User:Amartin9/sandbox

Feminism of Riot Grrrl
“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”

Riot grrrl culture is often associated with third wave feminism, which also grew rapidly during the same early nineties timeframe, even though riot grrrl's emphasis on universal female identity and separatism often seems more closely allied with second wave feminism. It is often viewed as a third wave feminism cultural movement, and sometimes seen as its starting point.The riot grrrl movement allowed women their own space to create music and make political statements about the issues they were facing in the punk rock community as well as in society. It is often viewed as a third wave feminism cultural movement. They used their music and publications to express their views on issues such as rape, domestic abuse, sexuality, and female empowerment.

Like third wave feminism, riot grrls attempted to foster an acceptance of the diversity of feminist expression. Riot grrrl arose after the queercore movement, although the distinction between the two movements is at times blurred, given bands such as Team Dresch and Fifth Column who embraced both genres. For the Riot Grrrl movement, a large part of their relation to feminism can be seen through there use of lyrics, zines and publications, and taking back the meaning of derogatory terms. All three of these forms serve as a source of empowerment for the women.

Music
The riot grrrl movement allowed women to be able to make their own place in a male dominated punk scene. “Women could make their way to the front of the crowd into the mish pit, but had to ‘fight ten times harder' because they were female, according to one concert-goer. Women were also sexually attacked; groping by men was common and several women have reported rapes at shows.”. Many of the riot grrrl bands used there concerts as an opportunity to change the dynamics of punk concerts and create a place where women would feel safe.

In adhering to the punk rock culture (not the male dominated ideals), it did not matter if you knew how to play an instrument because any woman could pick up a guitar and let her voice be heard. Not only did there concerts provide a safe haven for women but the riot grrrl movement allowed all types of women the ability to express there thoughts on issues important to their every day life.

Riot grrrl’s lyrics often address issues such as rape, domestic abuse, sexuality and female empowerment. In one of Bikini Kills songs “Don’t Need You”, it “proclaims ‘don’t need you to say we’re cute/don’t need you to saw we’re alright/don’t need your protection/don’t need your kiss goodnight,’ rejecting stereotypical heterosexual relationship dynamics”.

Zines and Publications
“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”

The women sought to create their own zines which would not only give them a place to express themselves but they used there zines and publications as a way to make political statements.

One of the riot grrrls main forms of communication was through the distribution of their home made zines. “ Zine making offered many girls a forum in which to discuss the marginalization they felt in the perdominatly male punk scene and to discuss sexism and harassment with other girls and women who shared similar experiences.”[28] The zines were xeroxed and people were incoraged to distribute them. Not only was a way for women to see that they were not alone and an opportunity for them to freely tell their stories but it allowed them to address and change the connotation of some of the deragotary terms used against them.