You know what?  I don't believe that women are judged more by their looks 
than men in popular music.  Look at the successful male artists; John Mayer? 
Would he be half as popular if he wasn't handsome enough to snare Jessica 
Simpson?  Why were all those teenage girls squealing at Shea Stadium in 
1965?  Because they admired the song structure of "Dizzy Miss Lizzy"?  And 
can anyone explain the popularity of James Blunt any other way?

Here's what I think the deal is.  Power Pop is a hopelessly male genre. This 
is reflected in the demographics of this list.  No one batted an eyelash 
when Stuart used the phrase "milfier."  In fact the general buzz was, "Neat! 
A new word I can use right away!"  If this list was 80% female instead of 
the other way around, I am certain that the sex appeal of the artists would 
be far more common as a topic.  And that is fine.  I do NOT see a double 
standard at play here; I just see a list that is predominantly male.  I saw 
Marianne Pillsbury twice at IPO.  I thought she was great.  And also, she is 
totally hot.  In fact I told her she was my new rock crush.  Is this sexist? 
I am sure it is not.  Because the whole crush thing with artists is 
something that has long gone on, only it is usually the other way around. 
Hell, the guy with the guitar does usually get girls (well, maybe not the 
Power Pop guy.)  In High School all the girls wanted Robert Plant or Roger 
Daltry (in Jr. High it had been David Cassidy.)  I'm on one list where 
whenever Eric Clapton comes up, the lady with the major crush on him moons a 
little.  I remember seeing the Bangles at the Ritz in NYC, 12/31/83, and 
being right in front, and they were so totally hot and sexy, that I came 
away feeling like I'd finally had an experience close to what those teenage 
girls experienced at Shea Stadium in '65.

Is there anything wrong with any of this?  I don't think so, but I sort of 
don't care.  You can tell me that there is some kind of lofty Platonic 
musical ideal, that we should evaluate music blind to the allure of the 
artist.  But personally I do not aspire to that ideal, and if I ever 
attained that ideal I'd be missing out on some fun.  And I bet everyone 
here, and maybe even Ms. Paula Kelley, would agree if they thought of it in 
terms of their own fandom experiences.