Does Gender(and sexual pref.) Really Affect Music You Listen To?

[Red Dawn]

I'm a 14yo male, I mostly listen to rock, don't mind if how soft or hard, I like punk, quite a lot of metal, really I like all music except crappy pop-type, most hip-hop, and a fair amount of rap.
I think gender definitely affects music taste, all the guys I know (not all, but most) are into rock, a lot into metal, and the girls I know listen to a bit of soft rock and then shitty hip-hop and pop music like rihanna and justin timberlake. Ew. They really, really suck.

 

[muutus]

Gender does not in any way, shape, or form have anything to do with your musical preferences.  I know women who listen to metal and men who listen to pop.  I will admit, there is a typicality to musical preference, but I do not see any predilection...  That's like saying all men like the color blue and all women like the color pink.
I think, more than anything, your environment, peers, and mental state have a lot to do with it...

 

[Red Dawn]

@muutus
Yeah, I know people from both genders that like all different kinds of music, but most of the guys are rockish, most girls are popish.
The vast majority  of males prefer the colour blue over pink, and the girls... Well, they actually like pink, and a fair number like it more than blue. (That was, of course, the people that I know. I can't really say for  people I don't, but, I assume it's true).

 

[muutus]

@ Red Dawn:

I don't disagree with you...  For the most part, yes, females like lighter music and males prefer heavier tunes, but I'm just saying that you sex (or sexual preference) doesn't necessarily dictate what you listen to.  I'm a 34 year old, heterosexual male.  I listen to some metal (mostly from when I was younger), but I have found that as I get older I have learned to appreciate the softer side of music.  Maybe it's not so much your gender and such.  Maybe it's more about life experience?  Maybe when you learn to appreciate (and not be embarrassed by) the softer side of life (I only say that because I know from experience that youth makes it hard to admit that you have emotions, or at least it did in my day.  For the fates sake, I am SO old!), you learn to appreciate, and even enjoy a more "feminine" style of music.

 

[khmp]

Gender:
Male, 17.
Preference:
I find myself susceptible to female vocalist like the ones in Lacuna Coil, Flyleaf, Sneaker Pimps, Cranberries, Luscious Jackson etc. I'm a sucker for a voice. 104.5 Philadelphia is pretty much what I listen to, and that's mostly alternative/rock pop of the 90's. 

 

[muutus]

I agree...  There is something to be said for the vocal stylings of a female voice, whether it be the Cranberries, Sarah McLachlan, Liz Phair, or anyone else...  Good taste in music, khmp!

 

[bedi nik bzez emak]

;D

 

[Ninjitsu]

I'm a guy, and I like Flyleaf.
:p

 

[muutus]

Gender, sexuality, income level, lifestyle, race, creed, religion...  When it all comes down, none of these matter.  You listen to/like what you listen to/like...  It comes from within.  It comes from your "soul"...

 

[Ninjitsu]

Isnt your soul that thing that tries to come up when you hiccup?
THAT little thing determines my taste in music?
Cooool.

 

[muutus]

No I believe that thing that comes up when you hiccup is called vomit...  but that might affect what you listen to, too...  ;D

 

[Grathea]

I'm a fifteen year old bisexual female.
I listen to a lot of different genres, but if you were to take a quick snapshot, you'd see Celtic music, instrumental, classic rock, pop, trance, rock, alternative, dance, indie rock, synthpop, electronica, songs from musicals (Wicked for the win!), and opera.
I don't think that gender or sexual preference effect what you listen to.

 

[master game maker]

Gender:Male, 13

Pref: Well, I think mood also effects (Right? XD) the kind of music I like. For example:

Sad:...Usually I dun listen to music when I am sad.
Happy: Oh noez..The worst of me. D: Usually *gulps* some pop stuff..GAH. I SAID IT. KILL THE PREPS. D:
Normal-ish:MY FAVORITZ! :P Alternative, Panic! At the Disco and Fall Out Boy stuff. And a particular song, Face Down by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. YAYZ

I don't think that sexual preference does much either, like I know a whole bunch of girls that listen to the same stuff. Well, one is a lesbian, sooo..But I don't think that matters. ;\

 

[___]

I prefer complexity and authenticity.  Pop music, for the most part, sounds like plastic to me.  Bland, soulless, and manufactured.  Of course you can see this in any genre, but pop is 99% assembly line nonsense - half the time the lyrics aren't even cohesive, but rather random phrases jumbled together to evoke some sort of base response (see N'Sync, uuuugh, just random collections of romantic sounding phrases to a beat).  Country music is another especially big culprit, as well as rap-rock and quite a bit of "gangsta" rap (quotes because half these guys talk completely out of their ass, some of them are cool).

Other than that, man, I'll listen to just about anything.  Lately it's been Celtic punk (Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, Flatfoot 56...), flamenco, a little bit of epic metal (Iced Earth, Demons & Wizards), some classical symphony and piano, a lot of classic rock (Zepplin, the Doors, Pink Floyd especially), and the grunge and rock-alternative I grew up on (Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, etc. late 80s-early 90s).  I also tend to like industrial electronica (Kidney Thieves is my favorite by far, Chiasm is good), prog rock (Tool!).  A little bit of rap if it has the sense to be intelligent and socially insightful rather than self-destructive and repetitive.  And I don't know where you'd stick SoaD, but they have some of the richest and most complex lyrics I've ever heard in music.

I'm a married heterosexual male of northern european descent.  So.  No I don't think there's much to gender or sexual preference, but I guess you can probably squeeze me into a profile if you like.

 

[iceplosion]

Post like this:
Gender: Male
Preference: Rock (everything from Chuck Berry to Hoobastank) classical (Yes, I'm weird)
Opinion:I love both, other genres seem to be music for the sake of music, these two genres tend to sound more passionate.
Why: I don't know if my tastes have been influenced by anyone since no one I know in real life has the same tastes (most of my friends just like rock, most of it new stuff, some from the 80's) I don't really know why I like it, all I know is that I enjoy listening to it.

 

[shiroun]

450 Views, wow.

Well at any rate, it seems as though your brain controls your likes, and dislikes. As for me, anything goes :P.

 

[Ninjitsu]

It has the word sex in the title, ya know.

 

[kaze950]

Gender: Male
Preference: Classical/Instrumental (Anime and Video Game BGMs), Rock (The rock I usually listen to is japanese, but I don't listen that often....I don't really care about lyrics though with rock), Dethklok, and Sweeney Todd.
Why: I like to listen to music more than listen to singing. When I hear a song with words, I am more focused on the music. Foreign songs essentially force me to focus on the music, since I don't understand the words. My favorite is just instrumental stuff though. Thank god for soundtracks.

 

[Ninjitsu]

Apocalyptica - Quutamo
Download it. You'll love it.

 

[thenextportnoy]

Gender/Age: Male, I'm 19

Preference: Prog Metal, for the most part. I listen to a LOT of Dream Theater (if having their ENTIRE discography counts as a lot :wink, and other bands such as Tool, Rush, Queensryche and Metallica. It's certainly safe to say that I enjoy the hardcore side of things, but I share an equal appreciation for soft Celtic music, classical and symphonic pieces (Downtown Trio ALWAYS makes my day better). So really, I take things from both extremes of the musical spectrum (though even hardcore metal can be traced back to classical origins). I don't, however, enjoy pop. It's too.... Fake. Like a fake happiness expressed through often COMPLETELY synthesized music (don't get me started ), it doesn't appeal to the true passion I have for music. And rap, well....Rap just annoys me, sorry :tongue:. So really, one could say that my preference really is anything expressive through the music itself, as opposed to solely lyrical ideas (Case and Point - Apocalyptica). Music can communicate indefinitely more than words ever could.

Either way, I agree that musical preference is based largely upon upbringing and cultural impact. Whether it be on a large scale (society says: girls listen to pop, guys listen to metal), or smaller (the kids at school usually listen to rap *shudders*). Actions and preferences of people are mainly based on a enormously large and complex web of cause-and-effect influences. One that would take days simply to analyze and find all the specific points that influence musical preference.

Minor Rant over :thumb: