A comparison of the construction of masculinity in heavy metal and bluegrass music
Keywords:
Gender, Bluegrass, Heavy Metal, MasculinityAbstract
Popular music, along with every other form of culture we consume, serves to help us define our own identities. Because of the multitude of different markers we use to understand ourselves in relation to others—including gender, race, class, and sexual orientation—popular music genres are similarly varied in their construction of these markers. These constructions are determined, consciously or unconsciously, by the creators of this music based on their own experiences, and in order for their art to appeal to a specific demographic. The audience and the media also play a role in defining the stereotypical characteristics of popular music genres. In this essay I will look specifically at the genres of heavy metal and bluegrass music and the ways in which these genres construct gender, with emphasis upon the concept of instrumental virtuosity.
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