Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.06.2015, Síða 2

2
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 1 — 2011
As you might have noticed as you passed
your eyes over this issue’s cover, we’re
currently all about the new DJ flugvél og
geimskip album, ‘Nótt á hafsbotni’ (trans:
“Night at the Bottom of the Ocean”). For
anyone who’s found Iceland’s recent mu-
sical exports a little tame, DJ flugvél og
geimskip (Steinunn Harðardóttir) is the
remedy—her music is a mutant strain of
pop that ditches conventional songwriting
in favour of skittering, oddball rhythms,
Middle Eastern scales and plenty of cos-
mic vibez. The new album is drawn from a
deeper and darker palette than her debut,
but the lead single “Hjari Veraldar” (trans:
‘Edge of the Universe’) is a vivid scribble
of a song, from the two earworm melodies
to the “noise solo” and, of course, a rap in-
terlude. Download it for free on our web-
site, and read our feature interview with
Steinunn on page 20.
2 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 8 — 2015
Hafnarstræti 15, 101 Reykjavík
www.grapevine.is
grapevine@grapevine.is
Published by Fröken ehf.
www.froken.is
Member of the Icelandic Travel Industry Association
www.saf.is
Printed by Landsprent ehf. in 25.000 copies.
Editor In Chief:
Haukur S Magnússon / haukur@grapevine.is
Editor:
Anna Andersen / anna@grapevine.is
Journalist & Travel editor:
John Rogers / john@grapevine.is
Journalist & Listings editor
Gabríel Benjamin / gabriel@grapevine.is
Food Editor:
Ragnar Egilsson / ragnar@grapevine.is
Editorial:
+354 540 3600 / editor@grapevine.is
Advertising:
+354 540 3605 / ads@grapevine.is
+354 40 3610
Publisher:
Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson / hilmar@grapevine.is
+354 540 3601 / publisher@grapevine.is
Contributing Writers:
Alex Baumhardt
Alex Sinclair
Catharine Fulton
Davíð Roach
Grayson Del Faro
Kevin Quigley
Nanna Árnadóttir
Óli Dóri
Paul Fontaine
Ragna Ó. Guðmundsdóttir
Shruthi Basappa
Sigrún Davíðsdóttir
Thomas L. Moir
York Underwood
Editorial Interns:
Ciaran Daly / ciaran@grapevine.is
Hannah Cohen / hannah@grapevine.is
Katie Steen / katie@grapevine.is
Timothée Lambrecq / timothee@grapevine.is
Art Director:
Hörður Kristbjörnsson / hordur@dodlur.is
Layout:
Hrefna Sigurðardóttir
Photographers:
Art Bicnick
Baldur Kristjánsson
Hörður Sveinsson
Alisa Kalyanova
Sales Director:
Aðalsteinn Jörundsson / adalsteinn@grapevine.is
Helgi Þór Harðarson / helgi@grapevine.is
Óskar Freyr Pétursson / oskar@grapevine.is
Distribution manager:
distribution@grapevine.is
Proofreader:
Mark Asch
releases:
listings@grapevine.is
Submissions inquiries:
editor@grapevine.is
Subscription inquiries:
+354 540 3605 / subscribe@grapevine.is
General inquiries:
grapevine@grapevine.is
Founders:
Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson,
Hörður Kristbjörnsson,
Jón Trausti Sigurðarson,
Oddur Óskar Kjartansson,
Valur Gunnarsson
The Reykjavík Grapevine is published 18 times a year by Fröken
ltd. Monthly from November through April, and fortnightly
from May til October. Nothing in this magazine may be repro-
duced in whole or in part without the written permission of
the publishers. The Reykjavík Grapevine is distributed around
Reykjavík, Akureyri, Egilsstaðir, Seyðisfjörður, Borgarnes,
Keflavík, Ísafjörður and at key locations along road #1, and all
major tourist attractions and tourist information centres in the
country.
