Calvin Harris Sexist? Plus, Why Taylor Swift Is A Target For Slut-Shaming
Calvin Harris has become a target of sexism when it comes to setting prices for his popular gigs. Some have been speculating whether or not the DJ’s formula for pricing tickets is either sexist or feminist.
Mr. Taylor Swift has been playing his residency at the Omnia in Las Vegas. If you’re interested in seeing Calvin Harris spin the turntables, expect to pay 87 percent more if you’re a man, according to the Telegraph.
That’s right. Tickets vary greatly whether you’re a man or woman. A general admission ticket to watch Calvin Harris perform is $75 for men, while it only costs $40 for women, according to Omnia’s website.
In addition, the VIP bar package (with a $100 bar card) costs $150 for men and $115 for women. If you want to purchase the weekend package that includes an exclusive show at the Tiesto at the Hakkasan nightclub, it will cost you $100 if you’re a man, or $55 if you’re a woman.
Some people have been labeling the gender discrimination in ticket prices are sexist. They think it’s Omnia’s way to bring more women into the nightclub, which will bring even more men to scope out the women, according to Nylon.
Meanwhile, some find it feminist, arguing that it’s a response to the gender pay gap or the “pink tax,” in which women have to pay more than men for personal care products. Maybe Taylor Swift has rubbed on Calvin Harris with her feminist views.
The singer recently exclaimed how she’s become a “lightning rod for slut shaming” for most of her career. Swift sat down with Vogue to do a “73 Questions” interview, in which she expressed her dismay over the public’s obsession with her personal life. It’s clear that Swift has a long list of ex-lovers, but she doesn’t appreciate getting judged for it.
“If I could talk to my 19-year-old self, I’d just say, ‘Hey, you’re gonna date just like a normal 20-year-old should be allowed to, but you’re going to be a national lightning rod for slut shaming.”
The country-turned-pop singer has been linked to a long list of famous exes, including One Direction singer Harry Styles, actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Taylor Lautner, musician John Mayer, and DNCE front man Joe Jonas. She also took a two-year break since dating Styles before starting her long-term relationship with Calvin Harris, who she’s been dating since March, 2015.
She last shared her input on misogyny in the music industry when she was named No. 1 on Maxim’s 2015 Hot 100 list. Swift took time out of her then-busy schedule to explain why she suddenly changed her mind on feminism and why she embraces it now.
“Honestly, I didn’t have an accurate definition of feminism when I was younger. I didn’t quite see all the ways that feminism is vital to growing up in the world we live in. I think that when I used to say, ‘Oh, feminism’s not really on my radar,’ it was because when I was just seen as a kid, I wasn’t as threatening.”
She revealed that she finally started taking notice of it when she would simply get slammed for writing songs about her exes or dating men.
“I didn’t see myself being held back until I was a woman. Or the double standards in headlines, the double standards in the way stories are told, the double standards in the way things are perceived. A man writing about his feelings from a vulnerable place is brave; a woman writing about her feelings from a vulnerable place is oversharing or whining. Misogyny is ingrained in people from the time they are born. So to me, feminism is probably the most important movement that you could embrace, because it’s just basically another word for equality.”
It appears that Calvin Harris has been learning a lot about feminism from Taylor Swift. He was slammed for making inappropriate and misogynistic remarks on social media when he first started dating the singer. Here’s hoping he changed his ways, as well.
What are your thoughts on Calvin Harris’ ticket prices for his Las Vegas gig? Do you think it’s a sexist idea or feminist one? Share your opinion below in the comments section.
[Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for iHeartRadio / Turner]
