Riot Grrrl Movement

2282 Words5 Pages

In order to understand the topic that is to be discussed in this essay, one must first understand two seemingly unrelated topics. Those topics are feminism and punk rock. These two social movements spawned the love child that has come to be known as the riot grrrl movement. The history of the riot grrrl movement is deep and intensely intertwined with themes of monumental social change, musical evolution, and the previously unseen all-encompassing nature that is unique to third wave feminism.

Many historians learned on the subject are of the opinion that first wave feminism originated in the 18th century with Mary Wollstonecraft’s publication titled Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792), and came to an end after the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1920. (nypl.org/blogs/subject/first-wave-feminism.) The Nineteenth Amendment did not grant women the right to vote, as many people believe, but simply guaranteed women their rights that were outlined in the original United States Constitution, and had been denied to them up until this point. Therefore, the Nineteenth Amendment protects woman’s right to vote.

The first wave feminist movement was primarily concerned with woman’s right to vote as outlined above, and the basic notion that women are capable of being independent human beings and not simply the property of their husbands or fathers, as well as intelligent, logical, and capable of being fully functioning members of society. During the first wave of feminism, women banded together and created their own political, social justice movement for equality from the ground up, a trait that is perhaps unique to first wave feminism and the riot grrrl movement among feminist movements in the United States...

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... “traditional woman’s role” cannot possibly be empowered. And perhaps most importantly, the third wave feminist movement works in solidarity with other social movements taking place currently, such as GLBTQ rights, immigrant rights, and many others. (Turner, 25-33.)

Feminism has changed drastically throughout history, though with the introduction on punk rock, and later riot grrrl, the ‘80s and ‘90s found themselves bringing previously unexplored social change in dramatically new ways. The face of modern feminism and the beginning of what was to become the third wave feminist movement were sculpted due to riot grrrl efforts in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and though this is often overlooked historically, even when studying or teaching feminism, it Is vitally important, as it may very well change the outcome of the ever evolving and continuing woman’s liberation movement.

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