Throughout the semester, prompts based on class readings, screenings, lectures, and discussions will be posted on this blog. Responses will be graded on their level of critical thinking, pertinence, engagement with class texts, and grammar/spelling/proofing/
length. Be sure to read the prompt carefully and fully engage with the content of the class materials. At the bottom of your response, type your FIRST NAME and the FIRST INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME (e.g. Claudia Z.).
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Week Twelve: Response 12.1
In Zeisler’s chapter on the history of
the use of “empowerment,” what was the Riot Grrrl movement and how did it morph
into “girl power”? Growing up, did you have a
relationship with “girl power” in the marketplace?
The Riot Grrrl movement is an underground feminist punk movement that was founded in Washington State and Washington DC. Their ethos was Girls to the Front, and this meant that men were not allowed to be near the front of their concerts. Anyone can join and play an instrument. They liked punk music and made their own bands. The movement incorporated “coat hangers,” which is an environment that was masculine and violent, and also referred to women holding their man’s coats. The Riot Grrrl movement also included zine culture. They would have talk-downs after each of their concerts, since their songs would take on political issues. The Riot Grrrl movement knew that the media would misrepresent them, so they refused to talk to the media. The media then resorted to boiling them down to just how they dressed and look.
The Riot Grrl movement morphed into “girl power” in the mid 90s. “Girl power” is the marketplace version of Riot Grrrl. An example of “girl power” is the Spice Girls. The Spice Girls were created when a father and son auditioned women and put them together as a band. There were five Spice Girls, so women were able to choose which one of the girls they wanted to identify with. The Spice Girls addresses young women desiring empowerment as consumers with choices. The branding of “girl power” is connected to consumer brands.
I did have a relationship with “girl power” in the marketplace when I was growing up. I used to be obsessed with the princess Barbie dolls and the Bratz that came out. My favorite princess was sleeping beauty, so I always bought her and identified with her since I loved the color pink. I used to want to look exactly like her so I would want to die my hair blonde and find my prince charming. My favorite Bratz was Jade since I was really into skulls. I liked her rebellious kind of look, so once Bratz came out, I completely forgot about the princess Barbie dolls and started identifying with the Bratz dolls. My sense of style changed with each doll that I identified with. It’s interesting and scary to look back and realize what was happening.
The princess Barbie dolls and Bratz replaced the Spice girls. They focused on choice as empowerment and gave consumers dolls that they can identify with. The reality is that people shouldn’t want to identify with dolls or Bratz. People should be themselves and identify as the person they are, not limit themselves to the choices that society has given them.
The word empowerment was first used in late 70s early 80s by the intercommunity who overcame economic problems by banding together rather than relying on those outside the community. The Riot Grrrl movement started in the early 90s as an underground feminist punk movement. They empowered young women by joining a community and embracing a “do it yourself” approach to art. The origins of the Riot Grrrl movement is washington state and washington D.C. Traditionally punk shows were a bunch of guys moshing in the front creating a majorly violent atmosphere. Their girlfriends and other girls would be forced to stand in the back, so emerged all all girl punk bands which pushed for all girls to the front. Talk downs were also common after shows to discuss feminist issues. This was also peak time for zine culture. By the mid 90s riot grrrl culture was transformed by the marketplace into girl power. Examples being the spice girls; they represented empowerment and choice. Young women were addressed as consumers in the marketplace with choices. In 2001 we see the emergence of the Bratz dolls and Disney princess line linking itself with girl empowerment. Personally I do not recall having a tie to girl power in the marketplace. I know many young girls grew up with dolls and wanting to be princesses, but I don’t have those distinct memories as a child. I’m sure I did have a relationship with marketplace girl power while growing up, but I do not feel like it impacted me in a memorable way; or else I’d remember. I was a girly girl, I enjoyed dressing up and watching disney movies about princesses, but I do not remember any of it being tied to girl power. I do remember a time when I did want a Bratz doll and my mom would not buy it for me. Now being educated on feminist issues and socialization i;m glad she did not buy me that doll. Elexus T.
