In Defense of the Female-Loved Teen Idol: Why Aren’t They Taken Seriously?

From lyrics to genre, critics utilize various criteria to determine the legitimacy of an artist — but for certain artists, the demographic makeup of their fanbase could decide whether to label them as “serious musicians.”

Written by Myah Taylor

Before the Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, One Direction, and similar acts captured the hearts of 21st-century girls, the rise of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and other crooners in the 1950s marked the emergence of the teen idol.

Then, the British Invasion of the 1960s hit.

When the Beatles made their American debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in February 1964, the group sported boyish haircuts as they performed their light pop track “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” After this monumental performance, Beatlemania ensued — young women around the world went into a frenzy over the foursome from Liverpool.

Since then, teen idols have ruled pop culture, always giving large masses of young women plenty to scream about. Despite garnering adulation across the world and selling millions of records, artists who appealed to teen girls began to lose credibility as musicians somewhere along the way. Or, for some, never received credibility in the first place (see Justin Bieber).

But why is this? Is all music performed by attractive young men objectively bad or is it just disregarded solely for the reason that young women enjoy it?

To try to answer these questions, one can observe the trajectory of the Beatles’ career after their iconic debut. In 1966, the band stopped touring — a driving reason was that they grew tired from performing over screaming fans each night. Due to the noise levels of their admirers, the quality of their musicianship during live performances dipped. But many audience members were okay with that, merely appreciating the opportunity to see them live.

The case with the Beatles demonstrates an argument against the credibility of teen idols: poor performances can be dismissed by fans if those performing are conventionally attractive.

Yes, maybe a lot of teen girls obsessed over the Beatles because they appreciated the music, but many would argue it’s because they thought the group’s members were cute. An added benefit for listeners — which adds fuel to critics’ fire — was that, especially at the beginning of their careers, the Beatles performed sappy love songs that tugged at female heartstrings.

With all the love came a lot of hate. Before being deemed the greatest band of all time and one of the most influential acts of the 20th century, the Beatles (and their bowl cuts) faced criticism when they first broke out in America.

In February 1964, the Los Angeles Times wrote, “With their bizarre shrubbery, the Beatles are obviously a press agent’s dream combo. Not even their mothers would claim they sing well. But the hirsute thickets they affect make them remarkable, and they project a certain kittenish charm which drives the immature, shall we say, ape.”

Were the Beatles really that bad in the beginning? Or was more of the ridicule targeted at the fan hysteria they ignited?

Over time, critics have been equally harsh on other acts enjoyed by female masses. Some of the criticism is potentially warranted, and in other cases, not so much.

Crooners from the ‘50s like Fabian were interchangeable, essentially record label finds that “looked the part.” Conventionally good looks made up for poor singing and manufactured production; later acts like Justin-Bieber-prototypes Austin Mahone and Cody Simpson played the same role.

A group that perhaps didn’t deserve so much negativity because of its female fanbase was the Jonas Brothers. They wrote all of their songs, played their own instruments, and experimented with different genres — all practices of traditionally “legitimate” bands — while still catering to a young female audience during their Disney Channel era. Because of this, Kevin, Joe, and Nick were deemed a boy band and dismissed as shallow teeny boppers.

“I’m not offended that everyone would think we were a boy band,” Joe Jonas wrote in Vulture in December 2013. “We largely had a teen audience, and we’ve been on teen-pop magazines where you’d have to cuddle puppies. We wanted to be perceived as a cool band, one that plays its own instruments and writes its own songs, but a lot of people didn’t notice that.”

Even John Mayer, a guitar virtuoso called a “master guitarist” by the legendary Eric Clapton, wasn’t taken seriously when he first experienced popularity in the early 2000s because of his “crooning” and majority female fanbase. Additionally, the romance-based content of Mayer’s music (e.g., hit single “Your Body is a Wonderland”) certainly didn’t help his case.

More recently, ex-One Direction heartthrob Harry Styles has made noise with well-crafted pop and rock solo releases. But the debate surrounding the quality of his music is fuzzy — is Styles, largely adored by females, getting the respect he deserves? Is he the genius fans say he is? Would anyone outside his fanbase ever accept this notion from a purely musical perspective?

The crux is this: attractive male artists can make good music, and women deserve recognition for their perfectly valid tastes. For many female fans, it’s not just about *insert artist* being “hot” (although attractiveness can certainly be a factor). Of course, it generally takes more than physical attraction to enjoy an artist’s music.

To discredit a musician’s abilities simply because of their visual appeal to women is unfair and limiting. Alternatively, being attractive also doesn’t make an artist legitimate (think the 1950s crooners).

Obviously not everyone has to like Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, or *NSYNC, but listeners should judge them for their musical merits and not how “pretty” they are or their effect on women. Music criticism shouldn’t be so shallow, superficial, or stereotyped. Before critics discredit musicians for their female followings or image, maybe they should listen to the music first. And if not, that’s too bad. Turned off by screaming fans and bowl cuts, they could be missing out on some great music.

Afterglow ATXMarch 30, 2020myah taylor