1. Karoline Khamis
EDU 280 Final
Body Image, Consumerism & Grrrl Rock:
Putting the ‘Y’ in DIY
"Except for Joan of Arc and Anne Frank,
the thoughts of teenage girls have rarely been
taken seriously."
Description: Activities, Videos and Oral Histories that define media, sexism and body
image, and encourage critical thought about consumerist images in juxtaposition with
bodily self-esteem. (60-90 min)
(Slide #1 ^)
(Slide #2 v)
Materials:
Magazines that can be used for an art project; various titles depending on age groups
Middle school – teen poster mags, cosmo teen, People, Us, 3-4 Local Weeklies, art
mags, photo mags
High school - Glamour, Bust, Maxim, Self, People, Us, Cosmo, Marie Claire, Bitch,
Tattoo mags, car mags, 3-4 Local weeklies, Soma/art mags, photo mags
Scissors – 4-6 pair
Glue
Wrapping paper, Construction Paper, tissue paper (zines)
White Paper
Markers and Colored Pencils

2. (Slide #3)
Activities:
I. Draw Ourselves - 5 MINUTES
Talk about Who I Am: Musician, Activist, Woman
How I became a musician, who I am and What kind of music I play, how playing music
was a privilege.
I wanted to have fun doing it, sometimes feel like i'm always playing in someone elses
project, but i have some original material… it is superfun to get paid to do what i love, but i
keep doing it even when i don't get paid… not just a hobby, but a musical, artistic life, much
like all you young ladies are creating here… I didn’t really discover the underground until i
started to look for women musicians - in 60s rock i found them, then once i looked past 80s
rock, i couldn't early find the same style of rocker… i wondered why i had to look so hard.
thats all i was being offered - on the radio, in concerts, so I had to look elsewhere – locally –
but also through vehicles that weren’t readily advertised to me. (Benway Bop - Later
BAlcony)
Activism – had some experiences to deal with in high school that led me to ask WHY?
About many social injustices.
(Slide #4)
II. 5 MIN – Break into Groups – by age if restricted..
LOOK AT OUR PICS, FIND 3 THINGS WE LIKE, PUT A HEART ON THEM, OR WRITE THEM
DOWN, talk about what our favorite body part is and why…
(Slide #5)
III. 15 MINUTES - Can stay in groups during videos
MAKE A LIST WHILE GROUP LOOKS AT MAGS –
WHAT DO THE WOMEN LOOK LIKE? Do they look like us? Why or why not?
WHAT ARE THE WOMEN DOING? – are they doing anything we do?
Video #1 3:09 Mirror In My Mind - pt 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAa07LYkx-A
HOW I FELT ABOUT MY SKIN - AND STILL DO

3. WHAT MAKEUP REALLY LOOKS LIKE, What airbrush is made of
WHAT WAS 'PRETTY' WAS BAD FOR ME, AND MADE ME UGLIER
Video #2 5:39 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP31r70_QNM
PEOPLE ACTUALLY USE DUCT TAPE AND PHOTOSHOP!
Photoshop Effect - this is a health fitness video maker! she already works out and is in
her target weight range… she goes on a potshot to show the difference between her real
photo and her photoshopped photo
**Go over group answers to above questions –
do the magazine images represent us accurately?
***What is ‘media? – magazines, internet, TV, movies –
media effects on body image –how we confuse consumerism with real bodies…
(Slide #6)
IV. Riot Grrl Herstory, Zines, DIY & Y!! – 15 Minutes
- during the videos feel free to cut up the magazines and find things you might want to
make into collages..
Video #3 8 MINUTES..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1ieiTaJrN4 2:48
(Have it on for video in the background, sound optional after intro "Girl Style Now")
"let’s get all these girls to play instruments, take over, change everything!"
“All you have to do is sound like yourselves.”
Bratmobile member Jen Smith reacted to the violence of the 1990 & 1991 by writing
in a letter to Allison Wolfe: "This summer's going to be a girl riot." Other reports say she
wrote, "We need to start a girl riot." Soon afterwards, Wolfe and Molly Neuman
collaborated with Kathleen Hanna and Tobi Vail to create a new zine and called it Riot
Grrrl, combining the "riot" with an oft-used phrase that first appeared in Vail's fanzine
Jigsaw "Revolution Grrrl Style Now".[6] Riot grrrls took a growling double or triple r,
placing it in the word girl, as a way to take back the derogatory use of the term.[7]
“‘Grrrl’ signifies a feisty, assertive girl or woman, who relishes a political
engagement with feminist issues” (Leonard 117). It’s the youth’s form of feminism that is