As I have grown in my feminist knowledge, my definition of empowerment has changed completely. What I once directly associated with girl power, Bobby Jack and Happy Bunny shirts that would say something along the lines of “Girls Rule, Boys Drool” is no longer tied to the marketplace. As Zeisler explains in her book, the phrase empowerment was first used in the 1970’s as a term relating to intra-community social services. Empowerment was used mostly in reference to oppressed communities helping one another when government supported organizations failed them. Feminism embraced empowerment as a social movement after it’s usage in the activism in the global south. Around the 1980’s and 90’s, after the phrase had enough time to be a strictly feminine word, did the marketplace pick it up. The music scene has always been male dominated, as are many professional fields in America. I can’t remember how many times I would go to shows as a teenager and be surrounded my sweaty, pushy, and violent men in the crowds. The concept of having an all-girls music and DIY scene is necessary and important, and we can gladly thank Riot Grrl for the inspiration. Riot Grrl began as a movement to create a safe space for women within the violent and male dominated punk scene. The movement then grew into an entire girl made girl run music scene, with the slogan “GIRLS TO THE FRONT” as not only a chant said during a show, but a genuine mantra. As the band Riot Grrl gained major popularity, the media obviously wanted to see what the big deal was. Sticking true to their anti-capitalist roots, Riot Grrl created a news media blackout, only giving interviews and quotes to feminist reporters or independent publications. Although this stayed true to what the group stood for and believed in, it didn’t really matter to mass media. Rather the news outlets just made up stories about the Riot Grrl’s and co-opted their “girl power” way of life. This co-optation of the girl power movement was the genesis of everyones favorite girl group, The Spice Girls. The Spice Girls were corporate made, apolitical, and easily to transfer into products. From the popularity of The Spice Girls and the ability for corporate America to commodify girl power, this is where the knowledge of said girl power that I acquired as a child came from. I have been a feminist for as long as I can remember, whether I knew the term or not, and I feel as though I can truly give credit to the concept of girl power. Growing up as a girl scout I was told that women could achieve everything, and with my mom being the amazing woman that she is I never doubted that once. I loved going to Limited Too and seeing all the shirts with funny cartoons about girls being better than boys. As I grew older and started to learn the more theoretical components of feminism, I realized that this was just capitalism. But I will say that in this capitalist society the marketplace is the easiest way to get a message to the masses.
In Zeisler’s chapter on the history of the use of “empowerment,” the RIOT GRRRL movement was a 90's punk movement that called for female empowerment in the punk scene. It was a response to the male-dominated shows and bands that overtook punk and it was a call for girls to find their own punk and claim it. With mantras like “girls to the front,” RIOT GRRRL bands took empowerment to the stage and ensured all girls at concerts were able to get close to the stage and have a safe space to enjoy the music without fear of mosh-pits or violence. It was an idea that welcomed any girl and said that anyone could join and pick up an instrument, it was a DIY collective call to action that brought feminism to the front of punk, bands had talk-downs during shows and ensured they're female fans felt safe, they also employed the use of zines to carry their message outside of their cities and to help empower girls across the US. As the media gained word of the RIOT GRRRL movement, the girls involved had a media blackout, knowing that the media would spin their message and not represent them the way they wanted. They also weren't looking to get famous off of RIOT GRRRL and the media attention was unwarranted. The media capitalized on their ideology anyways and created the marketplace version of RIOT GRRRL in “girl power” and the Spice Girls were born to promote that message. Girl power became a way to find female empowerment through consumer choices instead of collective action, it commodified the movement and made it about individual choice instead of a movement. I have always identified strongly with anything that connected itself to girl power, I was a huge Spice Girls fan, I always bought “girls rule” memorabilia, and I was always about wearing the right clothes to look like a “strong girl.” To this day, I'm a sucker for anything that says “girls rule,” I love sporting my feminism on my sleeve but I'm aware it is a capitalistic venture that feeds off the feminist movement and makes it about consumer choices. Now that I'm more educated on the marketplace and how it profits off political movements, I try to engage in buying empowering products that actually empower women across the world, like buying from female-owned/female-ran companies, companies that donate profits to female sanitary needs in the Global South, or female education needs in the Global South. Just last week I bought a box of tampons that says “here's to strong women on the top” but also donates it's proceeds to the Global South to provide tampons and pads in areas where girls go without them. I think empowering yourself through consumer choices doesn't help the movement, but if you can find ways to empower other women through consumer choices that helps the global movement to make women freer.
