By: Risha Roy
Initially being associated with messages of inequality and rights, it seems strange to think about the fact that over the years sexism began overtaking much of the punk movement. Women at punk shows started being pushed to the side and not being taken seriously, often just being thought of as the girlfriends of male musicians. Bands with male members like The Sex Pistols would rise while bands with female members like The Slits would become underrated. And on top of that, these shows had a lot of situations where women would be assaulted. Since one of the earliest messages of the genre, anti-sexism, started to get lost, many women started to join forces in order to combine feminism with punk.
The riot grrrl movement started in the early 1990s in the Pacific Northwest and in Olympia, Washington. Many began using fanzines, magazines that the punk scene had often used to spread their messages, in order to represent their own interests. Interestingly enough, some fanzines before the riot grrrl movement perpetuated sexism with a 1976 edition of a zine called Sniffin’ Glue claiming that “Punks are not girls.” In that way, it can be said through this movement, women were able to gain more control over something that had once discriminated against them. Notably, Tobi Vail (a member of Bikini Kill) published a zine of her own called Jigsaw where she emphasized feminist issues. It was actually in these zines that “grrl” became a thing, since Vail used the phrase when talking about “angry grrls.” The word was supposed to combine “girl” with a growl. However, the word started to be used as a derogatory term by males, which is why a third r was added; it was supposed to be a way to reclaim the term. Meanwhile, the “riot” of “riot grrrl” came from the fact that Jen Smith (a member of The Quails) wrote “girl riot” in a letter that she wrote to Allison Wolfe (a member of Bratmobile) when talking about how women needed their own version of the Mount Pleasant race riots. Wolfe actually went on to collaborate with Molly Neuman (a member of Bratmobile) in order to create the Girl Germs zine, while Kathleen Hanna and Tobi Vail created their Bikini Kill zine.
Besides the term being popularized and the usage of fanzines, new female punk bands began forming and singing about rape, abuse, and female empowerment. Tobi Vail, who continued to be a primary figure in the riot grrrl movement, created a band called Bikini Kill, named after the zine, with Kathleen Hanna, Billy Karren, and Kathly Willcox. They supported their revolution by utilizing lyrics like “Rebel girl, you are the queen of my world,” in their song “Rebel Girl,” which later went on to become an anthem. Much to the anger of many men, Hanna encouraged the women at their shows to move forwards by screaming, “girls to the front.” Not long after, Molly Neuman, Allison Wolfe, and Erin Smith made Bratmobile, a band that primarily used satire to make fun of how the scene treated women. This can be seen in their song “Cool Schmool” where they used lyrics like “I just want to be one of the boys. I just want to be your little fashion toy.” Other bands associated with the movement include Huggy Bear, Heavens to Betsy, and Skinned Teen band.
Fashion was also a large part of the riot grrrl revolution with women wearing makeup, dresses, and ponytails as if to embrace their feminine side while also being punk. Using hearts for the “i”s on pins was also popular, along with wearing pink and sequins. This is not to say that non girly stereotypes were not used. Kathleen Hanna often wore clothes that she believed would make a statement. This includes wearing just a bra onstage while having derogatory names for women written on her stomach, as well as, a dress that said, “As he drug her upstairs by her neck.”
Still, much of the movement was misunderstood by the media with them focusing on the performances and how the women presented themselves rather than their actual message. This frustrated riot grrrls, who were after social change and not fame. But even with this drawback, the movement did end up bringing change. More resources for women who had been sexually abused or had mental illnesses began to rise. And even though the movement mostly faded away by the mid 90s, talking about women empowerment became more accepted in the media. More recently, the record for the first woman to top the Billboard Rock Albums Chart as a solo and with a band was just broken with Hayley Williams, who rose to fame through pop punk, achieving the title in 2020. Though there is still room for improvement for women in the punk and rock scene, it can be said that the riot grrrl made a long lasting impact when it came to equality.
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