20 Reasons Why I Chose Riot Grrrl

The following was written by Greta/grrrlriot. (me) Do not steal without permission. The reasons are not in any certain order. If you want to add to my list or start a new list, Feel free to comment on this post. If you can think of 50-100 or more reasons to choose riot grrrl, feel free to make a list and email me your list. I will post it up in this blog.

Why Did I Choose Riot Grrrl? 20 Reasons I Chose Riot Grrrl:

Because I want equality.
Because I want freedom to be myself and not be judged.
Because I want to smash patriarchy.
Because I want a revolution.
Because I want bigots to be nonexistant.
Because I want racism and sexism to stop.
Because I want homophobia to end.
Because I want everyone to be globally aware of women’s issues all over the world.
Because I believe in feminism.
Because I believe girls can change the world.
Because I believe women are people too.
Because I believe in women’s rights.
Because I believe women’s issues should be addressed.
Because I believe in activism and getting involved.
Because I believe women in other countries should have rights.
Because I believe I have the power to be seen and heard.
Because I believe in the riot grrrl manifesto and philosophy of riot grrrl.
Because I believe in human rights.
Because I believe everyone should have equal rights.
Because I believe that we can change the world.

Feminism Friday: Inspiring Quotes

“I seem to be getting a lot of things pushed my way that are strong women. It’s like people see Hackers and they send me offers to play tough women with guns, the kind who wear no bra and a little tank top. I’d like to play strong women who are also very feminine.”–Angelina Jolie
“I always play women I would date.”–Angelina Jolie
“I like everything. Boyish girls, girlish boys, the heavy and the skinny. Which is a problem when I’m walking down the street.”–Angelina Jolie
“I need someone physically stronger than me… I am always on top. It’s really unfortunate. I am begging for the man that can put me on the bottom. Or the woman. Anybody that can take me down.”–Angelina Jolie

“People talk about my image like I come in two dimensions, like lipstick is a sign of my declining mind, like what I happen to be wearing the day that someone takes my picture is my new statement for all womankind.”–Ani DiFranco
“When I was like sixteen, I was a total chick I had big hair. I was seen as this attractive girl, and I would get all this attention. And then I just cut off my hair, and I quit playing that game.”–Ani DiFranco
“When I was four years old they tried to test my IQ, they showed me this picture of three oranges and a pear. They asked me which one is different and does not belong, they taught me different was wrong.”–Ani Difranco
“Any tool is a weapon if you hold it right”–Ani Difranco
“Why do our kids have to show us what gun control is all about?”–Ani Difranco
“If you’re not angry, then you’re just stupid, you don’t care. How else can you react when something’s so unfair?”–Ani DiFranco

“I am murdering me where I kneeled at your kiss.”–Anne Sexton
“The tongue, the Chineses say; is like a sharp knife: it kills without drawing blood.”–Anne Sexton
“Take the face of the man I love and squeeze my foot into it when all the while my heart is making a museum…”–Anne Sexton
“I am stuffing your mouth with your promises and watching you vomit them out upon my face.”–Anne Sexton
“Urine and tears pour out of me. I’m the one you broke.”–Anne Sexton
“His mouth and his anus are one.”–Anne Sexton
“The more I write, the more the silence seems to be eating away at me.”–Anne Sexton

“For years, I hated myself. I covered the mirrors in my house. I literally couldn’t have a mirror in my room. I still can’t sit in a restaurant or someplace where I can catch my reflection. I get so paranoid.”–Christina Ricci
“You have to excuse me because I AM a teenager, so I’m allowed to sound illiterate and make stupid comments like ‘I’m not into hard-core feminism.’”–Christina Ricci
“I don’t know who Peter Lorre is. Pathetic right? It shows you how completely gross and uncultured my generation is.”–Christina Ricci

“I’m an only child and I’m just a real loner kind of person… and yeah, kinda dark. But I’m happy. Not sad. I’m just shy and nervous.”–Clea DuVall
“My whole life is working out and shooting guns right now. I’m learning how to fight people with, like, sticks in my hands and disarm 6’5″ men.”–Clea DuVall
“Because I think they’re insecure. And I think they don’t know themselves that well. And whatever they don’t know about themselves, they’re scared of.” – on homophobia–Clea DuVall
“I think bisexuality is frowned upon for a lot of different reasons. But I don’t like any of those words. I don’t like any of those labels. I think they’re limiting.”–Clea DuVall

“I don’t want to have a penis, I want to be a girl and I want to wear dresses and have nice perfume and do things that girls do. So I’m not interested in looking like a boy or playing like a boy. That sounds like a really obvious, blatant thing to say, and I shouldn’t have to say that to anybody.” —Courtney Love
“I want every fucking girl in the world to pick up a guitar & start screaming!”—Courtney Love
“I rely on a lot of sexual metaphors-food as sex, music as sex, fucked-up weird insane sexual vistas that haunt me and make me feel as though I were going insane.”—Courtney Love
“If you treat a girl like a dog, she’s going to piss on you.”—Courtney Love
“If you write anything nasty about me, I’ll come around and blow up your toilet.”—Courtney Love
“I may lie a lot, but never in my lyrics.”—Courtney Love
“How can I rock in a Versace gown? Well easy-let me show you.—Courtney Love
“Dont be bitter and mean cos you don’t fit in, it’s a GIFT. Look at you. you’ve got your individuality, you don’t have the herd instinct, you can read Neitzsche and understand it. Only dumb people are happy.”—Courtney Love
“Unless there are pictures, I don’t admit to anything.”—Courtney Love

“If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.”–Emily Dickinson
“If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry.”–Emily Dickinson
“Surgeons must be very careful. When they take the knife!, underneath their fine incisions, stirs the Culprit – Life!”–Emily Dickinson
“Anger as soon as fed is dead – ‘Tis starving makes it fat.”–Emily Dickinson
“Beauty is not caused. It is.”–Emily Dickinson
“After great pain, a formal feeling comes. The Nerves sit ceremonious, like tombs.”–Emily Dickinson
“A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day.”–Emily Dickinson
“A wounded deer leaps the highest.”–Emily Dickinson
“Because I could not stop for Death; He kindly stopped for me”–Emily Dickinson
“If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.”–Emily Dickinson
“I imagine, therefore I belong and am free.”–Emily Dickinson
“Parting is all we know of heaven and all we need of hell.”–Emily Dickinson

“The history of progress is written in the blood of men and women who have dared to espouse an unpopular cause, as, for instance, the black man’s right to his body, or woman’s right to her soul.”–Emma Goldman
“The demand for equal rights in every vocation of life is just and fair; but, after all, the most vital right is the right to love and be loved.”–Emma Goldman
“Poor human nature, what horrible crimes have been committed in thy name!”–Emma Goldman
“The most unpardonable sin in society is independence of thought.”–Emma Goldman
“Every daring attempt to make a great change in existing conditions, every lofty vision of new possibilities for the human race, has been labeled Utopian.”–Emma Goldman
“Free love? as if love is anything but free. Man has bought brains, but all the millions in the world have failed to buy love.”–Emma Goldman
“The most violent element in society is ignorance.”–Emma Goldman
“If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.”—Emma Goldman

“I’m bi everything; sexual, coastal, political, controversial. I think if you find your comfortable sexual preference then that’s excellent. Everybody knows that I’m a huge fan of gay men and drag queens and would not be who I am today without their help, support and make-up tips. “–Jessicka Fodera
“I’m religiously celibate except in LA, NOLA, FLA, because there is certainly no God in any of those places. So unless you live in one of those places I’m really no good to you.”–Jessicka Fodera
“The first time I ever saw Lydia Lunch perform it was a religious experience. Not only is she intelligent and beautiful but she actually understands how “my” brain works. This almost rivals my first concert- Cindy Lauper when I was 12. She was so fascinating to me at the time. She made me want to dye my hair pink and start a band. (SO I naturally did)… All Cure records have had a great effect on me musically also. “–Jessicka Fodera
“There are plenty of female artists that I consider feminist, Le Tigre, Peaches, The Gossip, Sleater Kinney, PJ Harvey- the list is endless. I think there’s certain stigma attached to the word “feminist”. I feel a lot of people confuse feminist with MAN-HATER which is not the correct definition by any means. Webster’s defines it as such – 1 : the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes 2 : organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests So until people see the difference between a feminist and a man-hater I think there will always be a certain assumption when a female artist considers herself one and says it in print. & Yes, I do consider myself a feminist and I am saying it in print.”–Jessicka Fodera “Everyone has personal insecurities I know I sure do and everyday it’s an uphill battle to do my best to practice what I preach. I’ve definitely been guilty of having cocaine confidence and then the next day hate what I see in the mirror. Ask yourself what is the source of my self hatred? If you think the source of the so-called flaws you see are based in prejudice then recognize that and don’t give it credit it doesn’t deserve. “–Jessicka Fodera
“I like Le Tigre a lot and listen to many riot acts ( Bikini Kill, Oiler, Huggy Bear, Slant6, Tribe 8, Cold Cold Hearts,Bratmobile, 7 Year Bitch, Babes- Although I think Babes are as riot as JOJ was) though I don’t consider myself a riot grrl I believe in a lot of the same things they do. “–Jessicka Fodera

“I was 19 when I started playing guitar and bass. I’ve been playing music though, (violin, clarinet, piano) ever since I can remember.”—Kathi Wilcox
“We’re all strong personality types, which anyone who knows us will testify as truth, it’s hard for any of us to sublimate our natural contrary anti-ness reactions, but ultimately I think that’s our real power. We’re not afraid to be bitchy , which is an important skill to have sometimes, to fight so you get your way. We have respect for each other so that we can disagree and it’s not a big deal.”—Kathi Wilcox
“I think it freaks people out. People always come up to me after a show and go, ‘why didn’t you turn around once?’ Why should I face the audience because everyone else on stage does?”—Kathi Wilcox
“There’s this whole thing about ‘here I am.’ But no, I’m just here on the stage.”—Kathi Wilcox
“Girl culture.”—Kathi Wilcox
“The whole girl thing, Tobi told me about when we were first starting the band. When girls are growing up, they hang out together. But at some point, 12 or 13 it depends, something happens. Boys come in and it all gets fucked up because of the boy-girl thing. Then girls can’t hang out with girls. “—Kathi Wilcox
“I don’t know how many friendships have gotten fucked up for me just because of dumb boy things. It’s totally unnecessary.”—Kathi Wilcox
“Or you can’t be calling boys to task at the same time as you’re making out with them. Give me a break. Or something like, ‘But I thought you hated all men? Like if you don’t hate all men, then what are you talking about?’—Kathi Wilcox

