Hair Metal

The other day was Hair Metal day, and it was strange to say the least. I was ignorant to the level of androgynous men that were prominent in rock bands throughout the 80s. They were certainly not afraid to experiment with their clothing/actions, especially in Kiss, Twisted Sister, and Warrant. There were man times where I was surprised after a band member turned around and showed himself to be a boy with excellent hair, not a girl. It seems paradoxical to me to have these male rock members achieve this grunge-rebellion-edgy image through feminine qualities (clothing, hair, the pitch of their singing...). I knew how Kiss painted their faces and wore ridiculous clothing but the largely androgynous cloud over this rock era was news to me. It is also strange in that people were far less accepting of gay rights and homosexuality than today, and yet (as many people pointed out in class) they were contradicting what many people considered heterosexuality. It all seems strange to me. I would not have liked to live in this time period... it sounds scary.