You may not like it, but at least it's not sponsored (no articles
in the Reykjavík Grapevine are pay-for articles. The opinions
expressed are the writers’ own, not the advertisers’).
On the cover:
Steinunn Harðardóttir a.k.a. DJ
Flugvél og Geimskip
Photographer:
Saga Sig
www.sagasig.com
“Is It Because You’re a Woman?”
On the day this issue hits the streets, June 19, Ice-
land celebrates the 100-year anniversary of women’s
suffrage. This milestone is actually being celebrated
through the year with 100 events meant to cham-
pion women and increase their visibility in society
(read about this on page 16). All of which has got me
thinking…
I was talking to a colleague the other day about
how I regretted not using this space to write louder or
more harder-hitting editorials. “Do you think it’s be-
cause you’re a woman?” my colleague asked, almost
immediately. “I don’t think so,” I replied, almost as
immediately. Our conversation turned to something
else, but his question lingered on my mind.
Writing this brief missive is typically the very last
thing I do before we send the paper off to the printers.
With the illusion of calm, I typically sit down to tackle
it when I’m sure that everything else has been taken
care of. Still, his question got me thinking, maybe
there’s something more at play.
The idea that being a woman might be a disad-
vantage didn’t occur to me before I graduated from
college in the States, moved to Iceland, and started
working full time. Although I probably would have
had the same experience at home, it was here, in the
country that supposedly has the smallest gender gap
in the world, that I sincerely felt, for the first time, that
I was struggling to enter a Boys' Club.
As a woman, I have never felt inferior to a man. I
grew up with two brothers and was the only girl in a
neighbourhood full of boys. We spent our days run-
ning around outside, playing every sport under the
sun, and I didn’t once feel like I couldn’t hang with
them. In fact, I always thought I was as good, if not
better, than them at whatever we were playing. The
same goes for school; I didn’t once feel like I was less
capable than the guys. Not once!
At the same time, I have always kept these beliefs
firmly to myself. It’s funny to think about it now, but
I actually went to great lengths to hide the fact that
I was a straight-A student through college. Modesty,
I believe, is a great trait (in fact, writing this actually
makes me feel really uncomfortable). Yet, conditioned
modesty might actually be one of the roadblocks in
women’s struggle for gender equality.
Having grown up with a healthy belief that I could
do anything I wanted, the inequalities and double
standards that I’d started to notice became increas-
ingly infuriating.
I’ve seen women leave their jobs in response to
an overwhelming workload while I’ve seen men in a
similar position negotiate better deals for themselves.
I’ve been amazed again and again to see how confi-
dent some men (#notallmen) are about their writing,
prefacing whatever they submit with, “I think this is
really great” or “I think you’ll like it,” while women
who submit really great work preface their submis-
sions with something along the lines of “I hope this is
okay” or “let me know if I need to make any changes.”
Men are also often better at promoting them-
selves and their projects, demanding to be featured
prominently, for instance, while women seem to do
so less frequently. Perhaps this is a contributing factor
to the reality that the media is more likely to feature
men. I know from experience that it’s not a conscious
decision to favour men, but that doesn’t make the
trend any less troubling.
I can relate to people who are uncomfortable toot-
ing their own horn, but the fact is that men do it all the
time, and reap more visibility and media attention as
a result. Still, I wonder if there isn’t also a good reason
that women tend to be quieter. The way that women
are treated—whether they are paid less than men or
given a lesser title for the same work or a worse deal—
undoubtedly has an impact on their confidence.
Although I’m not telling you anything you haven’t
already heard, it seems to me that it wouldn’t hurt to
hear it again.
Anna’s editorial
TRACK OF
THE ISSUE
WWW.INTOTHEGLACIER.IS
A RARE,
ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME
OPPORTUNITY
You can choose from various
tours and book online at
www.intotheglacier.is
Visit the largest man-made ice caves and tunnel in Europe
DJ Flugvél & Geimskip
“Hjari veraldar”
Download the FREE tracks at www.grapevine.is
Comic | Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir