Riot Grrrl: The Aftermath

By the mid-1990s, the riot grrrl movement had fizzled. Many riot grrrl artists stated that their ideology and music had been skewed by the media in favor of girl groups such as the Spice Girls whose proclamation of "girl power" drastically differed from riot grrrl's. Once Bratmobile and Bikini Kill broke up in 1994 and 1997 respectively, the riot grrrl phenomenon disintegrated; however, many of the band members involved in riot grrrl went on to form other bands. For example, Kathleen Hanna (of Bikini Kill) went on to form the electronic post-punk, feminist band Le Tigre. Tobi Vail, also of Bikini Kill, formed Spider and the Webs. And Corin Tucker (of Heavens to Betsy) and Carrie Brownstein (of Excuse 17) started the extremely well-known and critically acclaimed band, Sleater-Kinney. Below is a picture of Sleater-Kinney.

Sleater-Kinney/Credit: Treble Zine

Aside from these bands, many other well-known bands cite them as an influence. Some listen to riot grrrl members' music and live out the ideology preached by those involved in the riot grrrl scene in their own ways, while others heard their music and became inspired to create their own bands. There are numerous fansites and message boards dedicated to the riot grrrl phenomenon and/or riot grrrl's philosophy. A few of the riot grrrl fansites include IE Riot Grrrl and Riot Grrrls United. Aside from these websites, Tavi Gevinson was also inspired by the riot grrrl culture when she founded Rookie.

Rookie is an online magazine aimed at teenage girls that discusses topics such as pop culture, fashion, social issues, and, of course, feminism. Rookie is often compared to Sassy, which as discussed in a previous entry, was one of the inspirations for the riot grrrl movement. Founder of Rookie Tavi Gevinson even discussed her love and inspiration for the riot grrrl movement, specifically Kathleen Hanna, in the documentary about Kathleen Hannah, The Punk Singer. In describing feminism, Tavi Gevinson states "feminism to me means fighting. It's a very nuanced, complex thing, but at the very core of it I'm a feminist because I don't think being a girl limits me in any way." Below is a picture of Tavi Gevinson posing with an archive of Rookie's posts from its first year entitled Rookie: Yearbook One.

Rookie Creator Tavi Gevinson with Rookie: Yearbook One/Credit: Westervin

Aside from these individuals, many current bands were also inspired by the riot grrrl scene. Beth Ditto from the indie-rock band, The Gossip, is perhaps one of the most well-known. Beth Ditto is the lead singer of the band, The Gossip, and is a major media figure known for her candid support for LGBTQ and feminist issues. In reference to the riot grrrl scene, Ditto stated in the foreword to Riot Grrrl: Revolution Girl Style Now: "Until I found riot grrrl, or riot grrrl found me, I was just another Gloria Steinem NOW feminist trying to take a stand in shop class. Now I am a musician, a writer, a whole person." Below is a picture of Beth Ditto performing with her band, The Gossip. 

Beth Ditto of The Gossip/Credit: After Ellen

Another way riot grrrl has lived on is through archives. The collection entitled "The Fales Riot Grrrl Collection" has been stored in New York University's Fales Library and Special Collections beginning in the fall of 2010. According to the Riot Grrrl's Fales Library and Special Collection website, the main purpose of the collection is "to collect unique materials that provide documentation of the creative process of individuals and the chronology of the movement overall." Numerous former riot grrrl participants have donated to the collection including Kathleen Hanna, while several other key riot grrrl members such as Molly Neuman, Allison Wolfe and Carrie Brownstein are expected to donate materials in the near future. Although these archives cannot mimic the riot grrrl experience, they do provide viewers with insight and knowledge into the riot grrrl phenomenon. 

Riot Grrrl Music and Lyrics

Although zines played a major role in shaping riot grrrl, Riot grrrl wouldn't be the riot grrrl we know and love if it weren't for their music. Aside from zines, the riot grrrl scene defined itself through its music. One of the reasons riot grrrl started was to break away from the predominantly male-dominated punk-rock scene. In fact, many of the band members associated with riot grrrl used their concerts to pay homage to women concertgoers. Pioneer riot grrrl band, Bikini Kill, is a prime example of a riot grrrl band incorporating and celebrating women during their shows.

During their shows, Bikini Kill band members invited women to the front and often handed out song lyrics so women, as well as other concertgoers, could sing along, feel safe, and feel incorporated during their performances. In addition to handing out song lyrics, they also invited audience members to come onstage and share personal stories like rape and sexism. They also instructed men who participated in moshing to fall to the back of the pit in order to allow women to move towards the front of the stage.

Although the riot grrrl movement emphasized female empowerment, men also played a large role in the riot grrrl movement. For example, Calvin Johnson and Slim Moon founded record labels K Records and Kill Rock Stars, which where known for featuring many riot grrrl bands. The band Nirvana was also a large supporter of riot grrrl bands, having played alongside a few of them during shows. Dave Grohl and Kurt Cobain of Nirvana also dated Bikini Kill members Kathleen Hanna and Tobi Vail for a period of time and continued to play shows with them even after both couples broke up. Cobain even once stated: "The future of rock belongs to women." Below is an image of a Nirvana concert flyer featuring Bikini Kill.

