“They travel around the world, bringing clubs and festivals to ecstasy and getting adored by everyone,” reads to promo blurb for new reality TV show Beauty & The Beat. “But why are top DJs almost always men?”
This shaky ground is the premise for this female-only show on Dutch TV, which – we find out from the station’s website – is looking for “women who have the skills, the looks and the drive to be a superstar DJ!”
“The looks?” Since when did that matter? Did Deadmau5 get success based on his looks? Or Timo Maas? (Sorry, Timo). And do you think the judges will be all women too? Because judging by the picture, this is at least fronted by a male presenter.
Now I’m not Dutch, and maybe I’ve missed something (actually, I sincerely hope I have) – but if not, than this is surely degrading to both women and DJing. And although anyone who knows me personally will be able to confirm that I’m pretty far from politically correct when it comes to my views and humour, I find this pretty distasteful to say the least.
What do you think? Is an all-female DJ talent show judged by men a step forward for either women or DJing? Or is it a sad attempt to cash in on DJ culture / sex by the TV channel confirmed? Are you Dutch, and if so, can you shed some more light on this show for us? Let us know in the comments!
Phil Morse
