Riot Grrrl

I didn’t know that much about the riot grrrl movement until we watched The Punk Singer this week.  Throughout the film we follow the life of Kathleen Hanna.  Kathleen Hanna spoke out to break the silence for women.  She stood up for those being raped, abused, assaulted and treated like shit.  Hanna wanted girls to embrace their sexuality by standing up and out against men.  She was a huge motivational musician that helped women speak out against.  The biggest shock throughout learning about Kathleen Hanna was the things she would say on stage.  No one else, that was a women, spoke out so pissed off, so straight forward and inspirational for other women.

            When Hanna first went to college it was for some sort of art.  She always knew she would be in the art field.  When she was 18 years old, Hanna had a fashion show in the school library.  She designed a dress with the words “as he dragged her upstairs by her neck” which reflects on her roommate who was sexually assaulted when Kathleen wasn’t home.  This was a large eye opener because who wants to stomach reading that and thinking of that while at a fashion show.  That was just out of the ordinary.  She made a statement then and wasn’t stopping there.  

            When Kathleen started singing she spoke out just as much for women then as she did when she designed that dress.  At her concerts she would have all the women move to the front and get away from the men who could end up throwing the women around in mosh pits.  She would scream into the mic and let her words be heard through everyone at her shows.  She told people if they didn’t like the music then pretty much leave.  She spoke out for women and showed she didn’t care what anyone else thought of her. She was going to start a revolution. 

            I’m glad I learned about her.  She was embracing her sexuality, speaking out for all women and making people aware.  It made others want to do the same.  She was the beginning of the riot grrrl movement that is still moving today.