Once upon a time, Karmen from our music blog Audiostraddle was like, hey, we should probably co-write a piece about trendsetting female musicians. She said it just like that, too. So WHAM BAM, THANK YOU MA’AM, we did.
So! Here’s an overview of some fashionable artists who are /aren’t/ we often pretend for the validity of our liquid dreams are, queer.
Also, do you guys remember liquid dreams? No? That’s okay, I just got really distracted, so we’re even. LET’S GET TO IT.
1. Ladyhawke
KARMEN: You know, usually I would be the first person to complain about straight girls wearing flannel, army boots, loose t-shirts or any of that other lesbian-approved attire. Ladyhawke, however, is just one of those people that makes everything she wears into something all her own. Much like her music, Ladyhawke isn’t just one thing – she tries to be everything at once. And she is pretty excellent at it. She mixes grunge with hipster and recessionista (what?? You haven’t heard of that term yet? It’s so fetch!). She is nostalgic and modern, yet somehow remains mysterious. She is undeniably sexy and makes us feel funny things in our pants.
BECKY: Vintage t-shirts the likes of which you’d pick up in souvenir shops when abroad in the ’90s, top hats, big sunglasses, and of course, flannel. They’re also selling top hats at Hot Topic now for pretty cheap in celebration of the new Alice In Wonderland movie. Maybe top hats will become a thing, which I would be pretty down with.
2. Janelle Monae
To speak on behalf of Janelle Monae’s awesomeness, we’ve brought in fabulous Editorial Assistant Katrina to share her feelings, which is super good and convenient because I’m speechless by her hotness.
KATRINA: Janelle Monae is so cool. Oft hailed as the lady version of Andre 3000, Monae is super cute, super tiny, super talented, and super. duper. fly. Diddy says she’s the most important artist he’s ever signed to his record label. I say she’s the greatest living reason to bring back the saddle shoe. And the only reason I have ever thought androids could be in any way appealing. But Monae does it.
Her second album, The ArchAndroid, is dropping this year as part of the projected four-piece afro-punk, dance hall, funk-rock, soul-pop suite that is to be her discography, a concept based in the fictional city of Metropolis in the year 2719. Outrageously original with an intellectual twist, Monae’s suite carries a message about social stratification and big brother governments. Music, she believes, is an art form that has the potential to change the world, and for a girl like Janelle, living up to this shouldn’t be any big feat.
Speaking of top-ish hats:
3. Uh Huh Her
KARMEN: Forget about the fact that one of the members of this band was Alice Pieszecki on The L Word. Ignore that the other has played bass and keyboards for bona-fide gangstas the likes of Dr. Dre and Busta Rhymes. Uh Huh Her isn’t interested in being anything besides what they are. Maybe that’s what makes Leisha Hailey and Camilla Grey so heart-stoppingly hot.
BECKY: Leisha Hailey has done quite a bit for queer fashion already by being the “girlie” lesbian on The L- Word. Off screen, her style, as well as Camilla’s, is a pretty sweet mix of edgy/glam I can definitely get behind. These girls love designer clothes, dark colors mixed with primary colors, spiky shoes, skinny jeans, and are known to rock a lot of Marc Jacobs and Zac Posen.
KARMEN: Aside from making ridiculously catchy electropop music that dares you to keep your feet from moving, these two women have the sort of fashion that is so cool it makes me feel like the awkward girl at the middle school dance all over again. They’re the girls I’ll always be too shy to approach and secretly always wish to be… or do. Same thing.
Watch them be awesome and hot with a miniature unicorn (!!!)
4. Le Tigre
KARMEN: Le Tigre (Kathleen Hanna, Johanna Fateman, and JD Samson)’s music has been the soundtrack for the riot grrrl movement for over a decade and, through their music, has helped put LGBT issues in the spotlight for just as long. So these girls are smart. Very smart. They also have opinions, strong ones. On top of that, they have a knack for making amazing music that just begs to be rioted to. Are they more than that? You bet! Basically everything they do has people questioning their own preconceived notions. This includes their clothes.
BECKY: What I like about Le Tigre, besides their uncanny ability to rock variations-on-a-theme-matching outfits, is the way they can do so much with so little. Their style reminds me of punk/new wave in the Devo/B52s sense of the word(s). What they wear is unique and varied. Personally, this is my favorite way to dress, like: “Hey, I think I’ll wear my Romanian blouse with combat boots and those yellow shorts I found at Goodwill today.” Basically what I’m trying to say is, they mix it up with a kind of “it don’t matter what you wear” fierceness.
KARMEN: Sometimes femme, sometimes butch, sometimes androgynous. Le Tigre refuses to let themselves be pigeon-holed. “Get out of your fucking box!!” has never looked so very good.
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Next: Brody Dalle, Sia, and more!
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According to this article, http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/3411489/Anika-Moa-on-her-wedding , Ladyhawke isn’t straight.
Ladyhawke: Queer Tested, Lesbian Approved.
thank you!! i feel that this is actually one of the best kept non-secret secrets ever.
ladyhawke doesn’t get nearly enough love on AS, which makes me sad :/
yah… was just going to say that. though i just assumed, haven’t read the article. also according to my friend who interviewed her, there were definite ‘vibes’.
gah, having read other comments it seems everyone knows!
