Thank you Riot Grrrl

Riot grrrl means a lot to me- sadly I was old enough when the real riot grrrl movement started- I was in a haze of pop and the diluted feminism the spice girls advocated- but ultimately they sort of led the way to finding riot grrrl, as my music taste changed to more rock and alternative, and I wanted to find the females in the scene, I found more and more, from the bands that influenced riot grrrl and eventually riot grrrl itself which I now consider to be a big part of my musical tastes and also a big influence on my political opinions.

I wish I could pinpoint the precise moment that I found Riot Grrrl, but I really can't. I think the song that probably led me to it was 'Rebel Girl' by Bikini Kill. There was something about this song, that I had never heard before, that somehow spoke to me. It wasn't a song about love, and it wasn't a song about friendship in the way that Spice Girls used to sing it. This song was different, this song had power, this song had ATTITUDE. I have heard this song many, many times now and I can never get bored of it. I know it may be a bit of an obvious choice but it really sums up Riot Grrrl for me, and because of this song, I eventually discovered other bands that Kathleen Hanna was involved in like Le Tigre, and I realised more and more, how much I admired this woman. She sang songs about rebel girls, told you to 'suck her left one' was passionate about being pro choice and spoke about issues female musicians never used to dare mention.

Because of riot grrrl and Kathleen Hanna, I could finally understand that I definitely did identify as a feminist and why. It was because of Riot Grrrl that I understood the need to do a show like Pigtails and Army Boots. It was because of Riot Grrrl that I became an activist for causes I believe in. It was because of Riot Grrrl that I felt able to do Ladyfest last year. It was because of Riot Grrrl that I felt inspired to read zines and write my own.

So Thank you Riot Grrrl for making me who I am..