Credit: Pinterest

Riot grrrl was important because, more than anything, it gave women a voice. In complying with the punk movement, any woman could learn how to play guitar, write lyrics, and let their voices be heard. When riot grrrl members started performing at concerts, not only did they create a safe place for women to go and enjoy music, but they also created a place where women could discuss their important, everyday issues. Through this medium, riot grrrl participants often discussed heavier subject matter such as rape, female empowerment, female sexuality, and domestic abuse in their songs. An example of one of these songs would be "Don't Need You" by Bikini Kill.

"Don't Need You" was released on Bikini Kill's 1994 album "The C.D. Version of the First Two Records." The album was released on the Slim Moon's label Kill Rock Stars, and the song is about rejecting the notion of a woman needing a man in order to be happy. The opening lyrics proudly proclaim: "Don't need you to say we're cute/ Don't need you to say we're alright/ Don't need your atti-f*ckin-tude boy/ Don't need your kiss goodnight," Bikini Kill. These lyrics reject heteronormative roles and state that these women are strong and can function just perfectly on their own. They don't need someone to define who they are; they are perfectly capable of doing that on their own terms.

However, the most important section of the song is the song's final verse, which states "Does it scare you that we don't/ Need you?/ Does it scare you boy that we don't / Need you?/ We don't need you, we don't need you/ Us punk rock whores We don't need you," Bikini Kill. This verse is essential because it openly states why people (often men) rejected the riot grrrl movement. They didn't like/ were afraid of women not needing them. In critics' minds, although maybe not consciously, women were viewed as the lesser, and when women became more active in the punk-rock scene during the 1990's, men, particularly, were hesitant at accepting them. The riot grrrl movement was started as a way to fight against that notion. In essence, this song amplifies what the riot grrrl movement was stood for. Below is a video to the song "Don't Need You."

Third Wave Feminism and Zines

It's almost impossible to talk about riot grrrl without talking about feminism because of how closely linked together they are. According to the Oxford Dictionaries, feminism is "the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men." Feminism is split up into three different categories, often referred to as "waves." Riot grrrl feminism is most connected with third-wave feminism.

Third-wave feminism began in the early 1990s and focused on many of the issues second-wave feminism did such as sexuality, family, equal rights in the workplace, and reproductive rights. However, the biggest difference between the first, second, and third-wave feminism is that the two previous waves focused primarily on educated, privileged, white women, while third-wave feminism recognized and incorporated women of different cultures, religions, races, ethnicities, and nationalities.

Riot Grrrl Zine. Credit: NPR

The band members associated with riot grrrl showcased their third-wave feminist ideology through their zines and song lyrics. Zines, also known as fanzines or magazines, are small, self-published, original pieces of work that often follow a theme and include articles, artwork, and news that coincide with that theme. As mentioned on the previous blog post, Allison Wolfe and Molly Neuman of Bratmobile and Kathleen Hanna and Tobi Vail of Bikini Kill formed a zine entitled "Riot Grrrl." To the right, is a picture of a Riot Grrrl zine cover published in 1991.

These zines were an essential part of the riot grrrl culture. They gave riot grrrl women a forum to safely express themselves and a place to state their political beliefs. These zines also allowed women to better connect with each other. During the early distribution of these zines, the punk rock music scene was dominated by men, and these zines gave women an outlet to express how they felt being discriminated against and being in the minority.

To combat these issues, these zines often shared personal narratives submitted by readers and how they overcame or were fighting against these issues. Authors also reappropriated offensive language that was commonly used against them. Instead of shying away from words such as "bitch," "cunt," "dyke," and "slut," they often incorporated these words into their articles and encouraged women to shamelessly take back these words. One of the ways they encouraged women to take back these words was by painting them on their stomachs with lipstick, taking photos of the finished product, and printing them in their zines. Below is a picture of Bikini Kill frontwoman Kathleen Hanna with "slut" written across her stomach.

Bikini Kill Member Kathleen Hanna/Credit: Tropics of Meta

Inside one of these zines is where the Riot Grrrl Manifesto first appeared. The "Riot Grrrl Manifesto" was a written declaration that professed the ideology of the riot grrrl culture. The Manifesto was first published in 1991 in the Bikini Kill Girl Power Zine #2. A later version of the Manifesto was published in 1992 in the Riot Grrrl NYC Zine #2. Below is a video of Kathleen Hanna reading the early section of the Riot Grrrl Manifesto and a section of the later version of the Riot Grrrl Manifesto typed out.

http://vimeo.com/67757523

“BECAUSE we girls want to create mediums that speak to US. We are tired of boy band after boy band, boy zine after boy zine, boy punk after boy punk after boy… BECAUSE we need to talk to each other. Communication/inclusion is the key. We will never know if we don’t break the code of silence… BECAUSE in every form of media we see us/myself slapped, decapitated, laughed at, objectified, raped, trivialized, pushed, ignored, stereotyped, kicked, scorned, molested, silenced, invalidated, knifed, shot, choked and killed. BECAUSE a safe space needs to be created for girls where we can open our eyes and reach out to each other without being threatened by this sexist society and our day to day bullshit.” Credit: Words + Guitar: The Riot Grrrl Movement and Third-Wave Feminism.

