After Decades of Objectification, Guitar World Publisher Announces the End of Bikini Gear Guide

March 31, 2016

Written by

Fabi Reyna

Text by

Fabi Reyna

Over the past 30+ years Guitar World has had a huge influence on overtly male-dominated culture we’ve learned to identify as the guitar industry; a culture that we recognize as alternately objectifying or ignoring women and dismissing our voices for as long as the rock ‘n’ roll industry has existed; a culture that uses women’s bodies as objects and props to sexualize in order to sell products.

Of course, this can be said about many business and cultures, but in the guitar industry, the sexualization really becomes clear flipping through an issue of Guitar World’s Gear Guide—an annual edition of the popular guitar magazine that embodies everything wrong and discriminating about the guitar industry for the past 30 years. This is an issue that I’ve personally been fighting against since I started playing guitar at nine years old.

In this industry discrimination can be traced back through decades of advertisements, the way many women musicians are treated at music shops and venues on a daily basis (not to mention women attendees at industry trade shows), and through product development, language, video demonstrations, endorsements, images, and other depictions of representation. Since She Shreds began forcing our way into the guitar industry about three years ago, we have addressed and overcome many of these issues with the help of progressive and like minded companies eager to see change—instrument manufacturers keep us alive through sponsorship and many of the big fish are now actively seeking guidance about how they can permanently throw away the idea of “sex sells” marketing ploys.

We’ve written about this time and time again, always asking the question of why and how long this will continue. What do we have to do to change this?

Despite all of these efforts, Guitar World’s annual gear guide always reinforced the painful reality of the guitar industry’s historical reputation of using sex and naked women to engage with men—because to a lot of companies the idea of women even playing music was literally unheard of, so how could we be consumers and therefore why would they consider our reactions at all?

In 2013, Dean guitars published a new advertisement on their Facebook asking the question, “What do you think?” After reposting to our Facebook and asking our audience to leave comments replying with their thoughts they took the post down and declared that they would no longer advertise in such a way—and it truly was one of the last times we witnessed this type of advertising from them.

This was the beginning of the guitar revolution in our eyes.

In July of last year the viral image of She Shreds and Guitar World back to back surfaced and the juxtaposition was a wake up call to both media consumers and companies about the reality of our presence. Women are musicians, and we deserve to be represented as such.

Yesterday, Guitar World publisher, Bill Amstutz, announced that they will be dropping the bikini girl angle from their gear guide issue and begin representing women as musicians.

According to Reverb.com, Amstutz says the decision was based on a larger decision to rebrand the company but mentions that “the main driver of this decision was economic, but bikini models were outdated, and we didn’t want to associate the brand with what could easily be viewed as sexist, as a misrepresentation of women guitar players, or that women in general may find offensive. The number of women players is growing and we want to support them.”

On what influences their decision, Amstutz continues saying “We’ve been dealing with this for the past couple years, We want to reach female readers and cultivate them. And we can do a better job, as all guitar media can do. It’s a bit of a boys’ club and we are taking steps this year to change that. This is part of that, as is making a concerted effort to create content that attracts women.”

To this we say job well done to you as readers who actively seek and demand for equal media, to the companies who make an effort in combating this kind of representation and to Guitar World for listening and finally seeking an alternate route. This kind of tangible progress—which is clearly a result of serious demand and reoccurring conversations—proves that the future looks bright for equality as long as we continue to seek it.

Oh boo fucking hoo. Guy’s like tits so people use hot girls to sell shit to dumb guys. There is no such thing as equality. As much as you want to try and push your man hating agendas you will never win nor be equal.