“Empowerment” started being used for women’s self-esteem, achievement, and purchasing power during the late 1970s and early 80s (171). The Riot Grrrl movement came before the whole “Power” or “Girl Power” phrase developed (173). Riot Grrrl was an underground feminist punk movement started in the 1990s. It consisted of young women coming together to be empowered and to embrace the “do it yourself” approach to art. During the concerts the only rule was for the women to be at the front, displaying a safe space for the fans and for them to have the full experience (174). Once this movement became mainstream, in 1997 “Girl Power” was formed and from this phrase the Spice Girls were born (176). The Spice Girls were “pretty and accessible” and showcased “Girl Power” (176). “Girl Power” was a simple as putting on a t-shirt claiming, “Girls Kick Ass” and dancing with friends (177). In the Riot Grrrl, girl power was trying to get as many girl consumers. But what the Spice Girls did was focus girl power on empowerment (177). In the marketplace, there would be products being sold that related to the different Spice Girls. For example, different colors nail polish or a pencil case with the girls on it (178). Growing up I am positive I have had a relationship with “Girl Power” in the marketplace but, I did not realize it until now. I remember having a shirt saying, “Girls Rule, Boys Drool” as stated in the book. In elementary school I was really into playing with Bratz dolls. I would even prefer them over Barbie because there was more variety. I loved how they were so fashionable and did whatever they want. In their movie, they were rebellious and always made a statement and I remember wanting to be like them or dress like them. As a kid, I never noticed how much I was surrounded with “Girl Power” merchandise.
Zeisler describes the origins of the term “empowerment” as stemming in the late 70s and early 80s. The term is connected to intracommunity economic strategies for marginalized communities. In the early 90s, third wave feminism began to use the term as a “do it yourself” call to collective action. The Riot Grrrl movement was an underground feminist punk movement that was founded in Washington and Washington D.C. It started off as a way for females to actually enjoy concerts and events because they would usually get pushed to the back of venues in order for men to take the front rows and dominate the event. Women wanted a means to have these experiences without the men and take charge of their own desires and so the Riot Grrrls began underground. Girls were in the front and there wasn’t a single man that could push them to the back. This was all about being inclusive among females and instilling that anyone could play an instrument and contribute. This fostered a growth and unity in feminism, especially through the Zine culture and having talk-downs after concerts. Unfortunately the movement was brought down by the misrepresentation of the media after Riot Grrls refused to speak about themselves. So instead, the media came up with their own messages about them which were not true, and then a different crowd began to be interested in Riot Grrls. During the mid 90s the movement morphed into Girl Power. The Spice Girls addressed young women desiring empowerment as consumers with choices and this began the branding of many things involving the movement with a means of empowerment through choice. But of course the options were all very girly, such as the Bratz dolls and Disney Princess line. I myself grew up during a time where all of my friends had a Bratz doll and I had one too. I do remember feeling very excited to finally get a Bratz doll because she was a soccer player like me. I felt tied to it and a connection. I certainly felt the same way about the Disney Princesses, who I wished to be.
On the chapter of “Empowerment” the Riot Grrrl movement, it was explained as an underground feminist punk movement. Just like rock shows for men, where they could go be aggressive and let off the steam that they want, Riot Grrrl was created for that same purpose. Women come together in a safe rock and roll environment to express themselves and what was going on with them. It started in Washington DC, in most recently society. The goal is to empower young women by joining a community and embracing a “Do It Yourself” approach to art. The focus was on the Zines Culture, which started as a homemade magazine that highlight women’s issues. Where after the show the women would have talk downs where they discussed about the songs they performed, the meaning of them, and what women went through. Once the media got a hold to it, they started making fun of it and killed the movement. In the mid 90’s Riot Grrrl was transformed by the marker place into “Girl Power”. Where empowerment equaled choice. This is when the Spice Girls came out and started to promote girl power and female choice. Girls had the choice to choose a girl that represented them. Girl power was that marketed through everything from Pepsi to polaroid. For me growing up i did not have a good relationship to girl power because i was to focused on trying to live and survive. but i was greatly influenced by the Spice Girls because they were they only ones out, girl wise that had someone i could relate to, which was scary spice.
