Entertainment

She's Our Feminist Rock Star Hero

by Julie Alvin
Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

The lead singer of Scottish electronic band Chvrches, Lauren Mayberry, made waves back in September for speaking out against sexism and online misogyny. She talked about all the offensive and aggressive comments she would receive on the band's Facebook page — comments calling her a slut, threatening rape, and telling her "the music industry isn't for you" if she wasn't cool with putting up with such abhorrent verbal abuse. She responded to such vitriol perfectly:

Is the casual objectification of women so commonplace that we should all just suck it up, roll over and accept defeat? I hope not. Objectification, whatever its form, is not something anyone should have to "just deal with".

And then went on to identify herself as a feminist, writing:

I identify as a feminist but subscribe to the pretty basic definition of a feminist as "someone who seeks equality between the sexes."

We were already thrilled to have this talent on our team, and her feminist hero status was only confirmed during the band's Sunday show at Brooklyn's McCarren Park during the Northside musical festival. Mayberry spoke of her goth roots, belted out powerful tunes, and didn't let her diminutive stature keep her from owning the stage with the support of her two male bandmates.

Need any more fodder for your girl crush? Check out this interview where Mayberry talks about combatting stereotypes, and says she thinks of herself as a person in a rock bad, not a girl in a rock band.

And finally, the song you'll never be able to get out of your head (in a good way).