“What (some) bands do is go, ‘It’s not important that I’m a girl, it’s just important that I want to rock.’ And that’s cool. But that’s more of an assimilationist thing. It’s like they just want to be allowed to join the world as it is; whereas I’m more into revolution and radicalism and changing the whole structure. What I’m into is making the world different for me to live in”—Kathleen Hanna
“I hate the attitude of, ‘oh we already have a Lydia Lunch, so we do we need a Bikini Kill.’ Well, there’s like 2 hundered million all-male bands writting ‘baby baby I love you, let me drag you around on my ankle.’ Is that enough already? Duh!”—Kathleen Hanna
“We need each other. Discouraging words, belittling other girls in front of boys, laughing looks…have no place here. Dialogue does. Let’s make girl love real, okay?”—Kathleen Hanna
“You try to make me crazy, you try to make me scared, you try to make me crazy. I think you’re a fucking drag”—Kathleen Hanna
“I won’t stop talking. I am a girl you have no control over. There is not a gag big enough to handle this mouth.”—Kathleen Hanna
“I don’t want to write songs about rape and male domination for the rest of my life. Yet people expect the same thing over and over. And if you stop doing it, you’re called a sell-out.”—Kathleen Hanna
“Drugs keep us thinking about scoring-not thinking about fucking this society up. Why not fuck up the government instead of fucking up yr body?”—Kathleen Hanna
“Why yes, I feel like I’m being gawked at live. Part of the thing that is really weird for me is that I used to be an exotic dancer and I find that sometimes there’s not really that much of a difference between playing in a punk bar and being a stripper except for I have my clothes on. A lot of men come with the same exact attitudes that guys do that come to a strip bar. They think, “Oh, it’s a girl band, we’ll go and watch their butts and their tits or something like that.” They don’t don’t think of us as performers they just think of us sorta like seals that jump through hoops that have tits. Like the guys tonight saying ‘take your clothes off.’”—Kathleen Hanna
“It’s not taking my perspective into account cause I did that shit for fucking seven years and it’s not funny to me. I have to deal with sexism every day so it’s like maybe boys can find that really funny and humorous, I don’t have the luxury to find that humorous. I live it every fucking day. That’s not funny to me, and if I say it’s not funny, it’s not funny. You know what I mean? It’s like there’s no argument there, whether it’s funny or not, if I say I don’t find it funny it means, ‘hey, be cool to me and respect me, your joke is not my joke.’—Kathleen Hanna
“Fuck yeah, do you feel like a freak show ever? Riding on the bus, fucking guys calling you fags and shit, I’m sure that happens doesn’t it?”—Kathleen Hanna
“So what? Boys should touch each other more, I mean, they don’t fucking have to beat each other up. It’s the only reason they beat people up is because they want to fuck each other.”—Kathleen Hanna
“There’s a lot of trust. If Tobi sang something that seemed a little weird, I would assume that there was a really good reason for it. I’d assume she knew what she was doing.—Kathleen Hanna
“I think that party in Oakland was totally fun. The thing that was cool this time was that there were so many dyke girls there. So many right in the front that were totally yelling. I felt like I could do anything that I wanted because they were totally right there. I felt really protected. I felt like I could fuck with people a lot more. I felt really comfortable.” —Kathleen Hanna
“It’s one of the only times when it’s supposedly okay to touch each other. Like to touch each other’s hair. It’s one of the only time I thought it was safe to not be heterosexual. We’ve all been dealing with issues of our heterosexuality.”—Kathleen Hanna
“They’re wearing their “I hate girls” t-shirts, riding their bikes. We spend all this time trying to convince them that we’re cool rather than hanging out with each other. That’s something that I’ve learned from being in Bikini Kill. I was really nervous about being onstage with the band that I was in before. We toured and I spent a lot of time explaining to boys that what I was going was valid instead of really getting in touch at shows with the girls who were there. Guys would come up to me and ask me if I was a man-hater. I would sit there and explain and explain. Really I was wasting my energy. I still get really nervous before we have to play. So we came up with four points that we use to respond to guys. If they’re cool, then maybe a dialogue will happen. But id they’re not cool, they get all four answers.”—Kathleen Hanna
“We’re pro-violent revolution. We’re also pro-revolution everyday.”—Kathleen Hanna
“It’d be like saying girls aren’t okay just for being girls, which is what people are always telling girls – that they’re dumb and their opinions don’t matter. We want to be empowering and encouraging, and how can you do anything if you feel like shit about yourself and like what you say doesn’t matter?”—Kathleen Hanna
“I think one things that’s really important in the boy community or whatever, or the boy things, is like, to realize that oppression is a two-way street. You know what I mean? That it’s like, white men are really missing out – I don’t wanna say white men are oppressed but…”—Kathleen Hanna
“What I’m saying is that I think that way that masculinity has been constructed in our society is fucking boys up. Because, even if you just look at it on a personal level, it’s like, I can’t hang out with boys who haven’t educated themselves or been educated in some meaningful way about sexism. And so it’s like, the guys who wanna be friends with me are just gonna miss out, you know? And I happen to think I am a pretty cool friend to have, you know what I mean? The way I look at it, it’s just a lot more complex than saying white man equals evil (although that is a perfectly fine thing to say sometimes). “—Kathleen Hanna
“You guys are seriously missing out unless you all start listening to girls.”—Kathleen Hanna
“To me, people have to be aware that to be gay or queer or whatever in this world right now means that you’re basically being given shit all the time. You know, constantly. And in a different way than if you’re black. You’re dealing with a certain non-stop discrimination that really dictates their behavior. Like, I know plenty of gay women who won’t kiss in public. You know what I mean? Well, I wanted to ask you about how Riot Grrrl deals with the male, white person. Like how you want to see males get involved in terms of forwarding what you want to do, and actually bettering the situation overall.”—Kathleen Hanna
“Oh yeah, we should get back to the original question, of like what can the boys do to help or something? Well, personally I think it’s crucial that boys talk to each other about their own sexisms, their own experiences as oppressors, and get used to recognizing how their behavior/action may be affecting women. And there’s all sorts of ways they can get information about what all different kinds of women/ladies and girls think. Like aside from just vampiring the females that they might know. Like there are lots of books and records and fanzines that they can seek out. Plus guys have to realize that their very presence may be censoring and demanding to women, so there are gonna be times when they just shouldn’t be around, you know? And bitching about this just adds to the whole problem anyways, cos it’s not about exclusion. It’s about safety.”—Kathleen Hanna

“I wasn’t nervous when I started playing. I’d already been stripping! If I could take my clothes off, I could definitely play this guitar in front of people.”—Kat Bjelland
“All I watch is ‘The Simpsons’, & that Nothern Exposure Show, I’d like to be that Indian lady on that.”—Kat Bjelland

“I always wanted to rebel.”—Kim Gordon
“Women are natural anarchists.”—Kim Gordon
“Are you gonna liberate us girls from male white corporate oppression?”—Kim Gordon

“A man who correctly guesses a woman’s age may be smart, but he’s not very bright”–Lucille Ball
“The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.”–Lucille Ball
“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.”–Lucille Ball

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”–Maya Angelou
“If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die.”–Maya Angelou
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”–Maya Angelou
“Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.”–Maya Angelou
“I believe we are still so innocent. The species are still so innocent that a person who is apt to be murdered believes that the murderer, just before he puts the final wrench on his throat, will have enough compassion to give him one sweet cup of water.”–Maya Angelou
“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.”–Maya Angelou

“You don’t make movies to win awards. You make movies because you want people to see them.”–Robin Tunney
“I don’t know if directors go, ‘Hey! We’ve got another suicide–let’s call Robin Tunney! It’s weird, but they’re all different, and I guess it gives the characters some kind of power… At least I play women who are strong enough to take the power into their own hands! And kill themselves! So many women in films just shoot themselves in the head anyway, because they’re not really there for any reason.”–Robin Tunney
“I went to Catholic high school, so my being in this [the craft] is not going to make my grandmother very happy. It’s funny, because I was the only one who is Catholic in it. You have this thing in mass where you have to genuflect before you go into the pew, so I said you have to do this [for a scene] and they said why, and I said because you have to; I don’t know why, it’s a rule. Or like instinct. It’s funny they set in a Catholic school. I went to St. Ignatius College Prep – “Where Modesty is our Policy.”–Robin Tunney

“It’s my job to spread deviance to the American youth.”–Rose McGowan
“I always thought I was more satanic than Manson.” ( Discussing the sinister reputation of her ex-fiancé Marilyn Manson.)”–Rose McGowan
“I think if I had lived back in Salem, I would have been burned at the stake.”–Rose McGowan
“I am going to be pretty kick a$$ by the time I’m thirty, and I can’t wait!!”–Rose McGowan

“Your body hurts me.”–Sylvia Plath
“Jealousy can open the blood, it can make black roses.”–Sylvia Plath
“This is the room I have never been in, this is the room I could never breathe in.”–Sylvia Plath
“Their hands and faces stiff with holiness.”–Sylvia Plath
“Now I am silent, hate up to my neck.”–Sylvia Plath
“And my heart too small too bandage their terrible faults.”–Sylvia Plath
“The vivid tulips eat my oxygen.”–Sylvia Plath
“The tulips are too red…they hurt me.”–Sylvia Plath
“A living doll, everywhere you look.”–Sylvia Plath
“Like a cat I have nine times to die.”–Sylvia Plath
“I turn and burn. Do not think I underestimate your great concern.”–Sylvia Plath
“I eat men like air.”–Sylvia Plath
“I think my poems immediately come out of the sensuous and emotional experiences I have… I believe that one should be able to control and manipulate experiences, even the most terrific, like madness, being tortured, [that] one should be able to manipulate these experiences with an informed and an intelligent mind.”–Sylvia Plath
“Poetry, I feel, is a tyrannical discipline, you’ve got to go so far, so fast, in such a small space that you’ve just got to turn away all the peripherals.”–Sylvia Plath
“I much prefer doctors, midwives, lawyers, anything but writers. I think writers and artists are the most narcissistic people.”–Sylvia Plath
“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”–Sylvia Plath
“dying is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well. I do it so it feels like hell. I do it so it feels real. I guess you could say I’ve a call.”–Sylvia Plath
“How frail the human heart must be –a mirrored pool of thought…”–Sylvia Plath
“I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead; I lift my eyes and all is born again.”–Sylvia Plath
“I talk to God but the sky is empty.”–Sylvia Plath
“I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart. I am. I am. I am.”–Sylvia Plath
“If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time, then I’m neurotic as hell. I’ll be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days.”–Sylvia Plath
“The blood jet is poetry and there is no stopping it.”–Sylvia Plath
“There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them.”–Sylvia Plath
“Widow. The word consumes itself.”–Sylvia Plath

“People say I should shut my mouth. But fuck that, I am woman – hear me motherfuckin’ ROAR!” – Tairrie B
“In my other bands, it was all really macho, and I kind of had to be macho too – I had to be angry, tough and hard. But now, I can be vunerable if I want. I don’t have to scream all the time. Now I can like men!” – Tairrie B
“I don’t wanna be a role model. I’d like to be an inspiration.” – Tairrie B
“Don’t be like me – fuck, be like yourself!” – Tairrie B
“Stand in your own truth and you will command respect.” – Tairrie B
“If Robb Flynn speaks out, he’s a strong man. But when a woman does it, she’s a nightmare, big mouthed bitch. Its the same shit we’ve been fighting against the whole time and I’m sick of it. I’m not some psychopath. Its ridiculous.” – Tairrie B
“I don’t think there’s anywhere to draw the line sexually.” – Tairrie B
“I’m not a Jesus freak, I’m not a satan worshipper. I’m a contradiction, a juxtaposition.” – Tairrie B