Slightly unrelated, and irrelevant to anyone who isn’t a kiwi (or aussie?) but Anika Moa is gay!? That is totally cool. And she married a burlesque artist. Even more cool. I love that article.
Back when everyone didn’t know Anika Moa was gay, I used to enjoy “shocking” people by revealing The Dreaded Truth (and then they’d be like, whoa, how did you know that, and I would be like, the lesbian mafia. Which is impressive considering at the time I was in Christchurch and more or less cut off from the lesbos, but w/e). In retrospect this was maybe a bad naughty thing to do but obvs she’s come to terms with it anyway. (Also, total distraction, what did you think about the language of the article wrt: talking about AM’s marriage, wife, etc & only mentioning civil unions once. On the one hand yay it’s super mainstream and adorable. on the other hand I kind of feel like every time we gloss over civil unions as being exactly like marriage we miss a trick. On the *other* other hand by the time you’ve been going out with someone for, what is it? four years? there’s basically no difference so you may as well call it a wedding, I guess. I was really hoping “we got civilised” would catch on, but w/e.)
gdi autostraddle related posts. I thought this post was … less old. SORRY FOLKS.
Whenever I read one of your articles on style, I go through all the pictures first. I don’t even mean to, it just happens. Then I go back and read the article, because I love words, especially yours, but they all look so good! I can’t help it. I love pictures. Also, Brody Dale.
Janelle Monae is a doll!!!! I love her funky and futuristic sound and style! :-) Oh and her album “The ArchAndroid” drops May 18th! Def. a MUST-HAVE!
I was just coming on here to comment that Ladyhawke isn’t straight but someone already beat me to it!!
Also where is Robyn on this list?! So sad… she was named Elle Sweden’s style icon of the decade last month! Either way, nice list ladies!
Great list. I would second Robyn and put forward Natasha Khan from Bat for Lashes and Alison Goldfrapp from, um, Goldfrapp
Hells yes. Natasha Khan is the SEX.
And I wouldn’t mind Tegan or Sara Quin on there either. They’re like the Canadian hotness equivalent of Ladyhawke + Nat x 572385. In my opinion anyway.
Agreed. Raise you Nicole from NiNa Sky.
Alison Mosshart is my style icon. She is so bad ass I wish I could pull off the chain smoking hotness.
I feel like I’m missing some totally obvious reason why this list is Quinless. *confused*
It’s Brody DaLLe, yo. That’s why it’s pronounced doll-ee and not dayle. Please fix.
Very cool about Ladyhawke.
And I think I’ll be using that discount code to pick up some OBEY merch!!
i was wondering why there weren’t any quins too!
perhaps they’ll get a whole style article devoted just to them? that could be nice, just sayin. : )
Hold on, the bad’s got to fix itself. I got a cure for this crime.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-zjHa-BnCA
Its a good interview but the style part begins at 1.18
Yup, Ladyhawke is gaygaygay and I’m reeling from the lack of Quin on this post!
I love these style posts, hopefully I can absorb some style through reading them. Sia’s voice good god in heaven so much emotion totally heartbroken music.
“Get out of your fucking box!!” sounds like something the ‘rents would say if they caught me…ahem, well, you know…
Great article (lots of eye candy!) but please, use your spellcheck! It’s embarrassing how many spelling and grammar errors there are in this piece.
sweet list… this makes me want to dress better. currently i am wearing sweatpants.
What? no lady gaga?! anyone for a kermit the frog body suit or some red vinyl? If we were lady gaga, we could kiss lady prisoners and weeee’d neeverr have to wear paaannnntsss!!
HI GUYS I LIKE MIA A LOT. i wish i could wear neon like her.
1. I am seriously loving you for introducing me to this Janelle Monae character. LOVE
2. I thought JD from Le Tigre was trans, but maybe I’m wrong? I can’t find any corroborating evidence for this…
I think JD is more genderqueer than trans, or somewhere in between those two. I don’t think it’s really public what he/she identifies as. But yeah, I probably wouldn’t call Le Tigre a group of girls. Also JD is dating Sia. Hot.
Love this list! I definitely will be checking out the ladies I haven’t heard yet.
Brody Dalle has had my affection since I was 15. That raspy voice kills me.
Also adding to Ladyhawke’s vintage appeal, http://www.ladyhawkemusic.com/game/
loving this list to bits!!
Awesome, enjoyed this list very much!!
Thanks for thesez pictures ;)
I loved the ‘3. Uh Huh Her’. She is hot. But everyone here is really good looking and fashionable. Nice post.
Great list!
For myself I would add Joan Jett to my personal musician style list. She’s still got it and she’s in her 50’s!
Plus, Kristen Stewart was hot in the Runaways movie.
Nice list here, it is so cool.
Slightly unrelated, and irrelevant to anyone who isn’t a kiwi.
I was at the Uh Huh Her concert where that pick of Leisha Hailey was taken. She was looking super adorable that day.