ABSTRACT
This chapter details the girls of heavy metal and shows that in many respects, they share similarities with the male metalheads. The alienation from family, school, and religion that is common among the boys is also common among girls who like heavy metal, and they are drawn to heavy metal because it both expresses and alleviates their alienation. In part, the greater appeal of heavy metal for boys reflects higher average levels of sensation seeking among boys. Heavy metal appeals only to people who have a high tendency for sensation seeking. Boys are more likely to be attracted to heavy metal, because they are higher in sensation seeking, and heavy metal music provides high-sensation expression and relief for their alienation. The chapter focuses on data from 38 female metalheads. Female metalheads reported higher sensation seeking on the total Sensation-Seeking Scale.