“For girls to pick up guitars and scream their heads off in a totally oppressive, fucked up, male dominated culture is to seize power. We recognize this as a political act.”—Tobi Vail
“I understand why some women/girls/ladies don’t want to be women-identified ‘cuz it totally complicates your band identity and no one seems to pay much attention to the music or what you’re doing. We have chosen to be girl-identified (although Billy isn’t a girl!), because we want to encourage other women/girls to play music. When I was growing up, I found it discouraging to have all these women in bands not wanting to address the issue of gender…we’re interested in what women are doing.”—Tobi Vail
“Me and Billy don’t really talk a lot during our shows. Kathleen is putting herself out on the line a lot more than we are. We give her a lot of freedom even though we might not agree with everything she says, in fact we hardly ever do… Well no, it’s true, we give her a lot of freedom because she is putting herself in a position where she could get beat up at any moment. She can have full control of the stage while she’s on it. It’s just a matter of trust. We’re a lot more shy. That’s probably why she’s singer.”—Tobi Vail
“That’s what we mean by girl culture. There’s a whole girl culture that exists when you’re little. There girls have their own scene. And it always gets totally fucked up when girls start dating boys. Like two of them like the same guy. Or they just start dating guys and that becomes their life. Then they get married and that’s traditionally how women get into these situations where they are totally separated from each other in these domestic spheres. What we want to say is, ‘no, that’s not happening to us. This is girl culture and these are our rituals’.”—Tobi Vail
“A lot of cool girls won’t say a word to each other just because they’ve dated the same boy. We’re just saying that’s fuckin’ bullshit. In fact, by saying that, it’s totally affected people that we’ve met. “—Tobi Vail
“If girls are ever going to start to be in bands as the norm rather than as the exception. They need to see people up there that have just started playing. That’s something that had gotten lost. I think that’s why there are so many great girl punk rock bands now. It’s like you have to make up your own rules because the old rules don’t apply. You just have to start with what you have.”—Tobi Vail
“There aren’t enough girl drummers.”—Tobi Vail
“We’re for violent revolution.”—Tobi Vail

“In our minds, love and lust are really separated. It’s hard to find someone that can be kind and you can trust enough to leave your kids with, and isn’t afraid to throw her man up against the wall and lick him from head to toe.”–Tori Amos
“Some of the most wonderful people are the ones who don’t fit into boxes.”–Tori Amos
“Women must understand that simply attacking or hating men is just another form of disempowerment. A woman has to realize that when she makes a man crawl it doesn’t give her power.”–Tori Amos
“You have to really respect your path, or you will lose your mind.”–Tori Amos
“I hope that these songs will enter people’s lives and make them realize that they are not alone.”–Tori Amos
“You can’t change what happened. And nobody’s asking you to forgive. But you can’t associate all men with violence.”–Tori Amos
“You don’t have to justify everything. Being pissed off is just absolutely okay.”–Tori Amos
“Death is somewhere inside me. She was the kind of girl all the girls wanted to be, I believe, because of her acceptance of ‘what is.’ She keeps reminding me there is change in the ‘what is’ but change cannot be made till you accept the ‘what is.”–Tori Amos
“I’m a grown woman. I’ve earned my experiences, my scars.”–Tori Amos
“You have to crawl into the wounds to discover what your fears are. Once the bleeding starts, the cleansing can begin.”–Tori Amos
“if you allow yourself to feel the way you really feel, maybe you won’t be afraid of that feeling anymore.”–Tori Amos
“I think that the nightmares are telling me things about myself that I need to know. And I try to understand what they mean, so I can get to know something more about my soul.”–Tori Amos
“Sometimes those demons are frightening and sometimes they’re beautiful.”–Tori Amos
“You have to really respect your path, or you will lose your mind.”–Tori Amos
“The idea is to rescue myself from the role of a victim. That I have a choice left. Though I can’t change what has happened, I can choose how to react. And I don’t want to spend the rest of my life being bitter and locked up.”–Tori Amos
“I realized that what was most important to me was following my own path, and not the one laid down for me by others.”–Tori Amos
“People think I’m nuts because I can sit in a room and be happy by myself.”–Tori Amos
“I don’t see myself as weird, I just see myself as honest.”–Tori Amos
“I really respect anybody who stands by their truth.”–Tori Amos
“The last thing I want to be known as is ‘The Girl Who Got Raped’. The big turn around you make in your head is from victim to survivor.”–Tori Amos

“You get hot onstage and you take off yr shirt. Men have been doing that forever. I’m playing, I’m hot, I’m taking off my shirt!”—Lynn Payne, Tribe 8

“I cut off a rubber dick in context of talking about gang rape. It’s a cathartic ritual; it makes us feel like we are getting some kind of revenge. No, we’re not cutting off any real dicks.”—Lynn Breedlove, Tribe 8

The Runaways’ audience was 90 percent male. That was kind of depressing…Why don’t women-our own gender-come out and support us?—Joan Jett
“Girls got balls. They’re just a little higher up”.–Joan Jett

What characterized the whole punk scene for me in 1977 was there was no racism or sexism. It was an anarchy of -isms, and a matter of abolishing it all.—Chrissie Hynde
“Don’t think that sticking your boobs out and trying to look fuckable will help. Remember your in a rock and roll band. It’s not “Fuck Me”, It’s “Fuck You!”—Chrissie Hynde
“Look, as long as we can make records and sell enough so we can do some shows, that’s all I want. You know what? I just want to play guitar and be in a band. Same as I always did.”–Chrissy Hynde

I’m very much an advocate of women becoming familiar and comfortable with guns. They have every right to carry a gun and blow the motherfucking head off any guy who climbs in your window or fucks with you in any way.—Valerie Agnew, 7 year bitch

Shimmer like a girl should.—Nina Gordon, Veruca Salt

“I hate them. I think they’re evil. Just imagine if anyone ever tried to exhume your body in 20 years all that they would find is a pile of dust and two bags of plastic saline/silicone…gross. (feelings on breast implants)”–Fairuza Balk

“Anthropology demands the open-mindedness with which one must look and listen, record in astonishment and wonder that which one would not have been able to guess.”–Margaret Mead

“They get you they stick your ass in pink the minute you’re born. I was redecorating my kitchen and it said,”The color pink inspires passivity” I damn near went through the roof on that one. They stick your ass in pink and give you a Barbie doll with fucking mutilated feet, that’s the first thing they stick in your head. They fuck with your head your whole fucking growing up years.”–Rosanne

“O, siren, with the mocking tongue! O beauty, lily-sweet and white! I see her, slim and fair and young. And ah! I cannot sleep tonight.”–Marie Madeleine

“I love my love with an a, Because she is a queen I love my love and a a is the best of them Think well and be a king, Think more and think again”–Gertrude Stein

“Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.”–Cheris Kramare, Paula Treichler

“Listen, I’m out of this system, man, I’m out… I’m doing better than ever. I couldn’t be more happy.”–Aimee Mann

“Being a female, the crowds tend to expect a little less. I come out in really tight clothing and lots of cleavage showing. So if anyone was going to get a beer or smoke a cigarette, they’re going to sit down. Two songs later they’re going to forget that I have tits and think, ‘Hey, great music.’ There’s a science to the whole thing.”–Lennon Murphy

“I was born into the body of an artist, a body of adversity. My body fights against itself and I fight against the world.”–Karyn Crisis

“The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says: ‘It’s a girl.’”–Shirley Chisholm

“The leadership instinct you are born with is the backbone. You develop the funny bone and the wishbone that go with it.”–Elaine Agather

“I’m more inspired by certain artists that I vibe with their space. I understand where they’re coming from, or they have a sort of honesty that I can relate to. That inspires me to be honest. Most of the stuff I write comes from my journal, and poetry, and personal thought experience. As far as writers, I’m very influenced by a lot of poets, and Malcom McLaren, ’cause they are extremely honest, and I love the way words can create such a visual image. The honest of some women have inspired me, such as Stevie Nicks and Annie Lennox, and more recently women like Tori Amos and Erika Badu are extremely honest where they’re coming from – at least to me. Very visual lyrically.”–Free Dominguez

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”–Eleanor Roosevelt

“Best be yourself, imperial, plain and true!”–Elizabeth Barret Browning

“Women with body image or eating disorders are not a special category, just more extreme in their response to a culture that emphasizes thinness and impossible standards of appearance for women instead of individuality and health.”–Gloria Steinem

“One cannot consent to creep when one has an impulse to soar.”–Helen Keller

“Our Situation was different to the one the American Riot Grrrls were responding to. The Underground in London had deteriorated totally, there wasn’t really much of an alternative… ‘indie’ just became an abstract term for a style of music, not ideas or values, ’cause they were all signing to major labels. The notion of selling out wasn’t important. Punk rock wasn’t important. Fanzines were seen as a sad joke so we had to explain stuff that might have been obvious to American kids but was alien to young British kids. The reasons for being independent were snorted at.”–Jo Of Huggy Bear

“The best conversation I had after a show was about astronomy, which has inspired me to learn about the stars… Y’see we are capable of talking without it being overtly sexual or political.”–Karen Of Huggy Bear

“We did women-only shows to challenge the acceptance of violence against women on all levels. The women as the centre of things. Seperatist shows do not revolve around stopping boys from coming to shows- they are a way of bringing women/girls together and actually feeling different for our pleasure.”–Niki Of Huggy Bear

“Here in Portland, OR we have witnessed a historic gay civil rights movement in the form of gay marriage. Basic Rights of Oregon, a gay civil rights group, pressured the city council to issue same sex marriage liscences, and they legally found they were bound to do so. So far over 1,000 gay couples have been married here, despite the fact that anti-gay protesters harassed them as they waited in line for their liscences. It was a beautiful thing so see so many gay faces simply lining up for one of their basic civil rights – I think it put a very positive image for the world to see.”–Corin Tucker

“How things aren’t what they seem. During the early riot grrrl ’90′s, a lot of people i hung out with, we talked about privilege and oppression alot, which is important.”–Allison Wolfe

“To be a revolutionary you have to be a human being. You have to care about people who have no power.”–Jane Fonda

“Violence commands both literature and life, and violence is always crude and distorted.”–Ellen Glasgow

“The intellectual is constantly betrayed by his vanity. Godlike he blandly assumes that he can express everything in words; whereas the things one loves, lives, and dies for are not, in the last analysis completely expressible in words.”–Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“The first duty of a revolutionary is to get away with it.”–Abbie Hoffman

“The world that lies behind the strangeness of your eyes”–Charlotte Mew
“A purple blot against the dead white door In my friend’s rooms, bathed in their vile pink light, I had not noticed her before She snatched my eyes and threw them back to me: She did not speak till we came out into the night, Paused at this bench beside the klosk on the quay. “–Charlotte Mew

“We do not fall in love with the package of the person, we fall in love with the inside of a person.”–Anne Heche
“Are we changing the idea of what beauty is? Let’s hope so. I’m not the typical Hollywood beauty. Let’s hope we’re looking at the insides of people a little more.”–Anne Heche

