Those of us reading The Bell Jar, I'd like you to research 3rd wave feminism, particularly its music. I'd like you to find out what led to this wave, who comprised it, and how the riot grrl movement used brash, obnoxious music in the name of creating a newer feminine identity. Links to songs and research is greatly appreciated. And let's try to use our own words instead of cutting and pasting information.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CONTENT OF SOME OF THIS MUSIC IS OFTEN CRASS AND SEXUAL IN NATURE AND MIGHT BE CONSIDERED OFFENSIVE.
I'll be honest and say that I did not do a lot of research on this, but it came up while I was researching for the homework on 2nd wave feminism. Most of my knowledge is from wiki.
ReplyDeleteThe 3rd wave feminism started because "Feminist leaders rooted in the Second-Wave called for a new subjectivity in feminist voice" (wiki). The 3rd wave feminism is mostly seen as a continuation of the 2nd wave, because women wanted further changes in how women are viewed in society and how they are portrayed by the media. However, the third wave is trying to stay away from the definition of femininity from the second wave, which "assumed a universal female identity and over-emphasized the experiences of upper-middle-class white women"(wiki).
The Riot Grrrl movement sought to create a new feminine identity by reaching out to female audiences through music about issues like "rape, domestic abuse, sexuality, and female empowerment" (wiki). The movement allowed women to express their thoughts, opinions, or experiences on these issues while making music.
What I found most interesting in my research (if it can be called that) was what happened in concerts held by bands associated with the movement. "Bands like Bikini Kill would often actively invite members of the audience to talk about their personal experiences with sensitive issues like sexual abuse...almost always demand that the mosh boys move to the back or side to allow space in front for the girls in the audience" (wiki). I liked the fact that these bands were trying to make concerts a safe place for women not only physically but also emotionally in the sense that they can share their experiences (it's like a huge support group or something). I felt unpleasant reading that the male audiences often booed when they were demanded to move to allow more girls to get to the front. The band is orientated towards a female audience and they try to make the concert a safe haven for women and yet there are men who think it's not right to step aside - I don't think these men have a right to boo. The 3rd wave feminism is trying to fight for more equality and I think allowing women to the front of a mosh pit provides some equality and definitely does not deserve booing.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third-wave_feminism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riot_grrrl
Yu Heng Chen period 10
Third Wave Feminism is a result of the ongoing oppression of women in modern times. Women, often subjected to degradation in the media, were tired of their depiction of being fragile and weak. When Hillary Belzer, B.A., and her professor, Jeffrey Peck, PhD, interviewed a so-called "Riot Grrrl" about the causes and meanings of this movement, they were told, "We are tired of boy band after boy band, boy zine after boy zine, boy punk after boy punk after boy… BECAUSE we need to talk to each other. Communication/inclusion is the key. We will never know if we don’t break the code of silence… BECAUSE in every form of media we see us/myself slapped, decapitated, laughed at, objectified, raped, trivialized, pushed, ignored, stereotyped, kicked, scorned, molested, silenced, invalidated, knifed, shot, choked and killed. BECAUSE a safe space needs to be created for girls where we can open our eyes and reach out to each other without being threatened by this sexist society and our day to day bullshit."
ReplyDeleteWow.
Powerful.
Many modern punk bands, such as Bikini Kill, have integrated these themes into their songs. For example, in their song "Rebel Girl," the lyrics go:
That girl thinks she's the queen of the neighborhood
She's got the hottest trike in town
That girl she holds her head up so high
I think I wanna be her best friend yeah
When she talks I hear the revolution
In her hips there's revolution
Where she walks the revolution's coming
In her kiss I taste the revolution
In this song, the band tries to integrate the themes of women having power -- in this case, the power to have a revolution.
Personally, I think this is very powerful. The feminine identity (or lack of) has been an ongoing topic throughout our reading of TBJ, as well as in TSAR, and I feel that this is very relevant.
Links
www8.georgetown.edu/cct/thesis/HillaryBelzer.pdf
http://www.metrolyrics.com/rebel-girl-lyrics-bikini-kill.html
Also, for the song, "Rebel Girl"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DSSFJJ5Wo4
Shinnosuke Takahashi
period 10
Lead singer of Bikini Kill Kathleen Hanna is one of the coolest people ever. A good person to look into for research.
ReplyDeleteThird wave feminism arose as a reaction to to the second wave of feminism and the realization that women come from a multitude of backgrounds. It represents women of color, low-income women, and lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women. It focuses on diversity and changing the interpretation of the female identity. Women are encouraged to form their own identities from the pool of sometimes contradicting female identities. It also focuses on other issues such as reproductive rights and women exploring sexuality. This attitude is displayed in shows like "Sex in the City".
ReplyDeleteThe riot grrrl movement is a punk rock movement in which bands address issues like rape, female empowerment, domestic abuse, racism, sexuality, and sexism. These bands include Bikini Kill, Jack Off Jill, and The Butchies. Mr. Ferencz was right, Kathleen Hanna is really interesting. I was really confused by the fact that, as a feminist, she worked as a stripper to put herself through school. She also talks openly about her abortion at age 15. She is a huge activist icon who always stands up for what she believes in (and she's pretty badass!).
