Feature
dir t y gi rl s riot grrrl, grrrl , kinderwhore,, kinderwhore
Subverting Expectations Through Style
Spring 2021
18
Designer: Laura Mattingly (Communications and Graphic Design)
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ts descendan ot grrrl and ri s, l e rr o g gr c t si ples. Rio minist mu shest exam t ra b es As far as fe e w h th rt s o Pacific N are perhap egan in the b of the genre at d th an y ge tl n inheren re of gru is a subgen 0s. It was an at included e early 199 th f -ed zines th o IY e D en h it w , re n punk sc laring ge d ical anifesto ec tically polit Riot Grrrl M a unapologe t, e, ar rs d u an and, of co of writing the genre, collections h its d ideals of an s al inking. Wit th go s al it the radic d spread ething of an m ce so ra e b am d to em t grrrl bec o ri , ls music use its direct ea id to ly feminist attributed e al n b n io at ca d h the n fou day, whic Hatred for t in its hey feminism. e av -w e d ir th a movemen ind th born, and thinking beh they were and link to the into which y et ci ld criticize u so co sexist here grrrls g w in s capitalist, ie ep it n ke u te eate comm input of ga ds ithout the desire to cr an w B – t. c u si tp u u eir own m t grrrls’ o ly applaud th atter of rio are general e subject m th ed el er fu at -Kinney le S d men – an , bile ill, Bratmo like Bikini K
considered to ha ve been those to t a l i s t , lik i p a c kickstart the subg e h t e Bikini Kill’s Puss r o enre’s popularity f d e y Whipped (1993 r . Albums H at ) and Bratmobile h c i ou tlin h e w wh ’s Pottymouth (19 y the movement o t n i y t exists, speaking 93) partly e i c o s face in a society to the torment wo that sees them as s exist men and girls e h du t m b, d we be n ak ing feminine (“A , and innocent, pr lien She” - Bikini b or n, a essured into Kill) and meant to Thing” - Bratmob they wer e be used by men ile ). In ad dit (“Love m ion o , ea c ch album praises th new-age feminists r e at e e rule-breaking sp : reclaiming their irit of se desi r e t o c xu ali zed bodies, freely really) about sexu singing (scream al experiences, an r rl s r g e r ing, e d ce h leb w ra do tin ing g their statuses so – both socially as rebels for and musically – mu n it i e s to p th m a e icr tu op ne d hone feedback. of noisy instrum entals and ici z e a n The visual aspect c o u l d c r it s of rio c t gr i rrl s ar e u jus m t characteristics. as important as r ow n The riot grrrl loo its audible k generally over and grunge, but p l au d t h e i laps with that of is m ade distinct by se 90s alt-rock t c e j veral iconic piece s ub ideals. Kathleen s inspired by the Hanna’s (Bikini Ki genre’s fu e l e d t h e ll an d Le Tigre) red, fo “KILL ME” written rm-fitting dress rl s ’ r across the ches r g t wi th o i t co r m es f to mind, as does Al lison Wolfe’s m at t e r o o ut p ut .
