Saturday, March 7, 2015

Project Topic - "Revolution, Girl Style, Now"

Last semester I was on a Netflix documentary rampage, and I came across one called "The Punk Singer." It documented the life of Kathleen Hanna, one of the founders and faces of the Riot Grrrl movement of the '90s.  I was very intrigued by the whole situation, and I'm quite happy to have an excuse to learn more about it.
Essentially, Riot Grrrl was a movement started to give girls a voice.  It all began in the mostly underground punk scene that made girls feel very unwelcome and, in some cases, unsafe.  Artists such as Kathleen Hanna found music and the punk scene in particular a great way to vent and tell the world about issues that young adult women go through, especially patriarchy, sexual assault, and other topics often off-limits to women and girls in everyday settings.  They also demanded that the front of the audience be for girls only rather than giant mosh pits full of men.  Bikini Kill, Hanna's band, and a few leaders from other women punk bands wanted to give girls a voice, and so began Riot Grrrl.
Much of what went on in Riot Grrrl were the making of zines, or DIY magazines about pretty much any topic that girls wanted or needed to talk about.  These zines were traded and sold amongst friends and across the country, and were left anonymously around schools for others to find.  The zines allowed girls to express themselves in a relatively cheap fashion and start dialogues with other girls about issues that were pertinent to them.
There are two aspects of this movement that I am really interested in that have to do with the premise of our class.  The first is the way in which women were allowed to express themselves through punk bands and zines in ways that they previously were unable to---and they did so rather angrily.  They were able to share their experiences as young women and find solidarity in knowing that other people were going through the same issues as they were.  It was a very supportive community.  The focus on creativity and finding a voice, through both music and zine-publishing, was a part of the artistic expression, and it did not require anyone to be a "master" at anything, as often mastery, especially of instruments such as the guitar, was seen as something males often used to exclude females.
The other part of this whole movement--often called third wave feminism--that interests me is the focus on girlhood.  Lead singers, zine-writers, and the whole Riot Grrrl movement (even in its name) focuses on the experience of girlhood and, consequently, helps to define it.  This goes along with a lot of our ideas about pop culture and how it is both shaping and shaped by consumers.  Additionally, much of what is defined as "girlhood" likewise becomes white and middle-class, as that is the demographic majority of girls participating in the movement.  
So, there is a little bit of background and some ideas that are currently bouncing around my head.  I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on the subject! Also, HAPPY SPRING BREAK!!!---I'll be in Vermillion where it's beautiful and sunny :)

1 comment:

  1. This sounds just great, Emily. Check out this handy list of sources from the NYPL blog. You'll want to check out Sara Marcus' book for sure. http://www.nypl.org/blog/2013/06/19/riot-grrrl-movement

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