Since today is International Women's Day and everything, I thought it would be fitting to take a look at the riot grrrl revival on tumblr. While I'm critical of it now, it was my introduction to social justice issues and feminism, and it's funny to look back on it. As a young teen, it was hard not to get sucked in by cute little pins and graphics with "girl power!" written on them, leading me to self-identify as a feminist without really knowing what feminism was, and basing my political views over whatever the hell I was seeing on my tumblr dashboard.
Trigger warning below for rape mention.
This particular brand of feminism was inspired by the kinderwhore and riot grrrl movements of the '90s and borderline worshipped figures like Courtney Love and Kathleen Hana, as well as artists like Petra Collins. It also focused a lot on reproductive justice—things like ending rape culture, advocating for safe abortions, and removing period stigmatization.
Don't get me wrong, those are good and important issues, but since they were almost the sole focus of tumblr grrrl activism, it got a lot of (rightful) criticism for being trans-exclusive, lacking diversity, and focusing on issues that mainly affected white, privileged women. At the time I didn't really have the language to article this because I thought that "vagina power" was feminism, but it made me kind of uncomfortable. Like, there are so many other aspects to womanhood and navigating society under the male gaze. It felt weird to define my activism by my body when it felt like—and still feels like— such a small part of who I am.
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| American Apparel graphic tee designed by Petra Collin—a prime example of this type of feminism. At the time, feminists would praise how it directly addresses stigma around menstruation and body hair, but later on, Petra's work would draw criticism for equating womanhood with vaginas. |
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| Another photo by Petra Collins for Rookie Mag. Rookie also received criticism for centering white thin women, but over time I think they got better about being more intersectional. |
My tumblr feminist phase reminds me of that Walter Benjamin quote: "the logical outcome of fascism is an aestheticization of political life.” You can make bubblegum gifs that say "my body my choice" and reblog kawaii infographics all day long as a form of "activism," but I learned the hard way that, at the end of the day, the government is still going to strip away your rights. To be clear, I don't think the girly-ness of tumblr grrrl feminism was entirely a bad thing—there's something to be said about reclaiming feminine things and viewing them as powerful and valuable in a society that dismisses them. But it's a double-edged sword.
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| tumblr grrrl DIYs |
sources
https://girlsgetbusyzine.tumblr.com/post/34836772935/moderngirlblitz-not-your-doll-button-via-modern
https://girlsgetbusyzine.tumblr.com/post/30328362293
https://girlsgetbusyzine.tumblr.com/post/28165713419/furbag-chlo-and-i-reppin-ggb
https://girlsgetbusyzine.tumblr.com/post/24569462524
https://girlsgetbusyzine.tumblr.com/post/24188461181
https://alien-glitter-fiend.tumblr.com/post/40914615150
https://girlsgetbusyzine.tumblr.com/post/32732647572/submitted-by-stilljollyafteralltheseyears-sassy
https://girlsgetbusyzine.tumblr.com/post/38222644621/thepulpgirls-wear-your-heart-on-your-anything
https://riotgrrrlberlin.tumblr.com/post/31613063077/sissies-rule-fuck-macho-bull-shit-forever-patch
https://girlsgetbusyzine.tumblr.com/post/34836772935/moderngirlblitz-not-your-doll-button-via-modern
https://www.tumblr.com/mynamessheila/13327391999
https://-riot-grrrl-.tumblr.com/post/21165857703/bad-skin-doll-heart-on-we-heart-it
While publications like Girls Get Busy and Rookie Mag (to an extent) tried to combine cutesy girl-power DIYs with thoughtful feminist content, it was almost too easy for everyone else to rip off those ideas and turn them into choice feminism, or the idea that anything a woman does is inherently empowering and should be free from criticism.
Plastic surgery is a great example of this. Recently, it was rebranded as a feminist act since you're "taking ownership over your body," even though nine times out of ten it's just a way to conform to white supremacist and patriarchal beauty standards. And of course I don't think anyone should be shamed for plastic surgery—it's hard enough living in a world that constantly tells you your worth is in your appearance. But is it liberating? Are you challenging the patriarchy in any way by getting that BBL? Would you still want that nose job if we lived in a world without racism and sexism? .....Much to think about.
The whole rise of choice feminism makes me feel that feminism itself is in a rough patch right now. Tradwives and stay-at-home daughters seem to dominate on the internet, along with the idea of being "just a girl," or giving in to your own subjugation in the patriarchy (I talk about this more in my coquette bows post).
Despite its glaring flaws, I think tumblr grrrl feminism inspired more people to do something, whether that was starting a tumblr zine, emailing a senator, or just learning more about feminism. The tone felt a lot more hopeful, and dare-I-say empowering, compared to the so-called feminist content I see today, which is less about challenging the patriarchy and more about coping with it.
I'm sure we'll see another feminist revival in the coming years (that is how history works after all), but with rollback on abortion access and an imminent Trump presidency, it's going to be a long, hard wait.
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