“If I ever start talking to you about my ‘craft’, my ‘instrument’, you have permission to shoot me.”–Drew Barrymore
“Life is very interesting… in the end, some of your greatest pains, become your greatest strengths.”–Drew Barrymore

“I was not trying to be shocking, or to be a pioneer. I wasn’t trying to change society, or to be ahead of my time. I didn’t think of myself as liberated, and I don’t believe that I did anything important. I was just myself. I didn’t know any other way to be, or any other way to live.”–Bettie Page
“I never was the girl next door”–Bettie Page

“There is a dark side. I tend not to be as optimistic as Mary Richards. I have an anger in me that I carry from my childhood experiences — I expect a lot of myself and I’m not too kind to myself.”–Mary Tyler Moore
“Diabetes is an all-too-personal time bomb which can go off today, tomorrow, next year, or 10 years from now – a time bomb affecting millions like me and the children here today.”–Mary Tyler Moore

“[to a heckler] Stop at a drug store, buy a condom, and put it over your head. If you act like a dick, you might as well dress like one.”–Rosie O’Donnell from her stand-up routines
“I find this proposed amendment very, very, very, very shocking. And immoral. And, you know, if civil disobedience is the way to go about change, then I think a lot of people will be going to San Francisco.”–Rosie O’Donnell

“I don’t want to change. I don’t ever want to be a stuck-up asshole. I mean, some people probably think I am now, but I don’t care what they think, because I know I’m not. I’m a down to earth person. I always have time for my fans. I don’t care who they are, what they look like, if they’re rich or poor, pretty or ugly. I always have time for them. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for them, and I’ll never forget that.”–Lita Ford
“To this day my favorite albums are heavy metal albums.”–Lita Ford

“Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard…OH BONDAGE UP YRS!”—Poly Styrene

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”–Frank Herbert

“The future of rock belongs to women.”–Kurt Cobain

“The basis of optimism is sheer terror.”–Oscar Wilde

“Shyness has a strange element of narcissism, a belief that how we look, how we perform, is truly important to other people.”–André Dubus

“We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love on another.”–Jonathan Swift

“The beauty of religious mania is that it has the power to explain everything. Once God (or Satan) is accepted as the first cause of everything which happens in the mortal world, nothing is left to chance… logic can be happily tossed out the window.”–Stephen King

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”–Dalai Lama

“I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers.”–Mohandas Gandhi

“Man has no greater enemy than himself.”–Francesco Petrarch
“Sameness is the mother of disgust, variety the cure.”–Francesco Petrarch
“Suspicion is the cancer of friendship.”–Francesco Petrarch
“Five enemies of peace inhabit with us – avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride; if these were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace.”–Francesco Petrarch

US Circuit Court Hears Asylum Appeal in Female Genital Mutilation Case

This article was taken from Feminist Daily News Wire
May 1, 2008
US Circuit Court Hears Asylum Appeal in Female Genital Mutilation Case

A panel of judges for the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on Tuesday in the case of three women who were denied asylum by the Board of Immigration Appeals after undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM) in Guinea. According to the Associated Press, the judges were disturbed by the Board’s decision to allow the women’s deportation back to Guinea since the mutilation had already occurred and therefore the women could not suffer further persecution.

One woman testified that she feared her daughters would face FGM if they are forced to return to Guinea, where, according to the women’s lawyer, as many as 95 percent of women are subjected to the practice, reports the Daily Women’s Health Policy Report.

The UN launched a campaign through UNFPA and UNICEF in February to combat the prevalence of FGM. UNICEF defines FGM as partial or total removal of external genitalia. The UN News Centre says that FGM leaves “physical and psychological scars” and increases health risks especially during childbirth. The UNFPA program works to eradicate FGM through educational programs in schools as well as training for health and social workers. The program also advocates reform on the government level.

Media Resources: Associated Press 4/29/08; Women’s Daily Health Policy Report 5/1/08; Feminist Daily Newswire 2/22/08

What Is Feminism? Article

This article was taken from here.

What is feminism?
Learn what feminism is really about, from its origins in women’s sufferage to its maturation over the last century.

There have been three major “waves” of feminism thus far, the first rising as recently as the 19th century. Feminism is an awareness that dawned openly as a response to the Abolition Movement in the mid-nineteenth century and it has matured over the last century. Currently, there are many different expressions of feminism, but the core value of feminism remains. To be feminist is to actively recognize the need for, and work to create equality for women. By definition, there is no dependence upon female superiority, man-hating, or other negative approaches toward equality. Feminism is simply a movement intending to enlighten people with a goal of improving the quality of life for women and their society. However, many people possess images of feminism that fit into the previously mentioned destructive patterns. The confusion about feminism is a result of many factors.

Women have been oppressed for as long as history. This oppression is a very similar tragedy to the oppression that occurs daily towards all kinds of minority groups, but women are not a minority group. There are actually more women on Earth than there are men. Women are not defined by skin color, by spoken language, or by class. Since women are not a minority group, their unequal treatment has gone unnoticed by many. Once talk of feminism is uttered people easily may interpret it as just another reason to complain, due to their blindness to the inequality. It is difficult to publicize an issue and expect change when that issue does not appear to exist.

Another factor that interferes with the appropriate publicity for a controversial cause is the press. In the mid-twentieth century, when mass communication boomed with the invention of the television, the media designed the public’s image of feminism. The way that people learned about this movement was through the filter of journalism. Unfortunately the media’s motives are not solely based on clear, unbiased reports of news. The influences of ratings, public interest, and the government’s economical goals caused the portrayal of feminism on television to focus on scenes that were not the feminist norm. Images of mean, angry and violent women flashed before television viewers and they attracted attention. The general public witnessed feminism as a negative force while watching the evening news.

A concluding point, which is very powerful, is that women are not always actively oppressed, and for the most part women are part of a lot of the actual oppression. The unequal treatment of women in society originates not in men, but from underneath the obvious surface, where social structure dwells. It is difficult to determine exactly where female oppression began; so many people interpret feminism as a movement that blames men. This interpretation of feminism is incorrect, yet popular.

It is important to know that feminism is about equality, not anger. To involve oneself in the feminist movement is to search for a higher quality of life for all people. The misconceptions that commonly arise out of the lack of understanding of feminism can be and must be easily cleared away in order for the truth about feminism to surface.

A Few Feminism Quotes

I found these quotes here: http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_feminism.html

Abigail Adams:
If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.

Anna Quindlen:
It’s important to remember that feminism is no longer a group of organizations or leaders. It’s the expectations that parents have for their daughters, and their sons, too. It’s the way we talk about and treat one another. It’s who makes the money and who makes the compromises and who makes the dinner. It’s a state of mind. It’s the way we live now.

Barbara Strickland:
What I am proud of, what seems so simply clear, is that feminism is a way to fight for justice, always in short supply.

Betty Friedan:
It is easier to live through someone else than to become complete yourself.
The Feminine Mystique, 1963

Betty Friedan:
If divorce has increased by one thousand percent, don’t blame the women’s movement. Blame the obsolete sex roles on which our marriages were based.
speech, New York City, January 20, 1974

Elaine Heffner:
Women do not have to sacrifice personhood if they are mothers. They do not have to sacrifice motherhood in order to be persons. Liberation was meant to expand women’s opportunities, not to limit them. The self-esteem that has been found in new pursuits can also be found in mothering.

Erma Bombeck:
We’ve got a generation now who were born with semiequality. They don’t know how it was before, so they think, this isn’t too bad. We’re working. We have our attache’ cases and our three piece suits. I get very disgusted with the younger generation of women. We had a torch to pass, and they are just sitting there. They don’t realize it can be taken away. Things are going to have to get worse before they join in fighting the battle.

Faith Whittlesey:
Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but she did it backwards and in high heels.

Gloria Steinem:
This is no simple reform. It really is a revolution. Sex and race because they are easy and visible differences have been the primary ways of organizing human beings into superior and inferior groups and into the cheap labour in which this system still depends. We are talking about a society in which there will be no roles other than those chosen or those earned. We are really talking about humanism.

Lya Sorano:
When we talk about equal pay for equal work, women in the workplace are beginning to catch up. If we keep going at this current rate, we will achieve full equality in about 475 years. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait that long.

Margaret Atwood:
Does feminist mean large unpleasant person who’ll shout at you or someone who believes women are human beings. To me it’s the latter, so I sign up.

Mary Wollstonecraft:
Women are systematically degraded by receiving the trivial attentions which men think it manly to pay to the sex, when, in fact, men are insultingly supporting their own superiority.

Maureen Reagan:
I will feel equality has arrived when we can elect to office women who are as incompetent as some of the men who are already there.

Michele Le Doeuff:
A feminist is a woman who does not allow anyone to think in her place.

Nancy Astor:
No one sex can govern alone. I believe that one of the reasons why civilization has failed so lamentably is that is had one-sided government.

Pearl S. Buck:
The basic discovery about any people is the discovery of the relationship between its men and its women.

Rebecca West:
I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat, or a prostitute.
1913

Rita Mae Brown:
Any woman whose I.Q. hovers above her body temperature must be a feminist.

Susan B. Anthony:
Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.

Susan B. Anthony:
It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union.

I’m Still a Lady

*This was an assignment for my Women’s Studies class and figured I’d share it.

I’m proud of my age
The number that gauges experience
I’m proud of my voice
The noise that exposes my worldliness
I’m proud of my DIY
The scraps thrown together when my voice fails

I’m proud to be assertive
The strength and ability to refuse
I’m proud to insult
The man who doesn’t understand ‘no’
And to practice the lines:
“Vete la meirda,” and “¿Entiendes?”
when the language barrier becomes a cage

I’m proud to be a feminist
And enlighten people that we’re not man-hating lesbians
I’m proud to wear a “boy’s haircut”
One that originated as a symbol of bravery and strength
I’m proud to “wear the pants”
Alongside with every other strong leader

What Is Global Feminism?

The information below was taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Feminism on Wikipedia.

Global Feminism is a feminist theory concerned with the forward movement of women’s rights on a global scale. Global Feminists adopt global causes and start movements which seek to dismantle the currently predominant structures of global patriarchy. Global Feminism is also known as Transnational Feminism, World Feminism, and International Feminism.

Global Feminists might argue, for example, that such structures enable the adoption of misogynistic cultural practices such as honor killings, genital mutilation, and human trafficking. Another concern of many Global Feminist activists is the impact of First World women’s movements within the global economy as consumers upon the living and working conditions of Third World women. For example, if an average feminist in the United States purchases a pair of athletic shoes without first researching the corporation through which they were produced, she may be buying a pair of sneakers that were sewn under sweatshop conditions and/or sewn in an offshore factory that is polluting the local land and water supply.

Feminism Friday: The Anarchafeminist Manifesto

The manifesto below was taken from: http://www.powertech.no/anarchy/maf.html.

Manifeste Anarchoféministe
Anarchafeminist Manifesto
Translated from French (Bulletin C.R.I.F.A. No 44 mars -avril 1983 p. 12)

The Anarchafeminist Manifesto

All over the world most women have no rights whatsoever to decide upon important matters which concern their lives. Women suffer from oppressions of two kinds: 1) the general social oppression of the people, and 2) secondly sexism – oppression and discrimination because of their sex.

