Ron Halford Defending Subliminal Messages in Metal

http://classicrock.teamrock.com/news/2014-11-10/halford-metal-is-a-force-for-good

Even the man himself, Rob Halford describes metal as being a force for good. It's all about energy and mutual enjoyment. Just like any other type of music. 

Spinal Tap Quotes...

"Bobbi Flekman: Ian, you put a greased naked woman on all fours, with a dog collar around her neck and a leash, and a man's arm extended out up to here holding the leash, and pushing a black glove in her face to sniff it - you don't find that offensive? You don't find that sexist?
Ian Faith: No, I don't! This is 1982, for God's sake..."

Nigel Tufnel: You know, just simple lines intertwining, you know, very much like - I'm really influenced by Mozart and Bach, and it's sort of in between those, really. It's like a Mach piece, really. It's sort of...
Marty DiBergi: What do you call this?

Nigel Tufnel: Well, this piece is called "Lick My Love Pump".

Tokenism

After reading a bit more around the subject of women in heavy metal, I have come across the concept of 'Tokenism'. This concept means that:

tokenism:
1. the practice or policy of making no more than a token effort or gesture, as in offering opportunities to minorities equal to those of the majority.
2. any legislation, admissions policy, hiring practice, etc., that demonstrates only minimal compliance with rules, laws, or public pressure:

"Admitting one woman to the men's club was merely tokenism."

In relevance to my research, it could be seen that women ARE TOKENS in the heavy metal genre. As part of a minority, which could also mean that they are more viable than their male counterparts, in a sense of their rarity. 

A journal written in 1977 by Rosabeth Kanter titled 'men and women of the corporation' illustrates this notion of tokenism, and how something is considered a token if they represent less than 15% of the majority.

Women covering male metal songs...

Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague    by an Iranian Female

Amon Amarth - Runes to my Memory (A personal favorite of mine!) by the same Iranian woman

She's only 10...

Another personal favourite of mine...

Women like what?

Generally, women who consider themselves metalheads, like genres such as Heavy Rock, Black, Death, Goth, Folk and Symphonic  metal. This would be usually the case due to the fact that the content within the songs are more emotional, tell stories or talk about sensitive topics such as religion. Female metahleads, as a whole, tend to avoid genres like thrash metal due to the tradition of it being a boys club, and it still holds very sexist views towards women.

Romantic:

Despite bands attracting a lot of female fans with songs they they actually LIKE, the Death Metal band, Anal Cunt recorded a WHOLE album called Picnic of Love was released as a joke and a parody of love songs.

Which is obviously sarcasm on their part!! Still, rather funny though.

What Are You Doing Here? A Black Woman's Life And Liberation In Heavy Metal

An amazing book.
Not only is Laina Dawes a metalhead, but she is also black. She has been questioned, stared at and asked 'What are you doing here?' at metal gigs

"Laina Dawes is not always the only black woman at metal shows, and she's not always the only headbanger among her black female friends. In her first book, the Canadian critic and music fan questions herself, her headbanging heroes and dozens of black punk, metal, and hard rock fans to answer the knee-jerk question she's heard a hundred times in the small clubs where her favourite bands play: "What are you doing here?"."

"“I wanted to find other black women like me: metal, hardcore, and punk fans and musicians that were rabid about the music and culture and adamant about asserting their rightful place as black women within those scenes. I wanted to find other women who put aside the cultural baggage that dictates that we must listen to certain musical styles, and simply enjoy the music that influenced us, not just as black women, but as individuals who grew up in an era when, thanks to technology, a large variety of music is accessible and available to everyone. I found many black women and have shared their stories, but I also realize there is still a lot of work to be done.”—Laina Dawes"

Something that irritates me...

'How to Look like a Hot Metal Chick'

As a metal 'chick' myself, this infuriates me.
Being metal isn't about being 'hot'. Its about the love for a music genre.
This cannot be fabricated, or imitated, otherwise it just isn't real. Besides, metal, to me, has always been about being myself and being confident in myself.