Reese Witherspoon Takes Stand for Female Country Artists: 'Let’s Fix This Y’all'

Reese Witherspoon is taking a stand for female country artists! The actress, who won an Oscar for [...]

By Gayle Thompson

Reese Witherspoon is taking a stand for female country artists! The actress, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of June Carter in the 2005 Walk the Line movie, took to social media to express her disdain with the current male-dominated trend in country music.

"Let's fix this y'all!" Witherspoon wrote, sharing an article from the Washington Post, criticizing the lack of women represented at the recent ACM Awards. "Women are severely underrepresented on the country radio. Shout out to the [Inclusionists] for tackling inequality in entertainment through research and projects."

The Washington Post article pointed out that there were 32 male artists who took the stage to perform, compared to only 13 women. The live broadcast of the ACM Awards was two and a half hours into the three hour show before a woman, namely Kacey Musgraves, accepted a trophy (for Album of the Year, for Golden Hour).

Witherspoon also spoke out about a separate report by NPR, which pointed out that only 16 percent of country artists were female, and only 12 percent of country songwriters are women. In addition, the study found that "not one of the top-performing women was over the age of 40," they note, "while all but one of country's top-performing men had reached or exceeded that age."

"Need to see more inclusion for women on country radio!" Witherspoon tweeted.

Witherspoon, who counts Keith Urban's wife Nicole Kidman among her closest friends, isn't alone in her outrage.

"I feel like I've been trying to speak about the lack of women on country radio for a really long time, and I don't know the logistics of why," Dierks Bentley, told the Associated Press. "It's not because of the lack of talent."

McEntire, who previously decried the all-male Entertainer of the Year category, said women have to fight twice as hard to have the same chance as their male counterparts.

"I think it's been very open in a way, except for the woman being recorded," McEntire shared with PopCulture.com and other media backstage at the ACM Awards. "The women know we've got to step up, and we've got to really be more particular with our music. We can't chase anything. We've got to really find the songs that will touch people's hearts. That's how I have maintained a 43-year career. Because if I find a song that has touches my heart, hopefully when i sing it, it will touch your heart."

Photo Credit: Getty / Alberto E. Rodriguez

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