Here's an interview with Kathleen Hanna:
http://www.indexmagazine.com/interviews/kathleen_hanna.shtml
Before I dive into third wave feminism, I wanted to research what the difference is between the first wave, second wave, and third wave of feminism.
ReplyDeleteFirst wave feminism started with feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft and focused on getting women out of the position of being extremely dependent on their husbands, aiming for women to actually be treated as human beings. The movement set out to get women certain rights, such as an education, career options, property rights after a marriage, and of course, the right to vote. However, this movement focused mostly on middle class women as the poor working class women weren't concerned with these problems.
Second wave feminism began around the time of World War II when working class women became more significant in the time of war. This movement aimed to gain equality for women in the working class, such as equal pay and equal job opportunities.
Now, third wave feminism began with bisexual African American Rebecca Walker after she published an article in the Ms. magazine titled "I am the Third Wave" and is still going on to this day. Third wave feminism is similar to the previous waves in terms of opening opportunities for women and undermining any injustices towards the female gender. However, it aims to include ALL women in the struggle for gender equality. The previous waves of feminism had focused solely on the problems that middle class women and working class women had faced. The problem with that is that there were different feminist groups as well, such as black feminists and homosexual feminists, along with these social feminists that aimed to solve different problems that different groups of women were faced with, so the movement was not together. Third wave feminism aims to include all the "voices of... young women, non-heterosexual women, and women of color" (Tom Head) for a more unified and effective fight against inequality.
Links:
http://georgetowncollege.edu/Departments/ws/1st,_2nd,_3rd_wave.htm
http://civilliberty.about.com/od/gendersexuality/p/third_wave.htm
http://punkmusic.about.com/od/punkinprint/p/riotgrrl.htm
Aaron Chong
period 10
The Riott Grrrl musical movement resulted from this third wave of feminism. Punk rock is a hardcore musical style that is mainly associated with men. Bands of the Riott Grrrl movement aimed to undermine that idea and produced incredibly obnoxious songs that emphasize the power of the woman and even belittle the importance of the man. Emphasizing the woman, many bands even addressed issues concerning women even to this day, such as "surviving rape and sexual abuse, and eating disorders" (Ryan Cooper)
ReplyDeleteBikini Kill was a famous band associated with the Riott Grrrl movement. Through their music, they often ridicule the man to emphasize the idea that woman should be seen as equals and that they don't need to depend on any man for any reason.
In their song, White Boy", it goes:
"I'm so sorry if I'm alienating some of you
Your whole [f-----g] culture alienates me
I can not scream in pain from down here on my knees
I'm so sorry that I think!
White boy...........don't laugh.... .........don't cry........Just die!"
In this song, they ridicule the man by sarcastically apologizing for looking down upon this man and ignoring him. They emphasize the fact that they are independent and that they don't need this man throughout the whole song, and overemphasize it with their final line "just die!" They even add "don't cry" as if they are above him.
Their other song, "Don't Need You" is also straightforward in its message.
With lines like, "Don't need your protection" and "Does it scare you boy that we don't need you? We Don't need you, We don't need you", they continue to convey the strong message that women have the ability to stand alone, just as men are able to, and even give off the idea that they may even be better at it than men are.
Their lead singer Kathleen Hanna has given her insight into what it was like to be a part of a feminist band. She's said that it was really complicated because of all her mixed reviews. Women were in love with it and men would express their dislike by throwing things during shows, and screaming obnoxious lines at her like "take it off". She's said that it's been hard dealing with these kind of guys because it gives her the bad reputation even though she's responding "normally" to a bunch of jerks. I thought that really sucked. Her band even gained a mean image through their feminist music as many fans have come up to her and repeatedly told her, "Wow you are such a nice person, I heard you were such a [b---h]"
Links:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/white-boy-lyrics-bikini-kill.html
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Don%27t-Need-You-lyrics-Bikini-Kill/9BFEBF49FBE7587E4825698C00353960
http://www.letigreworld.com/sweepstakes/html_site/fact/khfacts.html
http://www.indexmagazine.com/interviews/kathleen_hanna.shtml
Third wave feminism focused on the stereotype of women, opposition to gender violence, opposition to the use of derogatory terms for women, reproductive rights, race, and sexuality. It was a response to second wave feminism that focused solely on the woes of middle class white women. One part of third wave feminism is the riot grrrl movement. Riot grrrl bands usually sung about gender violence, rape,sexuality, and female empowerment.
ReplyDeleteI researched the band Jack Off Jill. They were one of the most popular and most controversial of the riot grrrl bands. Their onstage antics including stripping males and laughing at them, spitting on the crowd, and throwing blood and candy. They were considered riot goth legends and even performed with Marilyn Monroe. Another thing I liked about them is their name. Jacking off is usually a term used to describe male masturbation and the fact that they used it in the name for their female band is, in my opinion, a call for gender equality.
Here's a link to song by Jack Off Jill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFyh68nE4-M
Also, on an unrelated note, I was watching the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and in the episode "Def Poet's Society" of season one, one of the poems recited in the poetry club Will Smith joins is "Daddy," by Sylvia Plath, which we read in class. I found this awesome because these relates to the lesson about understanding the jokes in a TV show that we did with Family Guy. Also, something I learned in English class was useful outside of English class and I was like "Dude! This is crazy".