As their manifesto clearly demonstrates, riot grrrl women created art, music, zines, and more for women by women. They strongly encouraged feminist expression and unity among women. Through these zines, they acknowledged and discussed the oppression they all felt but, prior to these zines, didn't  really discuss as openly. These zines were their safe haven, a place to vent their frustrations, and a place where they could state whatever it is they wanted to state and wouldn't be judged. In conjunction with riot grrrl's music, these zines are what created riot grrrl culture.

Riot Grrrl: The Origin

Sassy Magazine/Credit: Wordpress

Although Riot Grrrl appeared in the early '90s, a version of their philosophy can be traced back to several late '70s to mid-'80s female punk and rock musicians including: Siouxsie Sioux, Poly Styrene, Patti Smith, Kim Gordon, Chrissie Hynde as well as many others. Aside from these bands, there were also several media outlets that influenced their ideology. In 1988, Sassy magazine, a magazine aimed at teenage girls that discussed controversial subject matter, formed. (An issue of the magazine is pictured to the right.) A 1989 article entitled "Women, sex and rock and roll" that appeared in an issue of Puncture became Riot Grrrl's first manifesto. And in 1991, a radio show called Your Dream Girl that discussed women's role in modern society debuted in Olympia, Washington, what's considered to be the pioneering city of riot grrrl.

This realm of thinking set the mood for what later became known as riot grrrl. However, it wasn't until later in 1991 when young feminist women came together as a reaction to the Christian Coalition's Right to Life attack on abortion and the Senate Judiciary Hearings of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (in which Anita Hill was publicly mocked for accusing Thomas of sexually assaulting her) that  the need for riot grrrl became increasingly apparent.

Riot Grrrl zine/Credit: Jacobin Mag.

In a letter discussing the reaction to the Christian Coalition and Judiciary Hearings, Jen Smith wrote to Allison Wolfe (both of Bratmobile) "this summer's going to be a girl riot." While the exact wording of the this text is debated, the overall message remains the same. Soon after, Wolfe and Neuman worked together with Kathleen Hannah and Tobi Vai (of Bikini Kill), and they created a feminist zine called "Riot Grrrl." The women decided to remove the "i" in girl and triple the "r" sound as a way to make the  name sound derogatory and angry. To the left is a photo of a Riot Grrrl zine.

Bikini Kill/Credit: Wikipedia

Although there are several bands linked to the early formation of Riot Grrrl, Bikini Kill and Bratmobile are considered to be the most predominant. Bikini Kill formed in October of 1990 in Olympia, Washington by Kathleen Hannah (vocalist), Billy Karren (lead guitarist), Kathi Wilcox (bassist), and Tobi Vai (drummer). Hannah had been working as a stripper to put herself through school and, in her spare time, volunteered in a woman's shelter. During this time, she states she was exposed to a variety of people, and this prompted her to seek out and practice feminist ideology. One of the ways, she, along with the other female members of the band, practiced this ideology was by making their shows very female-friendly, often encouraging women to come to the front and sing along. Band members also handed out lyric sheets if audience members didn't know the lyrics. To the right is a picture of the band performing.

Bratmobile/Credit: Teen-Beat Records

Aside from Bikini Kill, Bratmobile was another influential riot grrrl band. Bratmobile formed when Allison Wolfe and Molly Neuman were asked to play a show on Valentine's Day in 1991 alongside Bikini Kill. Although they had compiled a few original songs, they considered themselves a garage band, having never played a show. However, they accepted the offer as a dare and ended up playing the show with both members switching off on guitar, vocals and drums. Soon after, Jen Smith and Christina Billotte acted as fill-in guitar members, until Erin Smith came in as their permanent guitarist. To the right is a photo of the band.

My Blog Choice

Hello all,

"Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution"/ Credit: Wordpress

My name is Julie Greene, and this is my blog.

My blog's theme is feminist theory in riot grrrl culture. Throughout this blog, I will trace feminist ideology discussed in class to the lyrics of riot grrrl bands.

Riot grrrl was a DIY feminist punk-rock movement that originated in the mid-'90s in the Pacific Northwest. Riot grrrl bands often centered their lyrics on issues such as patriarchy, female empowerment, sexuality and racism. Bands include Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Heavens to Betsey and Sleater-Kinney.

To the right is a photo of the book, "Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution," a book about the riot grrrl culture.