There are five main forms of oppression:

- Ideological oppression, brainwash by certain cultural traditions, religion, advertising and propaganda. Manipulation with concepts and play upon women’s feelings and susceptibilities. Widespread patriarchal and authoritarian attitudes and capitalistic mentality in all areas.

- State oppression, hierarchical forms of organization with command lines downwards from the top in most interpersonal relations, also in the so-called private life .

- Economic exploitation and repression, as a consumer and a worker in the home and in low-salary women’s jobs .

- Violence, under the auspices of the society as well as in the private sphere – indirectly when there is coercion because of lack of alternatives and direct physical violence.

- Lack of organization, tyranny of the structurelessness which pulverizes responsibility and creates weakness and inactivity.

These factors work together and contribute simultaneously to sustain each other in a vicious circle. There is no panacea to break the circle, but it isn’t unbreakable.

Anarcha-feminism is a matter of consciousness. The consciousness which puts guardians off work. The principles of a liberating society thus stand perfectly clear to us.

Anarcha-feminism means women’s independence and freedom on an equal footing with men. A social organization and a social life where no-one is superior or inferior to anyone and everybody is coordinate, women as well as men. This goes for all levels of social life, also the private sphere.

Anarcha-feminism implies that women themselves decide and take care of their own matters, individually in personal matters, and together with other women in matters which concern several women. In matters which concern both sexes essentially and concretely women and men shall decide on an equal footing.

Women must have self-decision over their own bodies, and all matters concerning contraception and childbirth are to be decided upon by women themselves.

It must be fought both individually and collectively against male domination, attitudes of ownership and control over women, against repressive laws and for women’s economic and social autonomy and independence.

Crisis centers, day care centers, study and discussion groups, women’s culture activities etc. must be established, and be run under womens’s own direction.

The traditional patriarchal nuclear family should be replaced by free associations between men and women based on equal right to decide for both parts and with respect for the individual person’s autonomy and integrity.

Sex-stereotyping in education, media and at the place of work must be abolished. Radical sharing of the work by the sexes in ordinary jobs, domestic life and education is a suitable mean.

The structure of working life must be radically changed, with more part-time work and flat organized cooperation at home as well as in society. The difference between men’s work and women’s work must be abolished. Nursing and taking care of the children must concern men just as much as women.

Female power and female prime ministers will neither lead the majority of women to their ends nor abolish oppression. Marxist and bourgeoisie feminists are misleading the fight for women’s liberation. For most women it is not going to be any feminism without anarchism. In other words, anarcha-feminism does not stand for female power or female prime ministers, it stands for organization without power and without prime ministers.

The double oppression of women demands a double fight and double organizing: on the one hand in feminist federations, on the other hand in the organizations of anarchists. The anarcha-feminists form a junction in this double organizing.

A serious anarchism must also be feminist otherwise it is a question of patriarchal half-anarchism and not real anarchism. It is the task of the anarcha-feminists to secure the feminist feature in anarchism. There will be no anarchism without feminism.

An essential point in anarcha-feminism is that the changes must begin today, not tomorrow or after the revolution. The revolution shall be permanent. We must start today by seeing through the oppression in the daily life and do something to break the pattern here and now.

We must act autonomously, without delegating to any leaders the right to decide what we wish and what we shall do: we must make decisions all by ourselves in personal matters, together with other women in pure female matters, and together with the male fellows in common matters.

***********

The origin of the Anarchafeminist Manifesto.

8 March, International Women’s Day, is a special relevant day to remember the Anarchafeminist Manifesto. The origin of the Anarchafeminist Manifesto is in Norway. The Anarchafeminist Manifesto is the summary of the feminist political program unanimously agreed upon by the third congress of the Anarchist Federation of Norway 1 – 7 of June 1982. The manifesto was first published in Norwegian in Folkebladet (IJA) no 1 1983 pp. 4-5. Soon after the Manifesto was published in CRIFA-Bulletin no 44 mars-avril 1983 in French (p. 12) and English (p. 13) language. Later on the French version was used as the basis for a translation to English that was published on the Internet, see above. The Manifesto is also translated to other languages.

Riot Grrrl Online’s Social Network: Something You Didn’t Know

This post refers to my previous post located here.

If you read that post, you know that you can create your own profile on the website. Did you know that you can create other profiles too, if you want? Feel free to create your own band, zine, riot grrrl chapter, feminist chapter, feminist organization, activist, ladyfest, etc. profiles on there as well. For your information, The profiles are the same as personal profiles. There’s no difference between them. You can also create groups on the website as well.

For more information, go to the social network website below.

The Riot Grrrl Online Community Social Network

Iranian Women’s Rights Activist Arrested

The following story was taken from: Feminist Daily News Wire. I know this news story is 2 days old. At the end of this story it says, “Feminists in Iran are frequently arrested for their activism.” It’s sad that women’s rights in Iran don’t exist. I think all countries should have rights, especially the women. I believe in global awareness and I am really into Global/International Feminism. This is why I shared this news piece.

April 14, 2008
Iranian Women’s Rights Activist Arrested

Khadijeh Maghaddam, an activist working to end discrimination against women in Iranian law, was arrested on April 8. Three police officers forcibly entered her house and mistreated her before arresting her on charges that she spreads propaganda, disrupts public opinion, and threatens national security, according to Changes for Equality.

Maghaddam is a member of the campaign “One Million Signatures Demanding Changes to Discriminatory Laws.” The campaign is a response to the peaceful protest in 2006 in Tehran to end the discrimination against women in Iranian law. Maghaddam had held meetings in her home, which the police cited as one of the reasons she was arrested.

She explained her situation to Changes for Equality, saying, “An order for bail amount of 100 Million Tomans was issued for my release (roughly $110,000). I explained that I am unable to provide such a heavy bail amount for my release, and the investigative judge told me that I will be transferred to prison for a week, after which I will provide the names of Campaign members and also the bail amount. When asked to provide my last defense, I explained that my way of life is my defense and also told the investigative judge that it is in fact the security authorities with their actions who are endangering national security.”

Feminists in Iran are frequently arrested for their activism.

YouTube Video: A Male Perspective On Feminism

I found the above video quite interesting, so I thought I would share it. It’s good to hear a male’s take on feminism.

Riot Grrrl FAQ

I got this from here at archive.org.

If you want to ask a question about riot grrrl, Feel free to comment in a reply to this entry. I will make a new post with my own Riot Grrrl FAQ and will post your questions and I will post my answers. If you want to ask one of the same questions that is listed below, that’s fine. You will get my own answer.

Riot Grrrl FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Question 1: Who started the riot grrrl movement?

Answer: As far as I know, it started in Washington, DC in 1990 by a bunch of girls who started having meetings to talk about issues that were bothering them and to start bands and fanzines together. Molly, Erin, and Allison from Bratmobile were involved with this. In fact, Molly Neuman was the one who coined the term “riot grrrl” as a joke, but somehow the title caught on. There was never a set agenda made by these girls. Soon after, Washington State, most notably, Olympia. After a heavy circulation of riot grrrl oriented fanzines circulated the country, so did upstarting riot grrrl chapters.

Question 2: What exactly constitutes a “riot grrrl band”?

Answer: This is a question I’m going to have a hard time answering because I’ve never actually heard of what you may think of as “riot grrrl bands” (e.g. Bikini Kill, The Lunachicks, L7, Babes in Toyland, and so on…) call themselves such. In fact, I’ve heard a lot of those bands reprimand journalists for calling them “riot grrrl bands”. Members of Bikini Kill and Bratmobile did have ties to the movement. So did Lois Maffeo, Kim Gordon, and Courtney Love. But they never necessarily wanted their music to get dubbed as “riot grrrl”. It’s almost as though if you were in a female or predominantly female band in the early 90′s, especially, you’d get called a “riot grrrl band”. But it’s not a form of music, contrary to popular belief. It’s a feminist movement.

Question 3: Is Courtney Love a riot grrrl?

Answer: No. She was very interested in it when she first heard about it, and she spread the word to everyone. Many riot grrrls didn’t like the fact that she spread it to the mainstream media, which was seen as the enemy. At the end of 1991, she had told Melody Maker that the riot grrrls really made her year, in all seriousness. By 1992, she had written a couple songs with anti-riot grrrl lyrics since she had been ostrasized from the group. She no longer identifies or involves herself with riot grrrl at all.

Question 4: What is the definition of a riot grrrl?

Answer: There is no set definition. Every riot grrrl has a different definition for it, and that’s one thing that makes it so different than other social movements- the personal freedom that’s involved.

Question 5: How does one start a riot grrrl chapter?

Answer: If you already have a group of friends together who would be interested, simply find a time and place to have meetings, and go for it! If not, then make flyers about it. Make sure to include yr name and address, phone number, fax number, e-mail address, or some way to contact you. Post them anywhere you can in yr area. Run ads in fanzines or even the newspaper. And never underestimate word of mouth! When people contact you about it, make sure to take down their information, too so you know how to get ahold of them once you want to start having meetings.

Question 6: Are boys allowed in riot grrrl?

Answer: Yes! Equality can not be achieved unless effort is put forth by everyone! Therefore, boys are encouraged to get involved with riot grrrl.

Question 7: What do you have to do to be a riot grrrl?

Answer: All you have to do is simply proclaim yrself as one.

Question 8: What are the beliefs of riot grrrl?

Answer: We believe in girl love, not girl competition… supporting eachother and sisterhood and all that sweet stuff. We believe in fighting against discrimination based on gender, race, class, sexual orientation, religion, and appearance at all costs. We believe in creating our own means of getting these messages across such as starting fanzines, bands, and making stickers rather than using the mainstream media as a tool.

How To Start A Zine Distro

This information was taken from here from archive.org.

How To Start A Zine Distro

The first thing you want to decide is how you are going to accept zines for your distro. There are two ways of doing this:

Flats – A flat is a single (and can be double) sided version of zines before it has been folded and stapled. If you decide to do it this way, you just go to the print shop and make a copy everytime someone orders a zine. You can go once a week and make all your copies at once and save some time and trips to the printer. If there is any profit to be made, it goes to you. The zine writer gets no compensation from you.

Wholesale – You can work out a deal with a zine writer to buy a number of copies of the zine and then sell them through your distro. This is a lot easier since you don’t ever have to go to the printers and you don’t have to worry about folding and stapling. This may require money up front, but a lot of zine writers will sell them in bulk for cheaper. You can also work out a consignment deal, where the zine writer sends you their zine and you pay them every time you sell a copy. You can also pay them at specified intervals throughout the year. If there is any profit to be made, it goes to you. You shelled out the money for the zines so you get whatever money is left over.
It’s all up to you as to which way you want to run your distro. Some people prefer flats and some prefer wholesale.

A good rule of thumb is to find out how much the zine writer charges for the zine and then sell them for the same price. That way you aren’t charging more or less for the zine and it won’t really matter where the person gets the zine from. The ideal purpose of a distro isn’t to make money, it should be about getting zines out that otherwise might not be known in your area.

