Teenage band keeps rocking on after calling out sexism in music industry

In yet another example that the kids are alright bad-ass, teenage band Kalliope Jones called out the blatant sexism they faced when they played at a local Battle of the Bands in Massachusetts earlier last week. According to judges, the band (made up of 14-16-year-old girls) was docked because they didn’t “use [their] sultry to draw in the crowd” enough.

Kalliope Jones’s response: “A woman’s sex appeal, or anyone’s for that matter, should not be the defining factor in their success in the music industry, and in addition to that, WE ARE CHILDREN! WE ARE 14-16 YEARS OLD.” In their statement, Kalliope Jones goes on to describe how they confronted the judges on their notes — and, not in so many words, tells them to STFU:

We then asked if they had made similar comments to any of the bands that were made up of only boys. They said, “Oh, no. It is a completely different thing.” Actually, it really isn’t. This conspicuous act of sexist and stereotypical thinking was deplorable and pathetic.

The fact that they made these glaring and crude, sexist and stereotypical notes about our performance was made worse by the fact that they did so while drinking beer, blowing their bloated beery breath in our faces. It was astonishing , revolting, and VERY offensive. We are grateful to have ranked among the top three performers (who, by the way, besides us, were all boys), but to be judged on our sex appeal and told that we need to be more sexy in order to make it as musicians goes against everything we have been taught.

Take a listen to Kalliope Jones, composed of Isabella DeHerdt, 16, on vocals and guitar, Alouette Batteau, 14, drums and vocals, and Amelia Chalfont, 14, on bass, below: