How Kim Gordon defied Sonic Youth’s label by creating anti-misogyny anthem ‘Swimsuit Issue’

Posted On September 21, 2024September 21, 2024

“Women make natural anarchists.” Kim Gordon‘s critique of the music industry’s irreverence toward the treatment of women has often been perceived as the defining element of her “punk” persona. In reality, however, Gordon’s vocal disdain for how these issues were persistently labelled as political cast a somewhat gloomy aura over Sonic Youth. As staples of the underground scene, Sonic Youth addressed societal issues they found unacceptable, such as misogyny and sexual harassment, yet the media and broader culture frequently branded them with a punk label, even when the band’s motivations went beyond mere rebellion.

For someone like Gordon, it wasn’t hard to accept things at face value and assume that was just the way the world worked. It didn’t sit right with her, seeing the sexism woven into the fabric of everyday language, but it was there—blatant, like an ugly truth surfacing while everyone else looked the other way. But Gordon wasn’t one to ignore it. She spoke out, driven by her refusal to play along with a system she couldn’t stand.

1992’s Dirty saw Sonic Youth delivering a collection of songs that delved into various cultural matters, one of which addressed the murder of Joe Cole and the lasting impact his death had on the rest of the band. Another, ‘Swimsuit Issue’, tackled the subject of sexual harassment in the workplace head-on, inspired by a real case unfolding with a current employee at their label, Geffen Records. Sonic Youth had signed a five-album deal with Geffen, which, aside from the obvious controversies, didn’t immediately propose the best process when they transitioned into DGC Records.

Taking the story of the disgraced employee and infusing the song with a broader narrative about a very real issue, ‘Swimsuit Issue’ was Gordon’s attempt at stripping the industry for what it was worth and forcing it to address the toxic environments it perpetuates. At the time, Sports Illustrated released its infamous Swimsuit Issue, which formed the basis of Gordon’s critical lens as she navigated all the ways women were being objectified and abused, often in corporate environments.

“It was the tip of the iceberg,” Gordon told The Guardian. “There’s some unseen wall of faceless men that I have to climb over as if on a mission.” Of course, her ideas were met with trepidation, particularly considering the fact she would be openly criticising a former employee of the label and risking tarnishing its reputation that was already on the rocks, but Gordon knew that sinister workings formed the basis of many institutions, and it had to stop.

“Don’t touch my breast, I’m just working at my desk / Don’t put me to the test, I’m just doing my best,” Gordon sings. When she wrote the song, it wasn’t something she felt pressured to address—in fact, Geffen seemed as though they desperately wanted the entire narrative to dissolve, like a macabre folklore tale that actually never happened. But it wasn’t the fact that it was being brushed under the carpet that made Gordon feel more urgency than ever to tell the story, it was the commonality of such stories, and the reluctance she felt from others to address them.

“It wasn’t topical. It was embarrassing because we’d just signed to Geffen, where this A&R guy was exposed as sexually harassing his secretary. I think they wanted the story to go away,” she told the Independent. Constantly feeling these heinous atmospheres brim then dissolve, like a lecherous stalker that is disturbing and visible only to the victim, ‘Swimsuit Issue’ wasn’t just Gordon’s insistence on career martyrdom; it was a lesson.

It was her way of standing up to those who call the shots and the various executives who would have likely told her, “No, we can’t do this”. As she stood there with her pitchfork and notebook, compiling each incident over time that has drifted under the radar, unnoticed to those turning the other way, she felt the need to face the ones who feared knowledge of wrongdoing, lest it shatter their idealised vision of reality. Even after the #MeToo movement, Gordon reflected on everything she had done, observing history take care of those who deserve to face the consequences of their actions.

“The music industry is so… the sexism is so ingrained in it, on every level, that it’s unbelievable,” she said. “How do you pick it apart? It’s honestly so old-fashioned. You can see that at the Grammys. When I went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, it was all these old white guys there.” For Gordon, therefore, a disturbing cycle needs to be ruptured, but it’s ultimately up to those who dare to expose it.

‘Swimsuit Issue’, in that respect, was merely a byproduct of Gordon’s broader value system. It was immensely confrontational but also a stepping stone. However, it’s also an overshadowed track, especially when considering the band’s more celebrated works. After all, it’s interesting, isn’t it, that in the bigger picture of Sonic Youth’s entire discography, few recognise the importance of a song like ‘Swimsuit Issue’?

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