Haley Williams Sounds Off on Sexism
"I remember playing North Star Bar and this guy yelled 'take off your shirt!'"
A lot of badass ladies have been stepping up to the plate lately to address misogyny and sexism in the music industry. And now, Paramore's Haley Williams is stepping up to bat.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Williams was asked about tweeting Chvrches' Lauren Mayberry's post targeting online misogyny.
(Other phenomenal musical women who recently made waves for speaking out and taking a stand against sexism include the likes of Grimes, Solange Knowles and Lorde.)
"I loved Lauren's and Lorde's posts," Williams responded.
"I think it's really cool that there's so many rad girls and older women in music. There's a lot of people that have different points of view and it's nice to see people coming together and being honest about something that matters and should be talked about. I’m so excited to see this stuff surfacing because it’s real."
The "Still Into You" singer also recounted her own experiences with harassment and misogyny. She explained:
"When I was 16 and we started touring, I looked like a 12-year-old boy with no makeup, sports bra, one of the guys' shirts, and I'd wear the same pair of jeans for a month straight. I never showered and was gross and guys that were probably a good 10 years older than me harassed me.
"I remember playing North Star Bar [in Philadelphia] and this guy yelled 'take off your shirt!" probably 10 times.'
Luckily the flame-haired songbird eventually found the strength to fight back.
"It had happened a couple of times at this point but this guy was super aggressive about it," she said.
"By the fifth or sixth time, I realized that I'm the one with the microphone. I've got power here. I don't have to be quiet. Sometimes there's strength in letting your actions speak for you, but in this moment I was like, 'I don’t have to take this.'
"He said something again, I said something back and was just as consistent as he was, and then he stopped. But, by the end, I was just like, 'I don’t like you. Get out,' and made some guy I knew get him out."
But, despite her past experiences, Haley feels like things are looking up:
"There's enough women that are rad and have great points of view and great things to say who can start encouraging that in one another and the people who are coming to shows; instill something else in them that is not being told to them through society and magazine covers—tell them that having a voice and going against the grain is good."
It's pretty damn great to hear about all the amazing, talented ladies pushing for change, but don't forget about Danny Brown, Haley!
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