Does sex appeal determine success in todays music?

In this business, women are unfortunately held to a higher standard than men are, on both the talent side and the business side.

The sad part of the entertainment business is that most people outside of it, don't get to see on a daily basis, the underbelly of what young ladies who glamorize all these artists, whether rappers, singers, athletes, etc... do just to get near them, or try to get discovered just to be in a video. It's very apparent that all do not display this behavior, but for those that do, tend to make it bad for everyone. This is an element of the industry as a whole that is never going to leave because these entertainment moguls and companies know that "sex sells", always has and always will. This in turns breeds the behavior that is out there.

Many women have demanded their respect in this business from Sylvia Rhone, Latifah, Oprah, Tyra, etc.., and still there are some idiots out there that will still attempt to approach women of this caliber and disrespect them, call them out of their name, because they are not allowing themselves to be taken down a peg or two for the sake of just making it, when all of them have made it on their own strengths individually or collectively. Never get involved in anything for no amout of money if your going to have to forgo what you believe in, stand for, and carry yourself as, no matter who it may be or what they may be offering.

Men crooners have traditionally not been the prototype sex symbol until recently. There was Curtis Mayfield, Mel & Tim, Sam & Dave, Jerry Butler, Bobby Womack, Issac Hayes, etc., who just had to only open their mouths to be accepted as early sex symbols.



I've discussed this with numerous artists, especially r&b singers. Unfortunately in today's music model, companies are signing them based mostly on image. Sex sells, sex sells, sex sells, sex sells, and that is the sad tale of it all. Look at the girls they place in music videos, to model clothing lines, to showcase cars at a car show, to host events, etc...., and you have your answer. There have been some exceptions, but only because they were on American Idol, or garnered so much attention on a social networking site such as MySpace, Facebook, etc, that a bidding war was launched for their services.

Just remember that as long as consumers demand it, and across demographics those people want to see the skimpy dressed women, and over the top sexy women and drop dead gorgeous men in tight shirts, etc.., sex appeal will always matter in this industry, until we as artists, producers, managers, dj's, talent scouts, etc... do something to affect the current businsss model out there.

You have to think though that maybe this trend may be dying down with so many older artists coming onto to the scene and setting trends of their own.

Susan Boyle, the 'Britain's Got Talent' star who has taken the US Charts by storm, sold an astounding 701,000 copies of her debut album, 'I Dreamed a Dream,' in the U.S., giving her the best first week sales of 2009 and the best-selling debut album by any woman since SoundScan began tracking in 1991. She is definitely not your prototype size 6, voluptuos siren that we have gotten used to seeing as a new artist.