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Female Who fans



I've read a number of messages lately about the perceived scarcity of
female Who fans and the possibility that women at concerts are not
genuine fans, but are only humoring the men they accompany.

I have noticed that somewhat fewer women than men tend to post messages
on Who-related lists such as this one (at least, as far as I can tell by
the names used).  I've also noticed that the ratio of men to women at
Who concerts seems to be a little high.  Is this a problem?  It
certainly doesn't bother me!  In the early days of The Detours/The High
Numbers/The Who, the audience was preponderantly male, as well as
comprising a much narrower, younger range of ages than is the case
today.  At the four Quad shows I attended this past summer, I noticed a
mix of genders, ages, races, and apparent cultural backgrounds.  In
response, I can only say, "hurrah!"  The variety of audience members
shows that the music appeals to more than the group of young, British,
working-class males who made up audiences in the 1960's.  I'm especially
glad to see evidence of teenagers (both male and female) becoming Who
fans.  Timeless music keeps on drawing new fans.  I'll be very worried
if the day ever arrives when all the Who fans I know are my age, as
that, more than anything, will mean the death of the music.

As for the question of whether women attend Who concerts because men
bring them, I can only say that the man at my side was the person _I_
brought to the show!  I've been a fan for twenty-seven years.  The only
male persuasion I needed was hearing The Who for myself.

--Cheryl