All hail queen Neko.
When Playboy Tweeted an article about musician, Neko Case, saying: “Artist Neko Case is breaking the mold of what women in the music industry should be,” she responded perfectly.
“Am I? I’M NOT A FUCKING ‘WOMAN IN MUSIC,’ I’M A FUCKING MUSICIAN IN MUSIC!” adding: “DON’T PEGGY OLSEN ME, MOTHERFUCKERS.”
Men in the music industry, of course, would never be referred to as “men in the music industry.” They get to just be “musicians” — i.e. the norm. Women must always be “other” — they must always be the anomaly.
The reference to Mad Men character, Peggy Olsen, of course, is that she is meant to stand out in a similar same way — the sole woman to climb the ranks at a male-dominated advertising firm into the role of copy chief at Sterling Cooper & Partners, during a time when women were generally permitted to rise no further than secretarial positions. She is representative of women doing what women are not supposed to do — be like men, that is. Do man things. Elbow our way into “real life” (read: man life — where all the real, valid, and important things happen).
Can we just be people? When do we get to just be people.
We keep trying to convince the world that women aren’t a niche-market. You’ll recall Cate Blanchett pointed this out during her Oscars speech:
And thank you to… those of us in the industry who are still foolishly clinging to the idea that female films, with women at the center, are niche experiences. They are not — audiences want to see them and, in fact, they earn money. The world is round, people.
Believe it.
As a yelly all-caps potty mouth myself, I declare Neko Case soul-sister for life. Get with the now, pussy-shavers.
I’m making t-shirts. Serious. Stay tuned.