Friday, March 06, 2009

it turned smart girls bold

I was just recommending Don't Need You to a friend a couple of days ago, so I'm thinking it's Riot Grrrl Week. Laura Barton of The Guardian looks at the movement 15 years on.

But even for those too young to have revelled in the first days of the movement, Riot Grrrl's influence has lingered, instrumental in establishing girls' rock camps such as Willie Mae Rock Camp in New York (where Kathleen Hanna mentors) and Portland's Rock'n'Roll Camp for Girls, which aim to encourage young girls and women to make music. "I went to see Babes in Toyland and Hole in the early 90s," says Allison Phillips, who is currently setting up a London-based girls' rock camp, "to really empower girls in the way I felt empowered by the Riot Grrl movement".

There have been other effects. Nadine Monem, editor of the book Riot Grrrl: Revolution Girl Style Now! puts it succinctly. "This is the real product of Riot Grrrl: women making things for themselves and for each other. It turned smart girls bold."