While glancing over a ‘top tip’ guide about busking, my eye was quickly drawn to the penultimate bullet point stating: ‘be female’.
I’ve got that covered, I thought. I started to ponder if my overall success as a busker had anything (or everything) to do with my gender, and whether I was subconsciously aware of this; exaggerating my femininity to enhance my income.
I don’t feel very girly when I stand alone on a busy street in London, my hands grubby from setting up my kit and my hair completely under the authority of the wind.
I don’t feel like a lady when I lug my heavy equipment down graffiti tunnels and battle the underground steps one by one to the tune of metallic thuds and scrapings.
But I suppose, I have picked out the prettiest options in the category of ‘practical’; safely retaining my identity with a pink backpack, henna patterned guitar and flowery trousers.
I am a girl. That I am sure of. And I think my gender makes a difference to the way I interact with my audience. While I think it is true that women street performers make more money than men, I think we are also prone to more trouble. The attention we attract as girls brings in more punters, but also something that almost rhymes with punters.
Charlotte Campbell
The post Being A Girl: The Pros and Cons (Part 1 of 3) appeared first on The Busking Project.