Ashley McBryde Goes Off On The Double Standard In Country Music: “Mediocrity Is Worshipped As A God As Long As It’s Wearing A Ball Cap”

Nathan Chapman

Make no mistake about it… Ashley McBryde is always going to tell you how she really feels.

The “Rattlesnake Preacher” singer is a beacon of light in the country music space. McBryde is as unique as they come, uberly talented, and for my money, is one of the best storytellers in the entire industry. She’s been hard at work ever since her breakout moment in 2017 with Eric Church (there’s more to that story than meets the eye), and on May 8, she releases her next album Wild.

McBryde has already released a handful of singles from the project, including the emotional “Bottle Tells Me So” and the brutally honest “Lines In The Carpet.” Safe to say that it’ll be another stellar record from Ashley McBryde, but in the weeks leading up to its release, the country music artist has been very open about how frustrating it is for her to work so hard and feel as though she barely gets half the credit as her male counterparts.

While sitting with the Girls In Low Places podcast, Ashley McBryde dropped a line that could best be described as iconic. She undoubtedly took a shot at some of the male country artists in the industry while also explaining the exhausting, impossible double standard that female artists are up against:

“I hate that mediocrity is worshipped as a god as long as it’s wearing a ball cap, if we’re being specific. I hate that we have to work twice as hard for twice as long for half the credit. I can’t have wrinkles, but I also can’t use anything to alter that. And I can’t be too skinny, but I also cannot be too fat. And I need to act my age, but not look my age. I need to be able to support everyone else’s emotions, but mine cannot get in your way. Like, it’s just so gross.”

And McBryde didn’t stop there.

She landed her point by laying out the two options that all female artists have, and there’s no mistaking which route Ashley McBryde has chosen to go down:

“So you can be butt hurt about it, or you can do something about it. Become a difficult woman, and see if that really ends everything for you.”

Perfectly put by Ashley McBryde.

Other artists rushed to the comments section of the post to commend Ashley McBryde for speaking her truth on the podcast. Here are just a few messages of support for the unapologetic female country music star:

Kaitlin Butts: “Is this church? I feel like I’m at church because this woman is preaching.”

Colby Acuff: “Facts.”

Morgane Stapleton: “All hail Queen.”

Leann Rimes: “Preach.”

Bunnie XO: “Amen sister.”

Make no mistake, the women of country music are certainly having a bit of a renaissance, with Ella Langley dominating all-genre charts, Lainey Wilson being an Entertainer of the Year nominee, Megan Moroney making waves, among others. And they’re all incredibly talented, deserving artists who’ve worked very hard to get to the top. But at the same time, look at what is still topping country radio regularly… Parmalee, Dylan Scott, LoCash, Chase Matthew… the definition of mediocre. And that’s just some names the past year alone.