WHAT EXACTLY IS RIOT GRRRL?

Basically, the Riot Grrrl movement is feminism with a twist, the twist being punk rock. It started as a fusion of raising women's issuses through punk rock with bands like Bikini Kill.

HOW DID IT START?

In the mid nineties, various bands like Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, and Bratmobile started to mix feminism in with their music. These women shared many beliefs and so did their listeners. The grrrls who heard their music decided that they could do something too and started making zines, holding meetings, and passing out fliers to other people just like them. Many of these grrrls had faced some issues, directly or indirectly, that we as females are tied to, like rape, domestic abuse, and illnesses. But they knew that together they could become a force. And they have. All over.

CAN A GUY BE A RIOT GRRRL?

Sure. This isn't against all men, it's just making women's rights and issues actually matter and making women equal. It's not the She-Ra Man Haters Club. There are such things as riot boys and they play just as large and important a role in this as any girl. The fact that gender distinguishing and stereotyping is put to things is exactly what riot grrrls are rebelling against. It's not about boys verses girls, it's about the equality and standing up for yourself and your beliefs and not letting your genitalia stand between that.

DO I NEED TO DO ANYTHING TO BE A PART OF THIS?

Not at all. All you need is a belief in equality and a sense of sisterhood. You don't have to be a lesbian, or straight, or even a girl. You just need your beliefs and a good ability to voice them is a very nice bonus. The purpose of this is to get the wor dout of sexism, and various women's issues, not to discriminate against someone because they don't live up to what you and/or your crew think is what a good riot grrrl shoul be. There are no pre-set qualifications to this, just be yourself. Pre-set qualifications are, as stated before, exactly what this is against.

WHAT ISN'T RIOT GRRRL ABOUT?

As states before, it's not about hating men. It's not about burning your bra and stopping shaving for legs and underarms. It's not about lesbianism, or anything like that. It's not about the common sterotypes, even though they are often incorrect, about feminism. If you do all of those things, that's fine, it doesn't "disqualify" you. It's just not the main focus of the movement. We don't care hat you look like, what you're personal life is, what your sexual orientation is, we just want like-minded girls and occaisionally guys who want to make a change to this testosterone filled society.

XXX

People look at sexism as if it weren't a problem, and it truly is. People want to belive that we got over that long ago. The truth is that sexism is alive and well. It's flourishing in various underground scenes, as well as in the mainstream. The punk rock scene makes it difficult to be a girl without being ridiculed for that simple fact. Since punk is all about free-willedness, rebellion, and aggression, it's given that us girls should just stay at home and make things out of doilies, right? Hell no! Punk is also about breaking down boundaries and pre-existing barriers, so it's rather hypocritical that it's keeping females lower than the dominant males in this scene.