“Stop Your Women’s Ears with Wax” by Julia Armfield is a story that definitely surprised me to say the least. In my opinion it seems like an alternate coming-of-age story with dark twists throughout. The band, who seem to be sirens, are able to evoke a reaction out of young women. These young women seem to cause havoc in the group’s presence and also cause harm to men. Throughout the story, it seems that bad luck follows the band and that they have some sort of power to “curse” anyone who may speak badly about them. Mona, who seems to be the main character, is also under their spell along with the others on the crew. Something that stood out to me was her realizing that there are no men on their crew; is it because men are hated or because men do not understand most of the problems or issues that women face? In the story the men seemed the most confused about the band and why they were as popular as they are, which makes me wonder about what the author actually wanted that to symbolize. Another interpretation that I thought about is women progressing in the world. The band goes to different places throughout the story (their tour). This could account for the expansion of women’s voices in the world, and while we might not have the representation we need yet, we are making headway.