Grrrl ZInes
Zines to start are self-published works of art that have a small circulation. They utilize various forms of art including writing, drawing, collage work, reimagination of pop culture, and more to fulfill the purpose of presenting a narrative about social concepts of the time. Grrrl Zines, specifically, were popularized in the late twentieth century, and are zines created by women which aimed to unite and form community as they combated sexism, homophobia, and racism. Furthermore, some of the works like The Jigsaw Manifesto called for a reinvention of the perception of women. They hoped to be seen as individuals that could use their ferocity to fight back against the troubles of everyday life. Many saw their existence as an example of the shift to third wave feminism. However, Alison Piepmeier, who wrote Girl Zines Making Media, Doing Feminism, believes this third wave feminism description is limiting and in reality Grrrl Zines represent much more.
Grrrl Zines were created by and with the notion of being punk girls. Naturally, the movement began to manifest itself through music and punk music, specifically. However, they immediately began to receive criticism for their work from mainstream media. They gained the label of a man-hating, violent, and destructive feminist sub-culture. This led to the narrative that Riot Grrrl as a girl gang that terrorized men with their confessions. False media representation caused widespread concern that the actions spawned from the movement would hurt society. Along with concern came critiques of how they behaved. They were shamed for how many musical groups appeared on stage, and what they wrote on their bodies, which included words like “slut” and rape”. However, the movement the media tried to shut down was a movement that could not be shut down, because it wanted its voice to be heard. The issues women faced needed to be heard and that is why the movement was so important. For instance, at concerts the performers often held the microphones out so that women could share their stories of sexual abuse. However, despite the seriousness of the topic, the media still used it against the movement. There was one case where a reporter created a false rumor that one of the members from the band, Bikini Kill, was raped by her father. It’s genuinely hard to fathom how society was so far from equality and how it was handled just decades ago.
Music helped create the conversations that needed to be had. Riot Grrrl bands wrote music that pertained to real issues the women faced and still face today. For example, the band Bikini Kill, in their songs “Feels Blind” and “Don’t Need You” discuss the issues of eating disorders and rejecting heterosexual relationship dynamics, respectively. On top of that, the band Bratmobile discussed the issue of expectations for women in their song “Teenager”. These songs and so many more touch on topics that women face daily, but up until then, rarely talked about.
Society today has made amazing strides in so many ways. Not only have we come closer to reaching equality but we have also begun to start having important conversations. Whether it is pertaining to expectations, sexual orientation, equality, or mental health, our society has become far more open and encouraging for these tough talks to happen, because they are essential. Society has advanced in ways unimaginable from when the Riot Grrrl movement started. Grrrl Zines fundamentally had a large role in allowing for the advancement of women, as well as society, as it encouraged people to have those tough talks and be open with one another.