The Riot Grrrl movement is an underground feminist punk movement that was founded in Washington State and Washington DC. Their ethos was Girls to the Front, and this meant that men were not allowed to be near the front of their concerts. Anyone can join and play an instrument. They liked punk music and made their own bands. The movement incorporated “coat hangers,” which is an environment that was masculine and violent, and also referred to women holding their man’s coats. The Riot Grrrl movement also included zine culture. They would have talk-downs after each of their concerts, since their songs would take on political issues. The Riot Grrrl movement knew that the media would misrepresent them, so they refused to talk to the media. The media then resorted to boiling them down to just how they dressed and look.
ReplyDeleteThe Riot Grrl movement morphed into “girl power” in the mid 90s. “Girl power” is the marketplace version of Riot Grrrl. An example of “girl power” is the Spice Girls. The Spice Girls were created when a father and son auditioned women and put them together as a band. There were five Spice Girls, so women were able to choose which one of the girls they wanted to identify with. The Spice Girls addresses young women desiring empowerment as consumers with choices. The branding of “girl power” is connected to consumer brands.
I did have a relationship with “girl power” in the marketplace when I was growing up. I used to be obsessed with the princess Barbie dolls and the Bratz that came out. My favorite princess was sleeping beauty, so I always bought her and identified with her since I loved the color pink. I used to want to look exactly like her so I would want to die my hair blonde and find my prince charming. My favorite Bratz was Jade since I was really into skulls. I liked her rebellious kind of look, so once Bratz came out, I completely forgot about the princess Barbie dolls and started identifying with the Bratz dolls. My sense of style changed with each doll that I identified with. It’s interesting and scary to look back and realize what was happening.
The princess Barbie dolls and Bratz replaced the Spice girls. They focused on choice as empowerment and gave consumers dolls that they can identify with. The reality is that people shouldn’t want to identify with dolls or Bratz. People should be themselves and identify as the person they are, not limit themselves to the choices that society has given them.
Christine H.
The word empowerment was first used in late 70s early 80s by the intercommunity who overcame economic problems by banding together rather than relying on those outside the community. The Riot Grrrl movement started in the early 90s as an underground feminist punk movement. They empowered young women by joining a community and embracing a “do it yourself” approach to art. The origins of the Riot Grrrl movement is washington state and washington D.C. Traditionally punk shows were a bunch of guys moshing in the front creating a majorly violent atmosphere. Their girlfriends and other girls would be forced to stand in the back, so emerged all all girl punk bands which pushed for all girls to the front. Talk downs were also common after shows to discuss feminist issues. This was also peak time for zine culture. By the mid 90s riot grrrl culture was transformed by the marketplace into girl power. Examples being the spice girls; they represented empowerment and choice. Young women were addressed as consumers in the marketplace with choices. In 2001 we see the emergence of the Bratz dolls and Disney princess line linking itself with girl empowerment. Personally I do not recall having a tie to girl power in the marketplace. I know many young girls grew up with dolls and wanting to be princesses, but I don’t have those distinct memories as a child. I’m sure I did have a relationship with marketplace girl power while growing up, but I do not feel like it impacted me in a memorable way; or else I’d remember. I was a girly girl, I enjoyed dressing up and watching disney movies about princesses, but I do not remember any of it being tied to girl power. I do remember a time when I did want a Bratz doll and my mom would not buy it for me. Now being educated on feminist issues and socialization i;m glad she did not buy me that doll.
ReplyDeleteElexus T.