Once you’ve decided how you are going to run your distro, it’s time to look for zines to carry! You have to decide what kind of zines you want to carry – whether you want personal, political, informative, riot grrrl, hardcore, punk, straight edge, ska, or whatever kind of zine. An excellent place to find zines is on the Internet. Do a search for zines through search engines, World Wide Punk, mailing lists, zine webrings, etc. Check out the content and then e-mail the editor and ask about distroing their zine. You can place ads on people’s message boards and guestbooks calling for zines. If there are other zines in your area, talk to the editors and see about distroing them as well. Making a webpage for anything, including a distro, will increase your chances of getting zines to carry.

You’ll want to make a catalog for the zines (and other items that you decide to carry) and advertise it. Most people won’t pay for smaller catalogs so it’s best to just ask for stamps. It’s also good to have on file the zine writers’ addresses and websites if they have them, in case people want to contact them or check out the zine before they buy it.

It takes a lot of hard work and time to run a zine distro, and it gets a lot more complicated when you start adding other items to your catalog such as music, clothing, pins, etc. You pretty much handle everything like you would a zine – you can buy wholesale or sell on consignment.

This obviously is only a start on how to start up a zine distro – every distro works differently and there is a ton of work involved, depending on what you stock and how many orders you get. Be patient with yourself and don’t overwork yourself. This should be a fun experience, not a headache!

Tell Me About Riot Grrrl in Le Tigre’s Words

TELL ME ABOUT RIOT GRRRL!
Taken from Le Tigre’s website at http://www.letigreworld.com
http://www.letigreworld.com/sweepstakes/html_site/fact/fact.html

We are proud that Le Tigre is often considered one trajectory of Riot Grrrl, i.e. we are one art-damaged, deconstructive, performance-art, electronic pop off-shoot of the grassroots punk feminist organizing and cultural production of the nineties! This is not to say that Riot Grrrl does not exist anymore — we still hear of local chapters that are active — but the members of Le Tigre are not personally involved with Riot Grrrl now. (If you are in a Riot Grrrl group or any feminist group and would like us to link to yr website please email us. What is Riot Grrrl? What happened to it? We are asked these questions all the time and they are really difficult to answer. Many individuals, bands, zines, artists and scenes were lumped under this term once the “sexy new” punk feminism gained a little media attention. This gave the false impression that there was a centralized ideology or leadership unifying disparate constellations of feminist art and agitation. Journalistic narratives of Riot Grrrl also tended to isolate it from both a larger feminist history and from its own cultural moment in which a variety of media-savvy activist groups were changing the face of social protest (for example, ACT-UP!, Queer Nation, the Guerilla Girls, and WAC). So while we would not presume to define Riot Grrrl we can characterize it and make some observations that reflect our personal experiences (you can read about Kathleen’s involvement with the early Riot Grrrl meetings in DC in her herstory section).

In the early days of Riot Grrrl, exciting and strange girl bands were forming and touring, new feminist and queer aesthetics, vocabularies, and activist strategies were taking root in punk scenes, and intense penpal alliances were being forged. The founding members of Le Tigre (Kathleen, Jo, and Sadie Benning) met via their participation in this loose underground network of like-minded artists.

Riot Grrrl was, in part, a response to male dominated punk/hardcore scenes. As much as it reacted to and critiqued certain masculinist values and structures of punk rock, it was intrinsically connected to the DIY, anti-corporate, anti-capitalist values of those underground scenes (as well as intertwined socially and aesthetically with them). The way that punk music mocked notions of rock ‘n’ roll virtuosity and traditional stardom, the bands that were associated with early Riot Grrrl questioned the posturing and conventions of a boy-ruled punk scene by making stripped down punk music paired with feminist subject matter and performance strategies. Riot Grrrl meetings were similar to the feminist consciousness-raising groups of the 70′s. Mixed in with the practical work associated with making and distributing zines, promoting shows, organizing conventions, and doing activism, there was much discussion of women’s experiences of sexism, sexual abuse, assault and harassment, body-image, queer identities, and how all of these things intersect with class and race.

Riot Grrrl is/was not without its flaws, failures, inadequacies and dramas which we shall not enumerate here. But for whatever it’s worth, Riot Grrrl as a cultural phenomenon did, and hopefully will continue to make changes in the popular discourse surrounding “women in rock” (or whatever you wanna call it), and has created a lasting international network of feminist promoters, labels, writers, dj’s, journalists, musicians, artists, and fans so that a freaky band like Le Tigre could exist, make records, tour, and stay up all night writing crazy shit for our website!

Feminism Friday: A Brief History Of Riot Grrrl

Here is a brief history of riot grrrl. Later, I might write my own more detailed version. Here is the version from the Riot Grrrl Online website.

Riot Grrrl began in 1991 at Olympia Washington, when a few girls (mostly from Bikini Kill and Bratmobile) decided to get together and talk about their main interests..feminism and punk rock. The first time they met it was all fun, they put up posters to get attention of other open minded girls. Then they found out they had other things in common: they were all vegetarians; against drugs; and had been molested as children. At one meeting a very smart girl took notes, photocopied them and turned them into a cool fanzine. That’s how it all began. Some people think that Bikini Kill started it all, in my eyes they did. Bikini Kill, however does not think of themselves as starting the riot grrrl movement. In Bikini Kill’s songs, they sing about different women issues such as: rape, incest, and other issues that some women face. Some people think that bikini kill, riot grrrls, and feminists are ‘man-haters’. They’re not. They just want to be equal to men, not better to them. Zines are a BIG part of the riot grrrl scene. Most riot grrrls believe in DIY. (do it yourself) That means that they start riot grrrl chapters, zines, etc. of their own around the riot grrrl movement.

Riot Grrrl Online’s Social Network

NOTE: Just to let you know, The Riot Grrrl Online website/forums located on hot-topic.org aren’t working properly. The interactive parts of the website, such as logging in, registering, and posting are not working at all and people are getting error messages. The pages on the website can be viewed, but nobody can register, login, or post on the website. I am hoping the website is fixed soon. I thought I would post about this one time, so others would know about the website. I do NOT advertise my sites much at all in this blog because this is a public blog and others post on this blog.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK: Since the website seems to be having lots of problems and downtime lately, Riot Grrrl Online has a social network on ning.com and due to lots of social networking websites on the internet, I created http://riotgrrrlonline.ning.com/. I bet your thinking, “Oh no, Not another myspace”. It is kinda like myspace, except I made the social network on ning. It’s not sucky like myspace. It’s a good way to meet/find other riot grrrls, riot boys, male feminists, and feminists from all around the world. The network is growing rapidly everyday. People seem to be joining the social network everyday. I am constantly updating the network daily. The network is sorta like myspace, but better. If you like myspace or even if you don’t, You might like the above website. You can do all sorts of stuff on the website, such as create groups, post blogs, and more! If you like the Riot Grrrl Online website/forums/blog, feminism, or riot grrrl, Feel free to join and invite your friends. Girls and boys are both welcome. Spread the word! Thanks! Hope to see you there!

My First Riot Grrrl And Feminism Interview

Below is an email I replied back to in February 2007. It is an online riot grrrl and feminism interview. Lucy was doing interviews for a book she was writing about feminism. This is the very first riot grrrl/feminism interview I’ve ever done.

Hi Lucy! Thanks for the email and the reply! I’m going to warn you…I’m not good at interviews. lol I will try my best to answer ALL of the questions. My answers are in capslock, so you can tell my answers from your questions. If I’m not sure what your trying to ask in your question, I will capslock it and ask you what you mean by your question. If I need to go into further details on some of the questions let me know and I will do so.

THE BASICS
~do riot grrrls exist today? YES, I BELIEVE THAT RIOT GRRRLS EXIST TODAY. EVEN THOUGH THE MOVEMENT HASN’T COME BACK SINCE THE 90′S, I FEEL THAT THE MOVEMENT MIGHT COME BACK ONE DAY. I THINK THERE ARE LOTS OF RIOT GRRRLS THAT STILL BELIEVE IN THE WHOLE RIOT GRRRL CONCEPT OR THAT ARE JUST NOW LEARNING ABOUT IT. I’M SURE IF YOU ASKED OTHER RIOT GRRRLS IF RIOT GRRRLS EXIST TODAY, THEY WOULD SAY YES.
-if not, do punks, metal heads, grunge kids? PUNKS, METALHEADS, AND GRUNGE KIDS STILL EXIST TODAY. (IF I NEED TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION MORE, LET ME KNOW.)
-if so, why can these groups transcend past ‘thrash-pit equality’ code set
for girls by
grrrls? I’M NOT SURE WHAT YOU ARE ASKING IN THIS QUESTION. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THIS QUESTION?

~what constitutes a female musician as a ‘riot grrrl’? FOR A FEMALE MUSICIAN TO BE CLASSIFIED AS A RIOT GRRRL, THEY WOULD WRITE SONGS THAT ARE ABOUT WOMEN’S ISSUES SUCH AS: RAPE, ABORTION, ABUSE, MURDER, AND OTHER ISSUES THAT AFFECT WOMEN. THE SONGS WOULD BE EMPOWERING AND DIFFERENT. THE SONGS WOULD MAKE YOU WANT TO TAKE A STAND AND SPEAK UP ABOUT WOMEN’S ISSUES. THE FEMALE MUSICIANS WOULD NOT HAVE TO BE STRICTLY PUNK ROCK, BUT THEY WOULD BE CONSIDERED “ALTERNATIVE” MUSIC AND NOT THE POP MUSIC YOU HERE ON MTV. THE FEMALE MUSICIANS WOULD NOT BE ALL ABOUT THE SPICE GIRLS AND THEIR SO-CALLED “GIRL POWER”. THEY WOULD NOT BE POP DIVA WANNABES SUCH AS BRITNEY SPEARS, JESSICA SIMPSON, ETC.
-can a female songwriter NOT necessarily be feminist? YES, FEMALE SONGWRITERS CAN BE NOT NECESSARILY FEMINIST. THERE ARE FEMALE SONGWRITERS AROUND THAT ARE NOT FEMINIST.
-is a feminist always riot grrrl? A FEMINIST IS NOT ALWAYS A RIOT GRRRL. SOME FEMINISTS HAVE NOT HEARD OF THE TERM “RIOT GRRRL” AND OTHER FEMINISTS THINK OF THEMSELVES AS FEMINIST AND NOT RIOT GRRRLS. HOWEVER, I DO THINK THAT FEMINISM AND RIOT GRRRL HAVE THE SAME PHILOSOPHY, IDEAS, AND PRINCIPLES.

