Marilyn Manson, Androgynous Bada*s (Andy Jean Heroes Series)

Anyone from the 1970s knows Marilyn Manson. The darkest of the dark rockers, who scandalizes people to this day. People petition to keep him away from having concerts in their town. He was one of the societal forces that were blamed for the Columbine massacre.

He screams. He croaks. He's openly blasphemous. He destroys hotel rooms and is then sued for thousands of dollars.

But  the man can rock makeup like no one else.

If you're not a fan of Marilyn Manson, you're not alone. His name and band have long been synonymous with key difference, scandal, and refusing to change in order to please the mainstream music industry. In my opinion, some of his videos are downright horrifying to watch.

But Manson's done a lot for the androgynous community. He's opened the door for young metalheads to identify as androgynous. Manson made it COOL to perform in a dress. It became an act of rebellion, something that the kids who wore all black, ate lunch under the staircase and listened to Nine Inch Nails could adopt. Androgyny was no longer an identity only for the kids in drama club.

"Who are all these riffraff wearing black yelling at us?"

What's so lovely about Marilyn Manson is that he gave androgyny anger. We no longer became sterile little lab experiments, glamorous drama queens, or even quirky objects of beauty. Our status as freaks was something to be loved with Marilyn Manson. But I think one of the best ways to rid of a prejudice against a group in society is to publicly exaggerate the worst stereotypes about them. This makes people realize just how silly these prejudices are. Then we take off the stage makeup and just go to the bar together.

 I admit, I'm not a fan of Marilyn Mason. I'm more of a Poison and Queens of the Stone Age metalhead. but I'm very grateful for the cultural influence Marilyn Manson had in my community. He opened up people's minds to androgyny as a non-happy concept. It can be horrifying, frustrating, and full of angst. You don't know what you are, but dang it, you're going to be that thing no matter what people think of you. No matter what I or anyone else thinks of his music (or of the fact that he cheated on Dita Von Teese. Sigh, that woman is fine). When Marilyn Manson sings as if he's gargling gravel, or yells like a rebel waving his freak flag up high, he's telling people that they're free to identify as Andy Jean whether they listen to Paramore, Mozart, or Johnny Cash. If you're Andy Jean, you're Andy Jean no matter what culture you belong to. Some guy named for a sex symbol and a serial killer is teaching us.

Now all we need is an Andy Jean of country music...