As I have grown in my feminist knowledge, my definition of empowerment has changed completely. What I once directly associated with girl power, Bobby Jack and Happy Bunny shirts that would say something along the lines of “Girls Rule, Boys Drool” is no longer tied to the marketplace. As Zeisler explains in her book, the phrase empowerment was first used in the 1970’s as a term relating to intra-community social services. Empowerment was used mostly in reference to oppressed communities helping one another when government supported organizations failed them. Feminism embraced empowerment as a social movement after it’s usage in the activism in the global south. Around the 1980’s and 90’s, after the phrase had enough time to be a strictly feminine word, did the marketplace pick it up. The music scene has always been male dominated, as are many professional fields in America. I can’t remember how many times I would go to shows as a teenager and be surrounded my sweaty, pushy, and violent men in the crowds. The concept of having an all-girls music and DIY scene is necessary and important, and we can gladly thank Riot Grrl for the inspiration. Riot Grrl began as a movement to create a safe space for women within the violent and male dominated punk scene. The movement then grew into an entire girl made girl run music scene, with the slogan “GIRLS TO THE FRONT” as not only a chant said during a show, but a genuine mantra. As the band Riot Grrl gained major popularity, the media obviously wanted to see what the big deal was. Sticking true to their anti-capitalist roots, Riot Grrl created a news media blackout, only giving interviews and quotes to feminist reporters or independent publications. Although this stayed true to what the group stood for and believed in, it didn’t really matter to mass media. Rather the news outlets just made up stories about the Riot Grrl’s and co-opted their “girl power” way of life. This co-optation of the girl power movement was the genesis of everyones favorite girl group, The Spice Girls. The Spice Girls were corporate made, apolitical, and easily to transfer into products. From the popularity of The Spice Girls and the ability for corporate America to commodify girl power, this is where the knowledge of said girl power that I acquired as a child came from. I have been a feminist for as long as I can remember, whether I knew the term or not, and I feel as though I can truly give credit to the concept of girl power. Growing up as a girl scout I was told that women could achieve everything, and with my mom being the amazing woman that she is I never doubted that once. I loved going to Limited Too and seeing all the shirts with funny cartoons about girls being better than boys. As I grew older and started to learn the more theoretical components of feminism, I realized that this was just capitalism. But I will say that in this capitalist society the marketplace is the easiest way to get a message to the masses.
ReplyDelete-Maddie R
In Zeisler’s chapter on the history of the use of “empowerment,” the RIOT GRRRL movement was a 90's punk movement that called for female empowerment in the punk scene. It was a response to the male-dominated shows and bands that overtook punk and it was a call for girls to find their own punk and claim it. With mantras like “girls to the front,” RIOT GRRRL bands took empowerment to the stage and ensured all girls at concerts were able to get close to the stage and have a safe space to enjoy the music without fear of mosh-pits or violence. It was an idea that welcomed any girl and said that anyone could join and pick up an instrument, it was a DIY collective call to action that brought feminism to the front of punk, bands had talk-downs during shows and ensured they're female fans felt safe, they also employed the use of zines to carry their message outside of their cities and to help empower girls across the US. As the media gained word of the RIOT GRRRL movement, the girls involved had a media blackout, knowing that the media would spin their message and not represent them the way they wanted. They also weren't looking to get famous off of RIOT GRRRL and the media attention was unwarranted. The media capitalized on their ideology anyways and created the marketplace version of RIOT GRRRL in “girl power” and the Spice Girls were born to promote that message. Girl power became a way to find female empowerment through consumer choices instead of collective action, it commodified the movement and made it about individual choice instead of a movement. I have always identified strongly with anything that connected itself to girl power, I was a huge Spice Girls fan, I always bought “girls rule” memorabilia, and I was always about wearing the right clothes to look like a “strong girl.” To this day, I'm a sucker for anything that says “girls rule,” I love sporting my feminism on my sleeve but I'm aware it is a capitalistic venture that feeds off the feminist movement and makes it about consumer choices. Now that I'm more educated on the marketplace and how it profits off political movements, I try to engage in buying empowering products that actually empower women across the world, like buying from female-owned/female-ran companies, companies that donate profits to female sanitary needs in the Global South, or female education needs in the Global South. Just last week I bought a box of tampons that says “here's to strong women on the top” but also donates it's proceeds to the Global South to provide tampons and pads in areas where girls go without them. I think empowering yourself through consumer choices doesn't help the movement, but if you can find ways to empower other women through consumer choices that helps the global movement to make women freer.