Go back to your safe space or tumblr where you fucks belong.
Comment by Fuck You on April 1, 2016 at 9:55 am
So you won’t mind if we put a photo of your tiny cock playing a guitar. Because ladies like a dicks? How does your argument even make sense?
Comment by suckitdickhead on April 1, 2016 at 10:02 am
I do understand your point. The truth is that straight men – like myself – do like to see attractive women. (btw as a quick side note, really respecting women makes it really hard to appreciate beauty in such a glossy, fake, and honestly disrespectful manner.) However, you might feel differently if you put in an honest effort without spite or anger to empathize with women and try to understand why this change is necessary. The hard truth is that in all male dominated fields women have to work way harder to get ahead. My wife works in such a field and it is truly painful to hear the garbage she has to go through on a daily basis. It is that resolve and commitment to stay in the game that should be celebrated and not cheapened by objectifying women. Your world of music and guitar would be awful if it weren’t for Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Joni Mitchell, among many others. I am grateful that both of them didn’t quit and that they chose to persevere. Google those interviews and life stories and really try to imagine, what if it were you? What if you were born a woman? At the end of the day, changing this has nothing to do with hating men but rather loving women, only actually loving them for real.
Comment by Guitar and Music Fan First on April 1, 2016 at 11:22 am
Beautifully put by someone who is clearly a real man.
Comment by NoZombies on April 4, 2016 at 1:04 am
Amen. Thank you.
Comment by Whitney on December 9, 2016 at 5:01 pm
I’ll explain this simply, since you’re obviously not very smart: when you misspell the plural noun “guys” as the singular possessive “guy’s,” you make it clear that you’re stupid, which means that people are going to laugh at you and everything you write. Have a nice day.
Comment by Explainer on April 1, 2016 at 12:14 pm
Aaw, looks like little boy got shafted by his ex or didn’t get enough breast milk…little baby need to change his nappy-wappy?

Anyone who is so hardcore in keeping women down as sex objects is a coward, afraid to compete for power in his comfy patriarchal basement. Yes, men love sex and women love sex. But, we’re not walking fuckdolls and you’re not walking sperm banks.

Go to therapy to deal with your misogyny issues and let the rest of us carry on into the 21st century. This is awesome.
Comment by T. Ray on April 1, 2016 at 12:28 pm
Yes!!!!!!
Comment by Fabi Small on April 1, 2016 at 2:35 pm
I like how “not using women’s body’s as a marketing tool” is a “man-hating agenda”
Comment by Adotto on April 1, 2016 at 1:35 pm
You’re just pissed off because now you have to pay for a titty mag to wank to as well as the guitar gear issue …and your allowance from mummy won’t pay for both, so you have to choose which unattainable fantasy object you care about most. Poor little boy.
Comment by aetherial heavenn on April 3, 2016 at 12:19 am
I’m guessing you’ve been single for literally the entirety of your miserable existence. Have fun with that!
Comment by Dr. Void on April 6, 2016 at 11:34 pm
A wonderful change and long overdue!
Comment by mark e on April 1, 2016 at 12:58 pm
Good grief, people. Look at today’s date….
Comment by Mark on April 1, 2016 at 1:03 pm
I hope with all my heart this isn’t an April Fool’s joke. That would be a genuinely terrible joke.
Comment by Music Fan on April 1, 2016 at 2:06 pm
haha it’s not!
Comment by Fabi Reyna on April 1, 2016 at 2:14 pm
I didn’t even think of that!!! I’m glad it’s no joke ?
Comment by Fabi Small on April 1, 2016 at 2:34 pm
I dunno who you are “Fabi small,” but your name is cracking me up.
Comment by Fabi Reyna on April 2, 2016 at 9:42 am
Remember that one time Fabi when you threatened to punch me in the face when I simply used the word “ladies” to refer to yall when I chose to sit in the back of the van after some guitar event? now it finally make sense to me…
Comment by Brandon mays on April 1, 2016 at 11:49 pm
hahaha no I don’t but I believe you
Comment by Fabi Reyna on April 2, 2016 at 9:36 am
About time. In the mean time I got used to being ignored in music shops. Nobody is watching a grey-hared 54-year old gran, so I usually have the guitar plugged in before they notice me. Bach and Wagner in Dimebag Darrell mode on a 100W Hi-Gain stack, is sure to wake ’em up! I have been designing and building my own guitars since 1978.
https://youtu.be/nsnkfw_j5Lk
Comment by Sophie Dockx on April 2, 2016 at 6:39 am
Sounds like a business opportunity for another mag..
Comment by Billy JoeBob JoeBobby on April 3, 2016 at 11:05 am
This is why the 80s were better.
Comment by John Rielly on April 3, 2016 at 10:08 pm
the 80s were better because you could see tits on your magazines and had to pay for them instead of for free, all over the internet, where they weren’t polluting non-titty content?

go fuck yourself
Comment by slack babbath on April 4, 2016 at 7:22 pm
Jane you ignorant slut. Models have always pretty much been beautiful women. Men like women. Don’t hate. Don’t be jealous. You don’t fit the bill…it’s ok we get it, but geez calm down. Do what YOU are good at…or maybe this is it. You better start sucking some d*ck or you are never gonna get a man!
Comment by womens haters club on April 5, 2016 at 7:59 am
Throw a hot shirtless dude next to the lady model on the cover!

BOOM!! EQUALITY!!
Comment by shred666 on April 5, 2016 at 11:07 am
This comment section is hilarious. People are annoyed with change, so people so people that are annoyed have small penises or resorting to other ad-hominems. The thing is, many women find being paid to look strong, sexy and appealing to be empowering. This whole sex negative movement appears rather quick to deny these women of their personal agency. That pink haired women doesn’t look oppressed. She has a look of ‘I’m fucking sexy and I fucking own this!’ I would love to get paid money to do a half naked shoot, but the male figure is not as celebrated in our culture as the female. In my honest opinion, if you are going to demonise women for embracing their sex appeal, you are hurting the female gender more than you are helping them. I don’t understand how making one less avenue for this women to make money for doing something they love is somehow ‘Equality’. I don’t understand why it’s a ‘this or that’ mentality? Why can’t women be sexy, empowering AND great musicians? Hayley Williams, Jenn Wasner, Nancy Williams, Joan Jett and Orianthi all fucking own it.

There seems to be this misconception that being sexualised somehow dehumanises a person, that somehow if you have girls like that pink haired lady, you can’t represent them as musicians too? Different people will choose different avenues, one does not cancel the other out. When 50 cent appears on the front cover of his album, oiled up and half naked, do you suddenly take him or his music less serious? When one of Rihannas songs has a plethora of half naked men, do we fear that this will somehow turn men away from the pop industry? Heterosexual people will find members of the opposite sex attractive so people will use this to garner in their intended audience. If it’s so problematic, why not put scantily clad men their too? Rather than restricting the companies those women can work with? It’s only in the past few decades that we have seen a sexual revolution, so why do so many people push these agendas that seems to want to make the naked form taboo again? It’s rather silly because one women’s ‘objectification’ is another’s ’empowerment’. Let these women do whatever they damn well please, is that not true equality?

To be blunt, if a boob here or a butt cheek there turns you away from this industry, you were not cut it for it to begin with.
Comment by A Harmful Opinion on April 5, 2016 at 10:02 pm
You obviously don’t have daughters. I want mine to grow up seeing women in role model situations where they don’t have to expose their tits and mons venus to get respect. Women who are “empowered” by showing off their bodies are so because they think that’s how the world has to be. They know no other way and, even if one denies that this is the reason, it’s been so ingrained in our culture that it’s like trying to sell the idea that 2+2=7. Do you not think it’s tiresome to live in a culture where a woman’s mouth is nothing but another fuck orifice, instead of a way to voice ideas and knowledge?
Comment by Marie on April 7, 2016 at 2:33 am
So… one less paying gig for female models… one giant leap for feminism?
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Thank you for sharing this great information with us
Comment by fireboy and watergirl on December 23, 2021 at 8:51 am
It’s great to hear that Guitar World has had a significant influence on the subway surfers guitar industry over the past 30+ years. As you mentioned, the guitar industry has historically been male-dominated, and it’s important to recognize the impact that Guitar World has had in promoting diversity and inclusivity in the industry.
Comment by sharaloin on March 29, 2023 at 1:07 am
In the 80s, things were better since tits weren’t freely available online and could be seen basketball stars in publications for a price, rather than contaminating non-titty stuff.
Comment by Cory Wagner on November 30, 2023 at 3:14 am
The problem of discrimination in the guitar industry extends beyond suika game the pages of magazines. It is deeply rooted in decades of advertisements, the treatment of women musicians in music shops and venues, and the representation of women at industry trade shows.
Comment by posterdle on December 18, 2023 at 12:19 am