vintage

According to the BBC, it has apparently been determined that men listen to music for more “intellectual” reasons, while women listen to things that make them dance. “It’s partly how you talk about music,” says Lesley Douglas, the BBC’s head of popular music. “For women, there tends to be more emotional reaction to music. Men tend to be more interested in the intellectual side of the music, the tracks, where albums have been made, that sort of thing.”

Oh.

And it goes on!

“It seems undeniable that many women have been subjected to long and serious discussions between male friends concerning the merits of one amp or another on some obscure Doors recording, only to be left questioning their own instinctive, emotional reactions to favoured pieces of music: reactions which often involve shouting declarations of love and heading for the dancefloor.”

… What?

I’m not even sure how to comment on this one. What you’re telling me, dear BBC, is that men are only interested in music for the trivia and informational purposes, and women only want to dance. You’re also telling me that there are absolutely no female music trivia nerds and that men don’t enjoy a good beat nearly as much as girls do. Thanks for the clarification.

Jessica at Feministing sums it up rather succinctly: “Seriously, we might as well hold our iPods up to our vaginas.”

If you’ll forgive me, Ms Douglas, I (a girl) promise to stop reading internet articles about the merits of old Rickenbacker toaster pickups in my spare time, possessing a small shop’s worth of instruments, and reading books of trivia about the Who. I mean, really. How appallingly unladylike.