For years, rock musicians have been idolized for subversive and reckless behavior, becoming a quintessential part to the genre. 

Jimi Hendrix set his guitar on fire, Kurt Cobain regularly broke his instruments, as did Paul Simonon of “The Clash,” with one instance going on to become the iconic cover of their “London Calling” album. 

On the Feb. 6 episode of “Saturday Night Live,” 26 year-old Phoebe Bridgers, accompanied by her band dressed in  Halloween-store skeleton costumes, finished a performance of her song by smashing her guitar on stage and was met with criticism from the public and inside the music community. 

This has revealed a double standard for female musicians in the industry, and we must stop criticizing women for acts men are revered for. 

Acts like this are intended to spark anger — rock ’n’ roll extremities are not everyone’s cup of tea — and Bridgers’ was no exception. 

However on the night of the performance, Twitter lit up with hundreds of responses not from the usual enforcers of the status quo but rock purists lamenting Bridgers for perceived inauthenticity or mocking her for not breaking the guitar enough. 

It’s hard to imagine that David Crosby of “Crosby, Stills & Nash,” would choose to call the performance “pathetic” if Bridgers wasn’t a young woman. 

Whether or not the so-called “smashing” was perfectly executed is beside the point when most of the issues with it are rooted in misogyny. 

Before taking to social media to criticize something unfamiliar, true fans of the genre should consider that rather than an insult, Bridgers’ performance was an homage to countless legends before her, and should give rising female musicians the same consideration.