“BECAUSE we are angry at a society that tells us Girl = Dumb, Girl = Bad, Girl = Weak” (Riot Grrrl Manifesto). To be honest, is anyone really all that surprised women in the music industry have had a constant struggle to make a name for themselves? To show they are valid, and contribute to making art? Things are gradually getting better due to more public figures taking a stand, and pointing out the sexism that comes with the industry, but we still have a LONG way to go. Looking back to past decades definitely shines more light on how far we’ve progressed, and I don’t think the industry would have evolved like it did without the “Angry Women” in rock. Probably the most easily recognized Angry Woman is Alanis Morissette with her 1995 album Jagged Little Pill, but to really understand Morissette, one must travel back to 1991 (ew that was 27 years ago) and take the Riot Grrrl Movement 101 class located in the paragraphs below. This movement is my favorite one to research because I’ve come to realize there are a lot of people-especially women- who truly have no idea how this movement shaped not only music, but feminism and the way EVERYONE looks at female artists. I really want my readers to understand these iconic warrior women, and realize what they stood for changed the path for women in the music industry.
The Origin
In 1991, Washington D.C. had a thriving punk rock. Honestly, 1991 was a prime year for this type of music, because young people experiencing the underground scene were now up and coming artists starting their own bands and experimenting with new styles. Punk rock was definitely a male-dominated scene with many female artists struggling to make a name for themselves without being labeled “groupie”, “slut”,“untalented” and my personal favorite “too emotional”. Essentially, women were not taken seriously at all. Enter Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail, and Molly Neuman, the bad ass feminists of the early 90s. These women helped create the Riot Grrrl crusade. The whole concept of being a Riot Grrrl is about wanting to end the sexism in a male dominated punk rock scene. After doing my research, I’ve come to the conclusion this was a way for women to become more active in pursuing their dreams of production, and creation of the art they wanted to share. There was a strategy behind the name which I find genius. The word “girl” was specifically chosen as a way to represent how high self-confidence is in young girls which I think is due to them not being as exposed to the gender roles society eventually pressures on everyone which can knock that confidence down for a lot of people, but especially women. It was then abbreviated to “grrrl” to represent a “growl of anger”. Honestly, I just absolutely and irrevocably love this name choice because it really showcases the primal anger that bubbles over when there are injustices consistently happening.
The Movement Begins
Kathleen, Tobi, Molly, and so many more women banded together to speak openly and fiercely about what angered them the most about the scene, the government, etc. This created what is known as the Riot Grrrl Manifesto. Actually, one of my favorite quotes of all time comes from the manifesto: “BECAUSE I believe with my wholeheartmindbody that girls constitute a revolutionary soul force that can, and will change the world for real”. The passion in this statement really resonates with me because I have gone through periods in my life where my voice has been silenced enough to where I just stopped speaking about concepts and ideas I am passionate about. For example, I feel as though many discount young people’s voices due to their age and not their mental capacity which mostly stems from the fact that a lot of older people see us as inexperienced or naive. I have become so passionate, experienced, and well read (God I promise I don’t have a fat head, people!!) about music that many just don’t want to hear what I have to say. Being a Riot Grrrl is about standing up for what you believe in and abolishing the Nay Sayers. Being a Riot Grrrl is about making your voice heard no matter who it offends.
After the Manifesto was created, many Riot Grrrls created Fanzines dedicated to spreading their opinions and points across the general public. It was time for the women in punk’s voices to be heard. Many of these fanzines spoke about women’s issues like rape, eating disorders, fat-shaming, harassment, etc. One of the most famous fanzines was created by Kathleen Hanna and Tobi Vail, Bikini Kill. This would later become the name of their Riot Grrrl Band. On this platform, these feminists created a metaphor of how women are like jigsaw pieces; trying to find a way to fit in to a male dominated industry which was the root force behind this movement. I think even today, women and minorities can still find relevance in this. It is tough to find our way in this world when our public figures are primarily sharing the same physical attributes and interests.
With these fanzines finding success, it was time for these artists to start producing music. Some of the most famous Riot Grrrl bands were Bikini Kill (My personal favorite), Bratmobile, and Heavens to Betsy. Their lyrics spoke about white privilege, sexual assault, and really attempted to make their music personal and emotional for any woman to relate to. These Riot Grrrls would often share the microphone at their shows to women in the audience where they’d tell stories of disgusting, and inappropriate events brought upon them by society. Because of this, the mainstream press became very intrigued by these bands and women. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for their message, but simply due to the fact that mainstream media did not understand this community, and were only documenting it for its shock value. Kathleen Hanna hated how the press purposely took their message out of context as it was a way to discredit their feminism, “You’re still going to get criticized, so you might as well do whatever the fuck you want”. GIRL YES!!!! DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY AND SHOVE ALL THE MIDDLE FINGERS AT ANYONE WHO SAYS OTHERWISE.
The End of an Era?
By 1995, the press had lost interest in the Riot Grrrl Movement. Gee, it’s almost like they got bored with how their negativity didn’t even make these women flinch. Now, let’s bring back our Angry Women. Artists like Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple, and Meredith Brooks took the roots of Riot Grrrls and used it to their advantage. They were taking back the word “Bitch”.
The goal was to take away the negative connotation to the word; It was time to own that shit. It seems like Bitch is the go to word to label women whenever someone has nothing else to say. I honestly don’t find offense to it anymore because whenever I have been personally called Bitch it is was because I was standing up for myself. I am proud to be a Bitch in those instances because I will NOT apologize for being myself. I will NEVER allow ANYONE to treat me like I’m nothing, or like my passions are invalid.
Alanis Morissette has always been seen as an angry, man-hating woman which is probably due to her lyrics. She has the courage to write ballsy songs to demonstrate how important it is to find strength within yourself, as a woman, and as a human. She is one of my favorite songwriters for that reason, and she was a pivotal artist for me growing up. Her songs really resonated with me when I was a child, and they will carry on for years to come.
Where is She Now
At the end of the day, 1991 was 27 years ago. A lot has changed musically, politically, and world-wide. I was curious to see where Kathleen Hannah was now as it’s been so long, and she is not in the spotlight as much anymore. Kathleen has been in a handful of projects after Bikini Kill ended. In 1998, she sat alone in her room with a drum beat to create The Julie Ruin. After finding moderate success with this, she began a trio band titled Le Tigre. This group has a completely different sound from Bikini Kill for sure as it has more electronic elements used. They recently came out with a political anthem promoting Hilary Clinton titled I’m With Her. Aside from her career, she’s been married to Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz for the last 12 years, and she continues to fight for feminist ideologies in 2018 by constantly speaking up about the racial injustices happening throughout the country. She will forever be a Warrior Woman to me. I will always find some inspiration from her because I truly feel in my bones she paved the way for many female artists. Being a Riot Grrrl and an Angry Woman is a badge that should be worn and respected to the highest capacity. These women were desperately needed, and whenever you are feeling low, invalid, or lost, just remember “BECAUSE we don’t wanna assimilate to someone else’s standards of what is and isn’t”.
*If you would like to learn more about Kathleen Hanna or the Riot Grrrl Movement, check out these books and documentaries: Documentary The Punk Singer, Kathleen’s Blog www.kathleenhanna.com, Book Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution
*Videos from top to bottom: Bikini Kill: Rebel Girl, Mererdith Brooks: B.I.T.C.H, Alanis Morissette: You Oughta Know