Chvrches’ lead singer Lauren Mayberry has spoken openly about the “cyber misogyny” she has had to confront for many years.
Mayberry quickly became the target of sexually charged comments from Chvrches fans after its 2011 formation. She opened up about how “a lot of men” would make inappropriate remarks about the singer’s attractiveness in a recent interview.
In an interview, Mayberry explained: “It’s all very sexual and sexualised all the time. And I look at that, and I’m like, I was a 23-year-old girl, trying to do my job, just to write some silly songs.”
A major part of it was something that Mayberry “didn’t know was going to happen,” she admitted. There has been an increase in the amount of online vitriol directed towards her since then. When the band’s 2015 music video for “Leave A Trace” came out, things became much worse. Mayberry was subjected to an onslaught of remarks about her looks in the video, with numerous individuals threatening to rape her.
Her determination to call out abuse, such as when she criticised Marshmello for working with Tyga and Chris Brown, has only resulted in her receiving more virtual harassment, some of which has been extremely violent.
Mayberry created the Glasgow feminist collective TYCI in 2012 and was an active member for some years. The collective worked to increase women’s visibility, safety, and activism within the industry. Zines, a radio show, a blog, and shows featuring female musicians were all created and promoted by TYCI.
Mayberry continues to fight misogyny through other projects, such as ‘Change the Tune,’ on BBC Radio 6 Music, even though TYCI ended. The new initiative is part of the BBC’s “Mental Wellbeing” season.
Mayberry told the BBC, “The internet has been such an intrinsic part of my career, positively and negatively. Social media was really baked into the way that CHVRCHES first got discovered, but there were consistent side effects to that which I don’t think I would ever have anticipated.”
The singer opens up about the sexism she’s faced in her career in a new mini-documentary called Lauren Mayberry: Change Shape, which debuted on BBC iPlayer recently.
The music industry has a very high rate of sexual harassment and abuse. Half of the women polled in the most recent UK Musicians’ Census reported being the target of sexual harassment, and a large percentage said they had seen similar treatment of other women.
