There's a strong career to be had for women in music, but it can feel like females in this space need to work a bit harder than the guys. Red carpet events such as the Grammys do a great job of putting the glamor on display, but behind the dresses and smiles, there is heavy-duty work going on. From unrealistic beauty standards to studio time, here are some genuine examples.

The Struggles of Female Artists

The glamorous appearance of award shows and red-carpet events often hides the truth of how stars really live. Women, in general, aren't treated as well as men in most industries, especially music. Of course, there are many supportive agents, staffers, and producers, such as Clive Davis, famous for bringing us music heavyweights such as Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, and Alicia Keys. People like Davis are strong mentors and career-builders for women in this space.

Women in Music and Beauty Standards

Women in general are marketed in an unrealistic way across all celebrity sectors. However, it appears more so in music. Despite women being marketed heavily, a UK survey of media labels found that only 20% of new signings are female with only 8% headlining major UK festivals.

Like other sectors, the music industry pushes unrealistic beauty standards on women.
Women are depicted as highly sexualized in music videos, photo shoots, and in print.
The pressure to look and act a certain way can compromise female musical creativity.

Carefully Navigating the Industry

It usually isn't easy for anyone to make it big in music, let alone women who typically struggle more than their male counterparts. All too often, male bands and artists get away with abhorrent behavior, even when it reflects poorly on the label. At the same time, women have to tread lightly because if one wrong move is made, the contract is over. Possibly due to strong male dominance in the industry, women today still deal with sexism, misogyny, and higher pressure.

Public Opinion and Women in Music

Living the celebrity lifestyle removes a large amount of agency, especially for women. When making it big, you kind of hand over a part of your life to the public, and that is expected. Of course, there are women who rock and inspite other women in music, but it can come at a price. Today, around 83% of 18 to 25 year olds actively follow celebrity culture and public attention and opinion can have an impact on the people publicly facing the crowds, including mental health.

Female artists like Britney Spears are constantly followed by photographers and media.
The intrusion can have long-lasting mental health effects, as evidenced by Britney.
Public opinion is swayed heavily by often untrue print media and online stories.

Almost Everything is Planned

It's easy to dismiss the beautiful women who walk the red carpets as being at the top of their game, naturally enticing and dazzling. However, what you see at media events is carefully planned, curated, and orchestrated, even during embarrassing moments. As they say, the world's a stage, and this has never been more accurate. With phone cameras everywhere and social media prevalence, female artists are used as a public-facing tool to craft a label's image.

Women in Music Do More Than Smile

A survey by Pirate Studios found that 98% of female music artists experience performance anxiety. However, there is much more to the role of a woman in the music industry, and a lot goes on behind the scenes. Yet the extra work a woman does is rarely mentioned in the media.

Appearing at glamorous events is a very small part of a female artist's role.
There are countless hours that go into perfecting the look and act of an artist.
Female artists are loved for their contribution to studio time, not their appearance.

It's All Work with Little Play

Of course, there is some privilege to a high-profile role in the music industry, even for women. High pay, glamorous lifestyle changes, and access to more opportunities are a very real part of expanding your repertoire within the music industry. However, you don't get to the top by drinking and partying like it's 1999! Top female artists such as Beyonce, Rihanna, and Billie Eilish are expected to work hard and even put things like motherhood on hold for a while.

Summary

There are struggles of women in music such as competing with male counterparts for exposure and equal pay. However, women also have to contend with higher public scrutiny than men in the industry too. Personal sacrifices such as maternity are also expected to take a back seat.

What the Red Carpet Doesn’t Show About Women in Music