Surviving a Mosh Pit as a Female

by Kelly

I’m a big fan of punk and metal music, the heavier, more frenetic the better. I have a fairly massive music collection on my computer but nothing beats going to live shows. I dig the ridiculously loud speakers, the vibrations of the bass and drums, and I even like being pressed up against dozens of sweaty, raucous people.

moshingI also love to mosh. I’m not really sure I can explain it, but there’s something really fucking fun about flailing around, throwing yourself into people. If I’m feeling the music, I can’t help but move around. Did I mention I’m a 5’1”, 115 lb female? As much as I’m all about gender equality, my height and the vulnerability of my chest region makes moshing a risky endeavor. Some mosh pits are rather tame, but if you’ve been to some of the hardcore shows I have, you know that lots of guys throw elbows and get rough. I don’t mind a little pain but an elbow to the boob (or the eye — speaking from personal experience) is motherfucking painful.

So should girls not mosh? Should we sit in the back like good little girls, all pretty and demure? Hell no! Here are my “survival” methods to moshing as a height-challenged female. I am completely supportive of getting into the thick of things, lord knows I have on many occasions, but these are general guidelines to getting close to the action without taking home a shiner. Furthermore, if you do get into the middle and fall down, a lovely thing about pit culture (which is pretty universal, at least from my experience and others’) is that everyone does pick up their fallen comrades.

So, without further ado:

1. Stay on the outskirts. Yeah, it’s not ideal but you can generally jump around and shit here without actually being in the circle of doom. Just make sure you’re relatively close to the pit, otherwise all the fucking norms will get upset that you’re pushing them. They are only here to stand silently with constipated expressions –- your hyperactivity detracts from their concert-going experience. If one of them does get in your face, ignore their whining. Or get into a fight and get kicked out…uhhh, yeah, that’s less fun. Take it from me.

2. Wear smart shoe-wear. Docs or combat boots are preferable. People WILL step on your feet, and a steel-toed boot comes in handy when kicking someone’s ass. If you plan on wearing heels, make sure the venue has seating. Back in the day when I was 17, I made the mistake of wearing my Chucks to a show. Some friggin asshole pushed my female friend really hard when we were nowhere near the pit. I’m a rather impulsive person (and I’d just spent an hour with my face pressed up against some guy’s massive sweaty gut) so I immediately countered with a swift kick to the leg…except I missed and got his balls.

Oh, shit.

Did I mention this guy was visibly wasted, nearing 7 feet tall and had arms the size of tree trunks? He turned around and looked down at me, yelling several epithets in the process. I was a little concerned when he says “I’m gonna kick your ass.” Guess this guy didn’t have a problem hitting women. As I’m awaited my first broken nose, some wondrous angel from behind me says “Hey man, don’t hit little girls” and the guy backed off. At this point I felt like one of those yappy little dogs who bite the ankle of a pit-bull, thinking they are an even match. Not to mention my foot was throbbing because Converse are basically made of paper. Either way, I learned my lesson: Wear combat boots in case you want to kick burly men in the balls. Check.

3. If you wear glasses, put on contacts. You don’t want to break those babies or worse, lose them and find their mangled carcass at the end of the night.

moshgirls
4. Bring a bunch of friends and create your own mini-pit wherever the fuck you want. I did this with some pals at a hippy-LSD-tripping kind of show. We got a lot of angry stares but it was a hella good time.

5. Mosh during the opening act but move out of there by the main act (or vice versa). Depending on the show, there is more violent moshing during the main act. However, when I went to see AFI, the moshing was way more intense (and fun) during Dillinger Escape Plan, who went on prior to AFI. Of course, I’m sure old school punk AFI shows would have been a different story…

6. Go to local shows as well as big concerts. Depending, again, on the venue, there may be different levels of moshing. It really depends; it’s best to see a variety of different shows and try your luck.

7. Wear simple clothing. T-shirt and jeans will do. As much as you may want to dress up in your steampunk finest, you’ll be sorry when someone steps on your velvet skirt and rips it, or your necklaces get caught on someone’s belt. Furthermore, there is a 50% chance that you will get beer, blood, or vomit on you at some point of the night. Just warning you.

8. Keep your arms up! If you’re at the edge of a pit, it’s helpful to be prepared for someone slamming into you by keeping your arms up in front of you, rather than getting the wind knocked out of you cos you got caught unawares.

9. When the going gets tough, take a breather. Maybe one band has a solid following and the pit is intimidating to anyone, regardless of gender and size. Chances are there will be a different band that for whatever reason doesn’t inspire the same intensity — that might be your chance to get into the pit!

10. When stage diving, check out the crowd. If the pit is intense and no one’s even watching the stage, you might dive right into some mayhem (if that’s what you’re going for, go for it).

Similarly I see a lot of people run up on stage and rocket right off of it. They usually end up on the floor or suspended awkwardly between the two people who caught them.

When on stage, take a second, scan the crowd, dive in. When done right, stage diving is positively brilliant.

11. Have fun. That’s easy, right?

Anyone have any good concert stories? Have any questions or tips? Comment below.

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