More than just a woman on US currency

I'm elated that a woman will finally be represented on US paper currency. But why do so few seem to celebrate that a person of color will also be represented? Harriet Tubman, an activist and abolitionist most known for her leadership in the Underground Railroad, certainly deserves her place on the $20 bill. However, her identity as a black women cannot be ignored. If anything, Harriet Tubman is more known for her work fighting against racism than fighting against sexism. Why, then, is one part of her identity celebrated over another? From the mainstream media to nerdy comics to my Facebook feed, people seemed to ignore this part of Harriet Tubman's identity (and I'm not even getting into the straight-up racist reactions).

An imagined Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.
Source: Harriet Tubman Historical Society

Of course, racism, sexism, and all of these -isms are ultimately connected and perpetuated by many of the same hegemonic power structures. Yet even "progressive" advocates are guilty of perpetuating other -isms.  Many popular feminists like Lena Dunham have been criticized for being "white feminists" insomuch as their work and advocacy excludes the struggles of women of color. (Some feminists of color instead use the term"womanist" instead to separate themselves from white feminists). Speaking of dollars, while white women make only 78 cents on the dollar of what men make, black women make just 64 cents on the dollar and Latinas make 56 cents on the dollar of what men make due to these institutionalized -isms. In fact, some critics lament that putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 goes against everything she fought for by making her a symbol of the oppressive economy she fought against. (Root writer Cedric Mobley has a great response to those critics).

Gender Wage Gap (note that it fluctuates from year to year)
Source: New Republic & AAUW

This post is long overdue, yet the problem remains. Certainly, we need more women, people of color, and other minorities represented on our currency. After all, money is power, and those who we chose to memorialize on currency retain that power symbolically. It should also be noted that Women on 20's, the group that advocated for Harriet Tubman to be on the $20 bill, has a diverse list of women candidates who Harriet Tubman beat out. Let's not make the same mistake when these women get on our currency. Instead, let's celebrate all parts of their heritage & identity.

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* Case in point: a search for "Harriet Tubman woman $20" on Google News yields 49,700 results, while "Harriet Tubman black $20" yields 31,300 results (and "Harriet Tubman African-American $20" yields 11,880). 31,300 + 11,880 still is less than 49,700. I'm unable to find the original print headlines from April 20, 2016 when it was announced that Tubman would grace the $20, but I'm still sleuthing. 

"Daddy, girls can't play the guitar!"

Although it's easy to overlook or forget about, sexism is alive in well in modern America. Just today I went in to a local music shop to get my guitar checked out since my pickup's been misbehaving. As I was carrying my guitar in, a little girl who was about four years old stared at me and exclaimed loudly to her father, "Daddy, girls can't play the guitar! It's only for boys."

Now I was shocked. I've been playing the guitar for almost 8 years, and I am certifiably a girl. I'm no Jimmy Page, but I can also certifiably rock out. Where was this girl, with her pink Barbie dress and blonde hair, getting the message that women are physically incapable, or at least discouraged, from playing the guitar? It's bad enough to hear men put women down, but I think it's even worse when sexists can convince girls and women put themselves down.

Why are there so few women lead guitarists? There are famous female vocalists, pianists, and violinists, but there are very few famous women guitarists, much less lead guitarists. Rolling Stone's famous 2003 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time only includes two female guitarists, Joni Mitchell at #72 and Joan Jett at #87, neither of whom is known for their solos. Looking at Rolling Stones' 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time, only one song written and played by a woman makes the cut, Joan Jett and the Blackheart's "I Love Rock and Roll" coming in at #89.

Yet there are women out there who can shred, just check out Venus Magazine's response to the Stones article, The Greatest Female Guitarists of All Time. Or listen to Susan Tedesci, Orianthi (who was scheduled to be Michael Jackson's guitarist in his This is It tour and is pictured on the right), Bonnie Rait, Melissa Etheridge, Jewel, Joan Jett, Ann Wilson of Heart, and even Avril Lavigne. If you don't believe me that these girls are talented, watch Orianthi shred Eddie Van Halen style or Susan Tedesci play some (original) old school blues.

However, the few girls that do play guitar get more attention for their appearance than their talent. For example, when I searched "famous women guitarists" on Google, the second site was "Top 12 Hottest Female Guitarists Ever," implying that the women that do play guitar don't even get credit for their talent, only for their sex appeal. Just look at any of the comments of videos of girls playing guitar on YouTube and you'll see a lot of comments about their looks and not about their music. Here are just some of the comments on the Orianthi video I posted. iRewel says, "I'd blow a few loads in that whore." Meanwhile, Lemonsongthe writes, "She should practice more instead of doing her hair and her make up that was sloppy as fuck." NJguitarnewbjk muses that she "should have gone into the porn industry."

Let's not forget IxMAKExUxGoXLOL's analysis, "A woman trying to do something that a man has already done several times better... Typical." True, there are also many people who have praised Orianthi for her talent (including legends Steve Vai, Michael Jackson, and Carlos Santana), but you can also find comment boards full of people picking apart her every riff and insulting her every move and hairdo. Maybe Sinead O'Connor's strategy is the best- to avoid being successful because of her looks alone, Sinead shaves her head and wears humble clothes in all of her appearances. By the way, Sinead plays the guitar as well as sings.

Maybe it's that the guitar is a phallic symbol, or at least more entrenched in the male identity than the female experience. In fact, it seems like it's a rite of passage for every teenage boy to learn at least "Smoke on the Water" on the guitar. Girls, on the other hand, are taught to copy the moves from the latest music video. For guys, playing the guitar is a cliche way to "get all the chicks," though by no means is the reverse true. In Guitar World's analysis of the Top 10 Reasons to Play Guitar one of the reasons is for playing guitar is "Mating." The article details:

Boys, admit it. Whatever your purportedly purist goals were, you had visions of female affection racing through your mind when you figured out the riff to “Enter Sandman.” After all, it pays off when the fairer sex sees how well you can use your hands. Conversely, girls, though you often don’t get proper recognition as players, you automatically have the rapt attention of every male music-nerd who dreams of dating a guitar heroine."

I've played a lot of shows, and I've never found that being a girl that plays guitar has made guys attracted to me (singing, on the other hand, is completely different if you're a girl). In fact, it's clear that being a good girl guitarist intimidates guys most of the time, and they find it embarrassing if a girl can play better than them. The best compliments I've ever received while playing is that "you play like a guy." Being a girl who can play guitar is about constantly trying to prove yourself, even if you're not trying to be the next Hendrix. Check out Being a Female Guitarist Takes Balls for a good narrative by girl in the music industry.

Why can't girls play guitar? Ultimately, it's a combination of societal factors. There is no precedence of women being famous for playing the guitar, and sex appeal is more important than talent to succeed the music industry, especially if you're female. It's because girls like the one I encountered in the store don't think that girls are supposed to play the guitar. However, sexism is not limited to the music industry. I originally had included sexism in politics and religion in this post, but I think I'll save it for another time. It'll still be around when I have the time to write about it later.