~can a “real” riot grrrl call herself a ‘riot grrrl’? Would this make her a
poser? YES, A “REAL” RIOT GRRRL CAN CALL HERSELF A “RIOT GRRRL”. MOST OF THE TIME A “REAL” RIOT GRRRL WILL CALL HERSELF A RIOT GRRRL BECAUSE SHE SUPPORTS THE MOVEMENT AND AGREES WITH THE IDEAS OF THE MOVEMENT. IF SOMEONE SAYS THEY ARE A “RIOT GRRRL”, BUT DO NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE MOVEMENT OR THE IDEAS OF RIOT GRRRL, THEN YES, THEY WOULD BE CONSIDERED A “POSER”. THEY SHOULD DO THEIR RESEARCH BEFORE CLAIMING TO BE A “REAL RIOT GRRRL” OR A “RIOT GRRRL” IN GENERAL.
-do particular [new] bands classify themselves as R.G.s? YES, THERE ARE SOME NEW BANDS THAT CLASSIFY THEMSELVES AS RIOT GRRRLS. THERE ARE QUITE A FEW NEW BANDS THAT CONSIDER THEMSELVES RIOT GRRRL ON MYSPACE. I THINK THIS IS A GOOD THING. I THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE MORE RIOT GRRRL BANDS AROUND. THESE BANDS DO HAVE SONGS ABOUT WOMEN’S ISSUES AND ABOUT TAKING A STAND.

~so darling, are you a riot grrrl? I WOULD CONSIDER MYSELF A RIOT GRRRL, BUT I REALLY HATE SAYING THAT I’M A “RIOT GRRRL”. I DON’T FEEL THAT I SHOULD LABEL MYSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE AS A RIOT GRRRL, EVEN THOUGH I WOULD THINK IT TO MYSELF. I WOULD CONSIDER MYSELF SOMEONE THAT AGREES AND SUPPORTS THE MOVEMENT. I AGREE WITH THE WHOLE RIOT GRRRL IDEALOGY.
-who turned you on to it? NO ONE TURNED ME ON TO RIOT GRRRL. I FOUND OUT ABOUT IT FROM VARIOUS WEBSITES I USED TO FREQUENT. (A LOT OF THEM BEING RIOT GRRRL WEBSITES) ALSO, I HEARD ABOUT IT THROUGH LOOKING AT HOLE WEBSITES AND BIKINI KILL WEBSITES. MOST OF THOSE RIOT GRRRL WEBSITES ARE GONE NOW, BUT THERE ARE NEW RIOT GRRRL WEBSITES SPRINGING UP.
-how old were you? I WAS 14, WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT RIOT GRRRL. IT WAS BACK IN 1997, WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT RIOT GRRRL. I’M 23 NOW. (I’LL BE 24 ON MARCH 4TH OF THIS YEAR.)
-which band took your viriginity? HOLE: THAT’S PART OF HOW I LEARNED ABOUT RIOT GRRRL, THEN I STARTED HEARING ABOUT BIKINI KILL.
-anything else you’d like to add, hun? NOT THAT I CAN THINK OF.

~do you think the scene died? I DO THINK RIOT GRRRL DIED. HOWEVER, I HAVE READ ABOUT OTHERS WANTING THE MOVEMENT TO COME BACK AND WANTING TO START IT UP AGAIN SOMEHOW. LIKE I SAID EARLIER, THERE ARE STILL RIOT GRRRLS AROUND.
-may I ask why, either way? I THINK THE MEDIA TALKED TOO MUCH ABOUT RIOT GRRRL IN THE 90′S. THE MEDIA MADE IT SOUND “SCENE” AND REALLY PORTRAYED RIOT GRRRLS DIFFERENTLY THAN RIOT GRRRLS PORTRAYED THEMSELVES. IF THE MEDIA HADN’T TALKED ABOUT IT AND KEPT IT AS AN UNDERGROUND MOVEMENT, I DO NOT THINK RIOT GRRRL WOULD’VE DIED.

~ why did we need a third-wave? I THINK THAT THE THIRD-WAVE INCLUDED YOUNGER WOMEN, UNLIKE SOME OF THE OTHER “WAVES”. THIRD-WAVERS WANT TO CONTINUE THEIR FIGHT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS. I THINK DEFINING FEMINISM (AND RIOT GRRRL) RAISES PROBLEMS. FEMINISM AND RIOT GRRRL MEANS SOMETHING INDIVIDUAL TO EACH FEMINIST AND/OR RIOT GRRRL.
-was riot grrrl inevitable? YES. IF YOU WANT ME TO SPEAK MORE ABOUT THIS, LET ME KNOW.

~what’s the difference (if there is one) between ‘grrrl fucking power’ and
Spice Girls ‘girl powuh’? THE SPICE GIRLS ‘GIRL POWER’ IS DIFFERNT FROM ‘GRRRL POWER’. THE SPICE GIRLS DIDN’T HAVE ANY SONGS THAT WERE ABOUT WOMEN’S ISSUES OR WOMEN’S RIGHTS. I’M NOT SURE HOW THEIR TERM OF ‘GIRL POWER’ CAME ABOUT. ‘GRRRL POWER’ IS ABOUT STANDING UP AND FIGHTING FOR YOUR RIGHTS, RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT WOMEN’S ISSUES, AND TRYING TO ACHIEVE WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND EQUALITY.

MILD POKING: WORD ASSOCIATION
First thought-descriptions for the following: (3-4 words if you can) I’M NOT SURE WHAT YOU ARE ASKING, LET ME KNOW. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THIS?
-masculine: STRONG, PROTECTOR, WORKER
-feminine: GRACEFUL, SWEET, GENTLE
-feminist: OUTSPOKEN, ANGRY, POWER

PRODING JUST A LITTLE DEEPER

My focus points were the fifth and sixth paragraph (connecting states’
internet access to rape cases) and the eighth. But again, you may respond
to any part of this article

I DO NOT AGREE WITH ANTHONY D’AMATO’S VIEW IN THE “PORN UP RAPE DOWN” ARTICLE. I THINK THAT A LOT OF RAPES ARE NOT REPORTED. I AGREE WITH GAIL DINES VIEW. PORNOGRAPHY DOES NOT CAUSE RAPE. RAPE HAS MANY CAUSES. MOST RAPES HAPPEN BECAUSE THE MAN THAT DOES THE RAPING, NEEDS TO FEEL POWERFUL AND IN CONTROL OF A SITUATION. RAPE IS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT SEX AND IN MOST CASES, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SEX.

CLOSER LOOK AT PORN
-Are you familiar with the Suicide Girls’ name?
“With a vibrant, sex positive community of women (and men), SuicideGirls was
founded on the belief that creativity, personality and intelligence are not
incompatible with sexy, compelling entertainment, and millions of people
agree. The site mixes the smarts, enthusiasm and DIY attitude of the best
music and alternative culture sites with an unapologetic, grassroots
approach to sexuality…. With hundreds of thousands of subscribers, over a
thousand models, a succesful book and DVD in stores and a new clothing line,
there’s no telling what diabolical plan SG will next come up with to
seperate you from your hard earned money.” (http://suicidegirls.com/about/)

with this in mind, what are your thoughts of these girls? “all for” or
“against”?

I SUPPORT THE SUICIDE GIRL MODELS, BUT I DO NOT SUPPORT THE SUICIDE GIRLS AGENDA, IN GENERAL. I HAVE HEARD LOTS OF AWFUL STORIES FROM FORMER AND CURRENT SUICIDE GIRLS. I HAVE HEARD THAT THE GUY THAT RUNS SUICIDE GIRLS IS MEAN TO THE MODELS. I HAVE HEARD PEOPLE COMPARE THEM TO PLAYBOY. I DO NOT LIKE PLAYBOY, AT ALL. I HEAR THAT THE SUICIDE GIRLS ARE PARTNERS WITH PLAYBOY. I THINK THE SUICIDE GIRLS AGENDA IS A MEDIA CORPORATION, JUST LIKE PLAYBOY.

-Is there a difference between the models of the S.G. line and say,
Playboy’s?

I THINK THE SUICIDE GIRLS MODELS ARE DIFFERENT FROM PLAYBOY’S, FOR THE FACT THAT THEY ALL LOOK “ALTERNATIVE”. HOWEVER, MOST OF THE SUICIDE GIRLS LOOK THE SAME, JUST LIKE THE PLAYBOY MODELS. I THINK THE SUICIDE GIRLS LOOK REAL, COMPARED TO PLAYBOY MODELS. THE PLAYBOY MODELS SEEM TO HAVE BOOB JOBS, AMONG OTHER THINGS AND LOOK ALL SUPERFICIAL. THE SUICIDE GIRLS LOOK MORE REAL AND MOST DO NOT HAVE BOOB JOBS. I DON’T THINK YOU NEED TO HAVE A BOOB JOB JUST TO BE A MODEL.

-this is a long site, so copy and paste:

THIS WAS TAKEN OFF THE PLAYBOYSITE.
“They’re the sexy girls next door…who rock. Playboy Cyber Club members can
now see nude pictorials of the hottest pierced, tatted, wild and wonderful
alterna-girls on the Internet, courtesy of our new partner,
SuicideGirls.com.” -have your thoughts changed at all?

I STILL DO NOT LIKE PLAYBOY OR THE SUICIDE GIRLS. I DO SUPPORT THE MODELS OF THE SUICIDE GIRLS, BUT I THINK THEY ARE BOTH AFTER MONEY. THEY ARE BOTH “MAINSTREAM” AND “WHAT’S IN” WITH SOCIETY RIGHT NOW.

-Are you a believer that Suicide Girls, as stated earlier, are all about
“sexual freedom” and gaining equality in the bedroom in a safe, yet sexy
way? In Pamela Paul’s book ‘Pornified’, “Missy Suicide, the founder of the
female-operated pornography Web site Suicide Girls, explains, ‘sex and
sexuality is nothing for a woman to be ashamed of… I think the women on
Suicide Girls are brave in saying, ‘I’m confident, I’m intelligent, and I
don’t have a problem sharing my sexuality to the world. This is what a real
body looks like, and it’s beautiful.’ This is what should be celebrated.’
Of course, it is unclear… that their message is getting through amid the
barrage of male-oriented pornography out there.” On the website
a blogger comments on pictures taken from various
pornographic sites;

I DO THINK THAT THE SUICIDE GIRLS SEND A SOMEWHAT POSITIVE MESSAGE IN SAYING THAT THEY ARE ALL ABOUT SEXUAL FREEDOM. I DO AGREE WITH WHAT MISSY SAID. AS FOR THEM GAINING EQUALITY IN THE BEDROOM, I DON’T THINK THE SUICIDE GIRLS, HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH FEMINISM OR EQUALITY. I THINK IT IS A MONEY HUNGRY CORPORATION.

-Now I’d like you to open the attachments;

*image 1 came with this description: ““I love a little lesbo thigh biting in
the morning. …right before a nutritious breakfast of pussy!”” *image
2 came with: “These lesbo Suicide Girls would be such cute welders! They
give me a hard hat. ” *and image 3 with: “Punk Rock Lesbians who would
kick your ass in real life have nasty lesbo sex for your enjoyment.”
do you see any female empowerment showing through those pictures, or was
the ‘Pornified’ excerpt correct (“it is unclear… that their message is
getting through amid the barrage of male-oriented pornography out there”)?

I THINK THE IMAGES ARE UNCLEAR OF WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO SAY. THE IMAGES DO NOT SCREAM “FEMALE EMPOWERMENT” TO ME. TO ME, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE HAVING FUN. IT SEEMS THAT “LESBIAN SEX” SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING MOST MEN LIKE TO WATCH/SEE. IT SEEMS THAT NOWDAYS “LESBIAN SEX” IS IN AND THERE ARE GIRLS THAT DO IT WITH OTHER GIRLS JUST TO MAKE GUYS HAPPY. IT’S GROSS. IF THEY REALLY ARE LESBIANS, IT’S FINE, BUT IF THEY AREN’T, THEN THEY’RE JUST DOING IT FOR THE ATTENTION.