ReplyDeleteMegan J
“Empowerment” started being used for women’s self-esteem, achievement, and purchasing power during the late 1970s and early 80s (171). The Riot Grrrl movement came before the whole “Power” or “Girl Power” phrase developed (173). Riot Grrrl was an underground feminist punk movement started in the 1990s. It consisted of young women coming together to be empowered and to embrace the “do it yourself” approach to art. During the concerts the only rule was for the women to be at the front, displaying a safe space for the fans and for them to have the full experience (174). Once this movement became mainstream, in 1997 “Girl Power” was formed and from this phrase the Spice Girls were born (176). The Spice Girls were “pretty and accessible” and showcased “Girl Power” (176). “Girl Power” was a simple as putting on a t-shirt claiming, “Girls Kick Ass” and dancing with friends (177). In the Riot Grrrl, girl power was trying to get as many girl consumers. But what the Spice Girls did was focus girl power on empowerment (177). In the marketplace, there would be products being sold that related to the different Spice Girls. For example, different colors nail polish or a pencil case with the girls on it (178).
ReplyDeleteGrowing up I am positive I have had a relationship with “Girl Power” in the marketplace but, I did not realize it until now. I remember having a shirt saying, “Girls Rule, Boys Drool” as stated in the book. In elementary school I was really into playing with Bratz dolls. I would even prefer them over Barbie because there was more variety. I loved how they were so fashionable and did whatever they want. In their movie, they were rebellious and always made a statement and I remember wanting to be like them or dress like them. As a kid, I never noticed how much I was surrounded with “Girl Power” merchandise.
Kaitlyn A.
Zeisler describes the origins of the term “empowerment” as stemming in the late 70s and early 80s. The term is connected to intracommunity economic strategies for marginalized communities. In the early 90s, third wave feminism began to use the term as a “do it yourself” call to collective action. The Riot Grrrl movement was an underground feminist punk movement that was founded in Washington and Washington D.C. It started off as a way for females to actually enjoy concerts and events because they would usually get pushed to the back of venues in order for men to take the front rows and dominate the event. Women wanted a means to have these experiences without the men and take charge of their own desires and so the Riot Grrrls began underground. Girls were in the front and there wasn’t a single man that could push them to the back. This was all about being inclusive among females and instilling that anyone could play an instrument and contribute. This fostered a growth and unity in feminism, especially through the Zine culture and having talk-downs after concerts. Unfortunately the movement was brought down by the misrepresentation of the media after Riot Grrls refused to speak about themselves. So instead, the media came up with their own messages about them which were not true, and then a different crowd began to be interested in Riot Grrls. During the mid 90s the movement morphed into Girl Power. The Spice Girls addressed young women desiring empowerment as consumers with choices and this began the branding of many things involving the movement with a means of empowerment through choice. But of course the options were all very girly, such as the Bratz dolls and Disney Princess line. I myself grew up during a time where all of my friends had a Bratz doll and I had one too. I do remember feeling very excited to finally get a Bratz doll because she was a soccer player like me. I felt tied to it and a connection. I certainly felt the same way about the Disney Princesses, who I wished to be.
ReplyDeleteRegina D.
On the chapter of “Empowerment” the Riot Grrrl movement, it was explained as an underground feminist punk movement. Just like rock shows for men, where they could go be aggressive and let off the steam that they want, Riot Grrrl was created for that same purpose. Women come together in a safe rock and roll environment to express themselves and what was going on with them. It started in Washington DC, in most recently society. The goal is to empower young women by joining a community and embracing a “Do It Yourself” approach to art. The focus was on the Zines Culture, which started as a homemade magazine that highlight women’s issues. Where after the show the women would have talk downs where they discussed about the songs they performed, the meaning of them, and what women went through. Once the media got a hold to it, they started making fun of it and killed the movement.
ReplyDeleteIn the mid 90’s Riot Grrrl was transformed by the marker place into “Girl Power”. Where empowerment equaled choice. This is when the Spice Girls came out and started to promote girl power and female choice. Girls had the choice to choose a girl that represented them. Girl power was that marketed through everything from Pepsi to polaroid. For me growing up i did not have a good relationship to girl power because i was to focused on trying to live and survive. but i was greatly influenced by the Spice Girls because they were they only ones out, girl wise that had someone i could relate to, which was scary spice.
(Lenora Curtis) for the post above @7:01
ReplyDelete