Riot Grrrl Final Blog

Introduction 

Riot Grrrl has a history as stated via the leader and creator of the movement, Kathleen Hanna, in one of her most recent interviews, as being something that ended up being dominated by white girls and made for white girls, which is a big reason as to why she left the movement. This brings into discussion the idea of of white feminism that is so rampant within history, especially in liberal, "woke", or intellectual circles, making it seem that these groups are working against their own agendas, for they are. Feminism doesn't necessarily have to mean one thing, but there are certain things that it simply cannot mean and still be able to fall under the definition of feminism, which is a movement that is to be inclusive of  all women regardless of difference, identity, sexuality, etc. Based on the open critique that we get from leaders of this movement about this movement itself, this offers an opportunity to critique it in a way that is honest from an inside perspective. This is a movement that was viewed as extremely radical by both members and those that observed this movement, but for different reasons; mostly due to how to women are expected to act, dress, present themselves, etc. 

What is interesting about this movement is that there is a leader of this movement who is openly critical of the movement itself and the participators of it, as they should be, which I think is something that does not happen as often as it should. I think often times, the participants in movements become biased by their mission and jaded by the passion that comes along with the fight, and may begin to cancel out those who may not be as like them. There is inherit hierarchal power struggles that happen no matter the structure, even if it a structure that is moving to create change and progress. This can be due to racism, xenophobia, gender, or various other things that create divides among people. 

Riot Grrl was a movement heavily based on the releasing of women from typical gender constructs like harassment, rape, assault, sexism, etc, which is a heavy problem not only as a woman, but for these women, as a woman in the music industry that is filled with male hegemony and privilege. They worked to target larger historically imposing issues such as "ageism, homophobia, weightism, racism, sexism and, especially, physical and emotional violence against women and girls" said via Wikipedia, but let us trust them for this basic info for the sake of the argument. 

Method: 

Due to this movement being weirdly recent and distant at the same time, I wanted to get a feel for what kind of content was important to the movement collectively and individually. This could be seen in media like posters, watching live performances, watching and reading interviews, and finding more recent social media content thatI found relevant to the motive and critique of the movement. Seeing it progress from the beginning stages of music making to the the transitional point where leaders of this movement left to start their own projects and movements, to the point where we are able to see critique of the movement itself being related a larder picture of political and social awareness and maturity. 

Data: 

So here we have some memes. I feel like the first meme can really carry the idea behind this thesis pretty far, but it isn't anything that is really new or revolutionary. I think that what is happening here is that punk girls who think they are super punk, edgy, and emo and can just give a huge fuck off to the system....which they are.....and they can.....but there seems to be a tendency in this non traditionalism of femininity paired with this fashion identity that brings a sense of difference and not being accepted by the masses or that which is 'normal' and can get in the way of those that are actually treated differently for their identity, not how they choose to present themselves fashionably and intellectually with what they stand for in a political and social change way. This sounds very problematic and like I am potentially trivializing the female experience or am setting weird expectations for how women can present themselves and how people will or can or should treat them....which I am not...., but there has to be a recognition of the intersectionality that is still so commonly ignored in progressive or liberal movements.  

From the Era: 

The Band:

If we are following this theme of whiteness, we have to take note that a lot of these bands in this Riot Grrrl movement were made up of white women, which is not wrong, but it is problematic for all the reasons we already know. It's a matter of majority and privilege. 

Twitter Data: 

So here we have a meme that I find incredibly relevant to the critiques of the movement and the problems that were commonly found with the structure and eventual overall intentions. This meme shows characters from Danny Phantom, which is not necessarily relevant beyond the fact that they are fashionably goth/grunge/punk. This is not to say that this group/movement was apolitical, but this idea of edginess and whiteness may go hand in hand as far as exclusion goes. 

Analysis 

Riot Grrrls recognize that they will never meet the societal standards of what a "woman" or "musician" should be, specifically in their genre, and they will not try, for that would mean that they would have to conform to come sort of standard or construct set by anyone other than themselves, especially a construct or standard set by male hegemonic powers. However, this does not mean that this movement was entirely inclusive just because it was entirely a pro-all women movement. 

"In her smart, personal introductory essay, Johanna Fateman, erstwhile creator of the zine "Artaud-Mania" and co-founder with Hanna of the band Le Tigre, recalls how "each girl's photocopied missive was a revelation" and also how failure to constructively address issues of race and class privilege mired the movement in recriminations. Critics still deride Riot Grrrl for being too white, as if white girls have no right to express their problems. In fact, this collection reveals that some of the most powerful writing came in zines by girls of color ("Bamboo Girl" and "Gunk"). Queer voices were also integral and in your face," (Mcdonnell).

This is a movement that is significantly based on a type of trend, which does not mean that this trivializes the movement, but all movements are in some way based on a type of trend, whether this be taste or attention to movement based on the inattention or attention of society. It's like the #MeToo movement. It was coined as a trend because it came and went, but this is due to a lot of things, from news cycle to capitalism to sexism. 

So let's talk about the fashion....

It isn't just a phase, mom, but for the sake of argument, let's say that this is partially true. 

"The fashion pendulum may have inevitably swung back to the ’90s, but riot grrrl, with its snarky cut-and-paste zines and carefully built micro-communities, prefigures a lot of youth culture today: targeted communication and social networking (although they did it with letters and flyers, not e-mails and Facebook messages); the lure of the handmade and the local — the craft marketplace Etsy could have been born in a riot grrrl meeting; and an attitude, evident in blogs like Jezebel and the Hairpin, that feminism can be fun. Music, too, has opened up. In the late ’90s, post-riot grrrl and Nirvana, indie rock was decidedly male, with bands like Pavement and Modest Mouse dominating the scene, but now women are on most club bills," (Ryzik). 

Their fashion was a lifestyle and a statement, a living form of rhetoric, but all rhetoric has its problematic elements. 

Conclusion

This is not necessarily a movement that ends due to the whiteness patterns that have infiltrated so many movements of progress. There is where I am going with my data. The full and nicely cultivated thesis will just have to arrive in my presentation. Be a Riot Grrrl, but be an unproblematic and woke Riot Grrrl.