DRAWING SOME BLOOD NOW

This is that “especially long” article; in short, the writer cites “xtina”
as the new Bikini Kill, in her sexual rebuttle to popular culture beliefs of
feminity and sexuality. I have my own thoughts on this, and it’s hard not
to rant myself, but I don’t think I’m supposed to do that. If you aren’t
interested in reading the entire article, I’ll send a few paragraphs that
summarize.

“It was last year, when Xtina released the single “Can’t Hold Us Down,” from
her 2002 album Stripped–that’s when she upset the clockwork. It was an
inspirational anthem of girl-strength that called out the double standard.
It was a revolt against the life-sucking notion that for a woman to do as a
man does is impermissible, and punishable by scarlet letter.”

“I hadn’t felt this deliberately included in such a personal/universal
statement since hearing Bikini Kill for the first time. During my brief
imprisonment in a Cheyenne, Wyoming high school, Bikini Kill verbalized the
things I knew to be true, but what the male punks in my record collection
had neglected to name. That band split my world open like a geode; 11 years
later, speaking from the anonymous corridors of corporate FM radio, Xtina
Aguilera did the same.”

“Xtina’s persona, her lyrics, personal action and participation–and, most
importantly, the ways in which she self-identifies and lives her
message–are parallel to those of Bikini Kill. Xtina’s girl-might embodies
the collective mentality of riot grrrl, with all its confrontation and
self-determination. Spouting lyrics that could have been ripped from the
pages of Bikini Kill fanzine, Xtina Aguilera takes Riot Grrrl ideals to mass
market, promoting revolutionary concepts through traditional means of the
capitalism so hated by RG.” Do you think this concept makes sense: that
“revolutionary” riot grrrl views could truly still be anti-captitalist
coming from a mainstream radio, that feeds off of the same culture that
devours capitalism whole?

“As Hanna wrote in the “riot girl” manifesto, printed in 1991 in issue two
of Bikini Kill fanzine: “We hate capitalism in all its forms and see our
main goal as sharing information and staying alive, instead of making
profits off being cool according to traditional standards.” While Christina
profits from “Can’t Hold Us Down,” she’s sharing information to stay
alive…Stripped has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.”

“I’m not too bothered if some people get upset about what I wear… with my
videos and my pictures of me, I am not an object. I am in control. I’m in
the power position. I decide who I am and it’s too bad if you don’t get
it… or want it.” – ‘X-tina’

- is it odd to you, or is it perfectly normal that cited in this article,
for all the interviews held with X-tina, were the following ‘feminist’
magazines: Blender, Australian and American Cosmo?

I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE X-TINA ARTICLE. I DO NOT THINK SHE IS “RIOT GRRRL” AT ALL AND SHE’S DEFINITELY NOT THE NEW “BIKINI KILL”. TO ME, SHE IS A BIT FEMINIST, BUT NOT ALL THAT MUCH. I DO NOT LIKE HER MUSIC OR HER. I THINK IT’S GROSS THAT THESE MAGAZINES CALLED HER A “RIOT GRRRL”. I THINK THESE MAGAZINES HAVE NO CLUE WHAT AN ACTUAL RIOT GRRRL IS. I THINK THAT BLENDER, AUSTRALIAN, AND AMERICAN COSMO ARE NOT FEMINIST MAGAZINES. I PREFER BUST, MS., AND BITCH MAGAZINES. A LOT OF MAINSTREAM MAGAZINES WILL WRITE ABOUT POPULAR CULTURE ICONS, SUCH AS X-TINA, AND WILL GLORIFY THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE THE “IN” THING. I THINK COMPARING HER TO BIKINI KILL AND RIOT GRRRL WAS AN ERROR ON THESE MAINSTREAM MAGAZINES PART. APPARENTLY, THEY HAVEN’T READ MUCH ABOUT RIOT GRRRL OR BIKINI KILL.

SEXY BLOODY RESEARCH
the following is an excerpt from Pamela Paul’s Pornified. It will cover, in
short, a male chatroom on a particular pornographic site.

“By commenting on women as a group, men keep women at a distance, parading
their masculinity and proving their potency to one another, and to
themselves…
‘Bjoobies!! I love dem Asian features,’ exclaims one man in a bulletin board
of responses to a series of online photos showing a
half-Asian,half-Caucasian woman, dubbed ‘Kitana,’ frolicking naked in a
bathtub. ‘Damnit,’ writes another man. ‘I thought it was Kitana Baker… oh
well this chick is still decent enough. She has a weird midriff though.’
He’s not alone in his opnion. ‘Looks like she’s had a few too many
sandwiches!!!’ exclaims another viewer. ‘or she needs to stick to light
beer!! She has no waistline– goes straight down from her shoulders!!!’ A
third man chimes in, ‘She does nuthin 4 me. Maybe the fugliness, i don’t
know.’ A man who calls himself ‘Drexel’ agrees. He writes:
I’m confused. Whose idea of beauty are we subject to? What are
the qual-
ifications needed to get one’s boobies on [this site]? The
reason I ask, is that there doesn’t seem to be anything extraordinary
about this particular young lady. No shocking hair color, exceptional
beauty, fancy outfit, giant boobs, etc, etc, that seperate her from any
other bathing booty. She’s fine,
I’d hit it and all but, I’m sure I could find 50 more interesting
versions with-
in a few keystrokes.
… Another Web site, another forum: a blonde peels off her white bustier,
French-cut bikini, and garters in a fram-by frame monstage, ending with her
legs spread wide. She poses from the front, and now from the back,
squatting, lying down, smiling. ‘I dunno, man, her face is screwy… The
eyes/eyebrow combination is off one way or another,’ writes one observer.
‘What’s up with the beaver rash?’ asks a second. ‘Nice granny panties,’
sneers a third, the self-proclaimed I Dig Chicks. yet another viewer piles
on: ‘This chick’s boobies are weird. how come her nipples aren’t somewhat
centered within her areolas? I don’t think ever seen that before.’ Nobody
seems to like the blonde very much… When one man complains that the others
are being unduly harsh, a debate breaks out on the baord. ‘Any skank who
appears naked on the internet automatically gains immunity from criticism?’
replies a poster. ‘I’ve seen plenty of nasty mean [online] that I wouldn’t
touch with a ten foot pole… Actually, now that I think of it, you’re
right, from now on I’ll commence heaping praise on every used up skanky
butterface implant ridden ho-bag that gets posted here.’
This isn’t quite the aesthetic appreciation that men make pornography
viewing out to be, nor does it seem to be about men loving women. Comments
in such porn forums generally fall into two categories: whether the viewer
would have sex with the woman depicted or not and whether the image inspired
him to masturabte, accompanied by a dissection of the woman’s attributes
that turned him on. The prettiness of her face, the curve of her ass,
whether she’s been too airbrushed or not airbrushed enough.”

(That was long, I’m sorry.)

-Any thoughts on the selected text?

I DO NOT THINK MEN SHOULD BASE WOMEN ON THEIR LOOKS. I THINK MOST OF THOSE MEN SOUNDED SEXIST. THEY WERE JUDGING THESE WOMEN BASED SOLELY ON THEIR LOOKS. THEY WERE JUDGING HER BY HER FACE, BODY, AND THE WAY SHE DRESSES. THIS IS EXACTLY WHY A LOT OF WOMEN GET OBSESSED ABOUT HOW THEY LOOK, THEIR WEIGHT, AND WITH THEIR BODIES. I THINK WOMEN SHOULD LOVE THEIR BODIES, NO MATTER HOW THEY LOOK. DO NOT LISTEN TO MYSOGYNISTIC MEN.

If you’re interested, there is a follow-up interview that focuses more on
pornography and media conceptions of the ‘feminine’ beauty. There would be
more images that would require your impression of them. Thank you so much
for helping as much as you have.
This next section of the interview would include pornographic materials,
so first I would need to know if
I. You are over 18
and II. You have no moral opposition to such content.

YES, I’M OVER 18. I’M 23, ABOUT TO BE 24 IN MARCH. NO, I HAVE NO OPPOSITION TO THE CONTENT.

YOUR WELCOME! IS THIS INTERVIEW FOR A CLASS PROJECT OR IS IT FOR A WEBSITE? LET ME KNOW. I WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOU REPLY BACK TO THIS EMAIL IF I WANT MY SITES MENTIONED. THANKS AGAIN! SO FAR, THIS IS AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW.
HOPE TO HEAR BACK FROM YOU SOON! TAKE CARE!
MUCH LOVE,
GRETA

Feminists Unite On Wikipedia

Looking for feminists or others that edit feminist articles on Wikipedia? On Wikipedia, I’ve helped create Category:Wikipedians interested in feminism, Portal:Feminism, and Portal:Feminism/Feminism Task Force.

If you’re a feminist, support feminism, edit feminist articles/want to edit feminist articles, or just share an interest in feminism, join us on wikipedia! Please add yourself to the category and/or the task force and help us improve the quality of feminism-related articles on Wikipedia. Also, Feel free to add to the Feminism Portal on Wikipedia. Any suggestions and edits to the pages are welcome!

Feminism Friday: Why Is Feminism Important Today?

Why Is Feminism Important Today?

The answers to this question are below. The 7 answers were taken from: WikiAnswers.

1.) Females (half the population) still do not have equal access to society’s resources.
2.) Women need an identity that is not dependent (or compared to) the identity of men.
3.) Women need their own sphere so that they have the freedom to develop a sense of self-worth and utilize strengths/abilities which are undervalued or looked down upon by patriarchal society.
4.) Women need to educate each other about their bodies, away from the patriarchal assumptions of modern medicine.
5.) Women need to keep a check on modern ideologies and theorizing by doing critiques and holding patriarchal society accountable for its political, economic, and moral decisions.
6.) Women in developing countries continue to need support in many areas from women in more developed countries.
7.) Generally speaking, men still don’t really understand women…

Here are 3 of my answers to this question. I would like to add my own answers onto these good answers. I could add more answers, but perhaps in the future I will re-write this entry with mine and everyone’s answers to this question and not WikiAnswers answers to the question.

8.) Women all over the world still aren’t treated equally to men. Some countries do not realize or care about this. If your a woman, you should care.
9.) Women’s studies should be in all colleges and universities, so women can learn more about feminism. (past and present) Women’s studies take a look at feminism, women’s issues, and other stuff affecting women.
10.) Women’s issues such as rape, incest, abortion, etc. (and more!) aren’t treated as important as they should be treated. There are certain issues pertaining to women only, such as those listed above.

Let’s interact on this entry. I want you to answer the question, “Why Is Feminism Important Today?” with your own answers/opinions. I would like you to add your answers to this list by commenting on this post. The first person to comment will start at number 11. When someone else comments after you do, they should start at whatever number the previous person wrote to. (For example, Let’s say that you are the 5th to comment and the person above you ended at number 49, You will start at number 50.)