, 2014?
A: Through my lyrics and music videos, I discourage
the objectification of genders by abolishing the overt sexualisation that you
see all over music channels such as MTV and Viva! I wouldn’t want my children
to grow up influenced by these overtly sexual and objectifying music videos
because this leads to the backwards mindset of sexualisation/discrimination of
genders being accepted and becoming ‘normal’. In the long term, this creates a
shocking desensitisation to contemporary issues, for example teenagers being
brought up thinking it is acceptable to take advantage of women due to their
‘purpose of being mere sex objects.’ This needs to change. The music industry
needs to realise that their stereotypical and sexist misrepresentations of
gender can mentally and physically affect young generations. Children look up
to the people they see in music videos. I am an artist who subverts the concept
of ‘using sex to sell’. My focal point isn’t my body. My focal point is my
talent.
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