“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 and inclusion are key. We will never know if we don't break the code of silence... Because in every form of media we see ourselves 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.”
Some of the most groundbreaking political movements throughout history emerged from underground, usually oppressed, groups rather than governmental bodies. This is what brings us to our topic: Riot Grrrl. Riot Grrrl is a subcultural movement that merged (mostly third-wave but also fourth-wave) feminism, punk music, and politics. It was originally brought to life during the 1990s to combat the heteronormative and patriarchal norms dominating the punk scene at the time. Not only that, but Riot Grrrl also tackled racism, ableism, ageism, speciesism, classism, and anti-semitism.
Riot Grrrl Zines
“The use of the word ‘girl’ came from a desire to focus on childhood, a time when girls have the strongest self-esteem and belief in themselves. The rewriting of the word as ‘grrrl’ represented the anger behind the movement” was how Kathleen Hanna, the front woman of the Riot Grrrl band Bikini Kill, explained the thought process behind the name of the movement.
Hanna also illustrated the importance of creating a safe space where women can share their experiences and see themselves represented in the form of zines in the “Riot Grrrl Manifesto”: “BECAUSE us girls crave records and books and fanzines that speak to US that WE feel included in and can understand in our own ways. BECAUSE we wanna make it easier for girls to see/hear each other’s work so that we can share strategies and criticize/applaud each other. BECAUSE we must take over the means of production in order to create our own meanings. BECAUSE viewing our work as being connected to our girlfriends-politics-real lives is essential if we are gonna figure out how we are doing impacts, reflects, perpetuates, or DISRUPTS the status quo”. Zines were one of Riot Grrrl’s most powerful tools derived from the DIY nature of the movement. Defined as “homemade publications with limited circulation”, zines stripped away the power from mass media and put it in the hands of women to express and represent themselves on their own terms, and to challenge the consumer capitalist and patriarchal culture that placed the means of production in the hands of wealthy white men.
What set the Riot Grrrl movement apart from other feminist movements was its approach. We women were always told that if we want to be given equal rights, we have to be calm and polite at all times regardless of what we’ve been through. We have to appear affected by the injustice we face but not too affected as to not be seen as irrational creatures. Upset but never angry. The Riot Grrrl Movement, however, is angry and seething, rightfully so.
Although the Riot Grrrl Movement originated in the United States and mostly revolved around American women’s struggles within the western culture, it can still be applied to women all over the world. In fact, I believe the adaptation of Riot Grrrl in Middle Eastern culture could revolutionize the feminist movement in the region. So far, the movement has been catered to men, their standards, and their egos instead of who it’s really for: women. This is exactly what has to change.
so cool thank you 😎