Why is this is a male-dominated industry?

formula

Elite Member
Jan 8, 2010
968
5
I knew plenty of woman in wood shop, welding, and technical theater in highschool.
Of course if you look in the right place you will find women in almost any profession or hobby type but generally speaking there are hundreds of millions of females that have no interest in things for every thousand that do.

Also I consider many girl magic assistance magicians. They do all the work, especially in illusions.
The work assistants do is all under the direction of the performer (whether male or female), they can have zero knowledge of magic and be part of an illusion just by being flexible so no, I don't think assistants are magicians at all.
 
Dec 20, 2009
343
0
Mumbai, India
As I'm getting to love this website more and more...i feel like im the only girl here, haha.
So why do you think this is mainly male dominated?
My theory is that this is a pretty ancient art, and relatively underground as well. Previous societies might not have LET women do this, and it's still underground, so maybe that's why?
Or do you think it's just because men are considered better showmen, especially with girls in sparkly dresses around them? :p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAyKJAtDNCw Sorry, I couldn't resist. Keep listening as you read this entire post. It will reassure you :p As Luis said, MalibuArmy is a girl, So am I (im tom-boyish though). You'll get to know a few others here


Maybe because magic or a lot of it is sort of dark and gritty? I think a creative girl could create amazing magic that is light and colorful full of flowers glitter and silks or whatever it sounds awesome! But most males won't go that far for the obvious reason.


Um...I don't think so theres alot of Goth girls out there.

well..that`s one theory...it also could be because (and I bear witness of this) when there is a women magician around, the other men magicians like her to much and they want to call her attention, and sometimes be boyfriends with them ( they think having a female magician as a girlfriend could be awesome...and maybe they get to do a magic act sometime together...like making a baby appear) and in response the female magician feels a little bit overwhelmed and they end up quiting...again...this can be the case in some situations...

I think this ^ is the main reason.

do they? Hmm...i didn't really notice that. Honestly most females i know waste half their lives on facebook XD
But i really don't understand why they find it 'geeky'. like, HELLO. You just did the [seemingly] IMPOSSIBLE right in front of their eyes.

Agreed! Plus, most people I know in my school don't even have hobbies of any kind, some of my friends are into music and stuff but others mostly just consider shopping a hobby. As far as why girls aren't into magic, I think its just insecurity. As Casey said its the popular girls who aren't into this sort stuff and most people just shy away because they're afraid of ruining their image, honestly I think magic needs a makeover in the eyes of todays youth. Magic CAN be cool. We just need different ways of presentation. I think the show T.H.E.M is just GREAT! Check it out here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANcw5TreJsY&feature=related

A different creative, unique way of presentation. Catching people totally off guard. I love the idea of making people witness something impossible without them knowing it. When you walk into a magic show, you come with expectations. But you would never imagine witnessing something impossible while grabbing a coffee or parking your car. Magic is a very wide art form, the sky is the limit. We need more ways of presenting it rather than just the stage/close up/parlor settings. Street magic was a big change. But I think there are tons of other ways we can present magic. Times are changing, and magicians need to change too. I think this will get more people (of both sexes) interested.


- Jenai
 
Sep 17, 2007
84
1
What needs does magic fulfill? When we dig deep, a lot of people are into magic because they want to feel powerful and want people to acknowledge that power. It's an insecurity that usually draws us into wanting to perform magic: we want other people to like us. As we progress and become more confident with ourselves, it usually turns into something else, a love for the art or a fascination with principles or love of creativity, etc. But that kernel of insecurity is still there and is usually what keeps fueling the fire. I want to be powerful. I want people to like me and think I'm amazing.

This is why a lot of guys are into magic. Because men feel that they have to be powerful in order to be desirable. It's not necessarily true, but that's what our instincts tell us.

Now, I'm flat out generalizing here but overall women's priorities are usually different. Women usually hold the power when it comes to relationships so they don't necessarily feel the need to try to impress men with displays of power and control. The control is already there. A lot of times women don't know this consciously. But there's definitely a subconscious knowledge of this.

Basically, women don't need magic (or other show off activities) the way men do.

Of course, there are plenty of women who are into magic and are fantastic performers. But perhaps there are different underlying reasons why women get into magic? I don't know.

I suppose this reads like I'm trying to say that men are into magic to get chicks. That's not true. But I think the desire comes out of a need for social acceptance and that women can be part of that equation.
 
As an outsider (non-magician) my take on this would be that the profession is male-dominated due to psychological factors. I think that a stage magician is, in most cases, a very "alpha-male-ish" type of personality. He is doing something that the members of the audience cannot do, and - even more important - don't have a clue as to how he is doing it! Women are not so much into this type of thing.
 

Keo

Mar 10, 2011
43
0
Texas San Antonio
Of course if you look in the right place you will find women in almost any profession or hobby type but generally speaking there are hundreds of millions of females that have no interest in things for every thousand that do.

It goes both ways, so what exactly is your point?

The work assistants do is all under the direction of the performer (whether male or female), they can have zero knowledge of magic and be part of an illusion just by being flexible so no, I don't think assistants are magicians at all.

Well then you need to watch Women in Boxes. The assistance are more then then just ignorant fools helping a magician. They have to know exactly how a trick works, so that they can help with misdirection, load the performer with something, or operate some sort magical apparatus. It's team effort, and the way are making it sound, tells me you don't really understand the amount of work an assistant has to do. Not to mention most magician assistants are wives of the magicians. Don't demean magician's assistants, until you know more about them. Also if you've ever seen what an actual base to a properly built illusion looks like, you'll appreciate the work that these special women do.
 
Jun 9, 2011
72
0
Well I got into magic because it's INSPIRING. (Maybe this is the difference between females and males? :p). Even if I'm the one doing magic, i'm still inspired, and others are too.

Besides. It's just so much freaking FUN.

And @Jenai, hello nice to meet you XD good that I'm not alone then! and i agree with all of the points you made except one- "Magic CAN be cool"- because, well, magic IS cool :)
 
Sep 1, 2007
723
2
The work assistants do is all under the direction of the performer (whether male or female), they can have zero knowledge of magic and be part of an illusion just by being flexible so no, I don't think assistants are magicians at all.

The work "illusionists" do is all under the direction of the instructions, they can have zero knowledge of presentation, sleight of hand and showmanship and be an illusionist just by being litterate. I wouldn't consider illusionists magicians either. It depends on the standards you go by.

If were talking about knowledge - the assistant is supposed to be just as theatrically skilled as the performer. If we're talking about motor skill and sleights, then everyone on this forum is a magician. However it would (normally) exclude the assistant. If you want to qualify a magician as someone who is able to create the illusion of impossibility, only 5% of this forum would be included- as would the assistant.
 
May 8, 2008
1,081
0
Cumbria, UK
At the risk of sounding sexist, I would say that men like to feel like they have the power (shown in this case by knowing the secrets the audience don't). By putting them as the centre of attention, and by essentially fooling everyone else, it makes them feel more superior. Possibly. I don't really know, just musings...
 
Sep 17, 2007
84
1
That's kind of the point I was making.

BTW, illusionists are magicians by definition. It's interesting that some people draw a line between illusionists and magicians. It's all the same thing. Even close up guys are illusionists. They perform illusions, albeit small ones.

Unless, of course, you can perform real magic! :)
 
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