The art of noise: the visual discourse on women through selected Colombian metal album covers.

Abstract

This article describes and problematizes the visual discourse on women that circulates in seven album covers, of metal bands in Colombia with considerable careers and recognition, released during the period from 2008 to 2023. For this inquiry we worked with a theoretical approach that combines visual studies, feminism and semiotics, examining how album covers reinforce or subvert narratives about women, allowing us to explore not only their aesthetics, but also their cultural and social context. In methodological terms, the research articulated with a feminist and intersectional perspective of analysis, with an exploratory focus, opening the way to novel interpretations. The analysis revealed that representations of women on Colombian metal album covers tend to oscillate between hypersexualization, demonization and lack of agency. Although these images are visually striking, they reinforce traditional stereotypes, linking women with danger and vulnerability.