Lately we've been sharing the thoughts and opinions of women pioneers in this thing called rock and roll that we all love so much. A lot of the commentary we've heard suggest there's still a long way to go in terms of weeding out the misogyny that exists not-really-behind the scenes in this industry. Last year, we reported on Jennifer Batten, the former Michael Jackson guitarist, who asserted that she wasn't considered for a role in Ozzy Osbourne's band specifically because she was a woman.
One of Batten's biggest fans, Nita Strauss, has had to deal with her own challenges. In a recent conversation with Knotfest's She's With the Band, Nita Strauss told the podcast, "I had so many people telling me what I needed to do in order to be successful; 'You can't say that you're dating anybody because you need to appear available'; 'You need to show more skin'."
Seriously, what year is this? 2023 or 1983? It's still baffling how industry execs and hangers-on still get away with this kind of subjugative dialect. And these stories are surely only the tip of the iceberg.
"I wanted to be known as a guitar player and that was it,” Strauss continued. “I started really dressing down. I dyed my hair darker… to stand out less. I’d wear a men’s large t-shirt onstage and baggy cargo shorts and started touring with heavier bands. I was like, ‘I don’t want to be the hot chick. I just wanted to be the guitar player.’ But that’s not who I am either, you know?
Strauss admits that the struggle to always be her true self was a tightrope walk. "I kept getting pulled back and forth through this dichotomy of ‘No, you have to be the sex symbol.’ And it’s like, ‘No, you want to be a serious musician.’ But the reality is, where I am doesn’t fit into either of those molds.”
About sharing details of her personal life, Strauss said "fans don't need to think they have a chance with me in order to be respected and have people come to my shows. I just wish that I could go back and tell my younger self to stop trying to fit into what other people tell you you should be, and just be who you are.”
That's pretty solid advice at any age, I think. Far better than the crap Nita has had to listen to her entire career, that's for sure. You can watch the full interview with Strauss on She's With the Band just below.
