9 Aug 2011

Bedroom Music #2: Sexy White Boys/Sexy Black Boys

Two riffs on race and hetero male sexuality in this year’s music, with especial reference to of Montreal, Wild Beasts and The Weeknd...

So I like to keep abreast of my own prejudices, and I was recently made to reflect on my differing reactions to similar gestures made in different, 'racialised' genres (a discrepancy which, I think, is pretty common). The gestures have to do with the sexualisation of a hetero male subject - the singer themselves, or their performed persona.  It basically runs that I make a comparable ‘double-take’ when:

  • a male R&B or hip hop artist (‘black’ genres) suggests any kind of sexual self-doubt, impotence, or even averageness, and...
  • a male indie rock or indie pop vocalist (‘white’ genres) makes any kind of claim to particular sexual prowess or potency.