Sierra Craig
In the Riot Grrrl videos from the EMP collection, they emphasized a concept of “group feeling”, making sure to stress the importance of the emergence of a community where women could feel comfortable talking about gender, sexuality, creativity, art, and more. A lot of this energy came from anger and frustration from experiencing sexism, and many of the young women who identified with the Riot Grrrl Movement took time to write zines about sexual abuse and domestic assault. This type of writing was illuminating to the movement, because although it showcased very dark experiences, it helped create solidarity for many other young women who were experiencing the same thing. The music and the culture that these punk girls created was not to be overlooked – too often it was written off as too provocative, or they were simply threatened by these girls harnessing their sexualities. But, this type of music and culture could be used for solidarity, as well as being a method to speak truth to power.
Similarly to the Riot Grrrl movement, Alice Bag’s piece from “Violence Girl” that focused on her father, “Daddy Dearest”, was another example of how experiences with abuse and sexism might have shaped her worldview and artistic outlook. (In some part) because of these horrible experiences with her monster of a father, Alice was a fierce champion of women’s rights, feminism, and could speak to the experiences of many other women that were feeling the same way. And to be able to do this through music brings an element of reclamation and empowerment to it. Another example from Bag’s Violence Girl comes from the “Punk in the Afternoon” piece. Once Bag gets on the stage to perform, she says “I hadn’t noticed the first time we played, but there was an intense anger inside of me that turned even the most trite lyrics into a verbal assault. I felt like a woman possessed, and the ritual of being onstage was my exorcism”. Bag was able to harness this anger and fuel the movement, empowering many other young female contemporaries.
Two songs that I felt relate to this movement are “Double Dare Ya” by Bikini Kill, which starts off with “We’re Bikini Kill, and we want revolution girl-style now!”, and “Where the Girls Are” by Gossip. Both of these songs unite punk and feminism and work to empower other female artists in this genre.
Where the Girls Are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlIzt80nI1s
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