She also pointed out sexism and ageism in the film industry at the Australian launch of her art exhibition, Bjork Digital
Björk has commented on the sexism and ageism of the entertainment industries at the Australian launch of her art exhibition, Bjork Digital.
As the NME points out, the Icelandic auteur said: “The fact I’m a woman and I can do what I do, it’s kind of unique, really. I’ve been really lucky. But I have been hitting walls. What’s really macho, for example, is music journalism. It’s really like a boys’ club. They like music that is… well, a lot of it is for boys.”
Björk has also had experience in the film industry, having played an award-winning role in 2000’s Lars Von Trier-directed Dancer In The Dark, where she also observed sexism as well as ageism. “I couldn’t believe what it’s like for actresses,” she said. “It’s just a nightmare how they’re treated. They have so little say in their career or roles they play as they get older. Guys can get older, but not women.”
Björk has a history of calling out music industry misogyny. Last year she said that “After being the only girl in bands for ten years, I learned — the hard way — that if I was going to get my ideas through, I was going to have to pretend that they —men — had the ideas”, and in 2008, she issued a correction to a Pitchfork review that claimed male collaborator Valgeir Sigurðsson had written all the instrumentals on 2001’s Vespertine.