4. both popular and sub cultural. What started in 1991 as a group of women and girls, who
wanted to be more involved in the male punk scene instead of just girlfriends of the men
involved, became women reclaiming their voices (Garrison 156). In other words, it was the
female punk answer to being ignored. And so, stemming from a much angrier, more honest
and straightforward identification of girl the Riot Grrrl Movement was born. Just when “at a
time in their lives when girls are taught to be silent, Riot Grrrl demands that they scream”
(Rosenberg and Garfalo 810).
Two bands, relatively un-known within popular culture, but inextricably
intertwined with the beginnings of the Riot Grrrl Movement are Bikini Kill and Bratmobile.
Both bands had their beginnings in the early 90s. During the summer of 1991, Hanna along
with the members of Bratmobile, created and set in motion, the zine, Riot Grrrl which
“quickly became a call to action for increased feminist activity and female involvement in
the punk rock scene” (Wikipedia).
But the movement didn’t fully take off until The International Pop Underground
Convention, otherwise known as IPU, took place in August, 1991 in Olympia, Washington.
The first night was designated ‘Girl Night’ which was when female musicians were able to
perform, grrrl zines such as Bikini Kill, Girl Germs, Jigsaw and Chainsaw were distributed,
and together, the female audience members responded to instances of sexism. Bands such
as Bikini Kill and Bratmobile took the stage along with other performers including Heavens
to Betsy, Lois Maffeo, Nikki McClure and 7 Year Bitch. As information about riot grrrl
expanded, networks of women and girls became heavily involved (Leonard 118). From
August 20-August 25, 1991, K Records held an indie music festival called the International
Pop Underground (IPU) Convention. An all-female bill on the first night called "Love Rock
Revolution Girl Style Now" signaled a major step in the movement. Many people who'd only
known each other from networking, mail, or talking on the phone, finally met and were
brought together by an entire night of music dedicated to, for, and by women. "play just
'cause you wanna, no matter what" attitude was one of the most appealing and liberating
aspects of both the '77 punk (male dominated) AND riot grrl movement.
Visible signs of the growing movement were evident in the number of new zines
produced and the increasing number of female bands that began to identify with Riot Grrrls.
For instance, in 1991, 162 publications were collected, and, in 1993, 47 new girl bands
started up all linking themselves to the term ‘Riot Grrrl’ (118).

5. After a while, the Riot Grrrl Movement opened up the gig environment as a place for
more than just performances. Debates were encouraged, making the space not just an area
for passive viewing, but a comfortable and safe atmosphere for different thoughts and ideas
to be voiced. Feminism dress codes were adopted by many, challenging images of typical
and generally acceptable female display. Several ‘Riot Grrrl bands’ even took to personally
labeling their bodies, writing words on their arms and stomachs such as ‘slut’ and ‘whore’.
The whole idea of this was to offer a different critique of feminine etiquette, intending to
shock and confront gender conformity (121).
PEOPLE LOVED IT OR HATED IT - more asking the questions than making a statement, it
was seen as a reaction to more conservative feminist statements of the late 80’s..
In addition to the performance space transforming into more of an open forum for
women to express their dissatisfaction with the male dominated punk rock culture, women
had other ways of reinventing this new subculture. Moving beyond punk rock feminism,
zines popularized. Through them, girls were able to share thoughts and ideas on different
subjects. Rape, domestic abuse, sexuality and female empowerment were just some of the
issues addressed. Riot Grrrl uses zine writing and publishing as a basic method of
empowerment. Most producers are explicit that they do not want to make a profit from
their zine. Instead, they simply want to embrace and showcase a rough, self-motivated
presentation of ideas and images that girls struggle with every day of their lives. Zines
producers rely on representational strategies developed through the Do-It-Yourself second
wave principals, experimenting with subject matter and format which rejects mainstream
publications and challenges political orthodoxies of all types (Collins 67-8).
(Slide #7)
V. what is a zine? – pass ‘em out…
Riot grrrl's momentum was also hugely supported by an explosion of creativity in
defiantly homemade cut-and-paste, xeroxed, collagey zines that covered a variety of
feminist topics, frequently attempting to draw out the political implications of intensely
personal experiences with sexism, mental illness, body image and eating disorders, sexual
abuse, racism, rape, discrimination, stalking, domestic violence, incest, homophobia, and
sometimes vegetarianism.
(Slide #8)

6. A declaration by the band Bikini Kill outlines Riot Grrrl philosophy:
BECAUSE us girls crave record and books and fanzines that speak to US that WE feel
included in and can understand in our own ways.
BECAUSE we wanna make it easier for girls to see/hear each other’s work so that
we can share strategies and criticize-applaud each other.
BECAUSE we want and need to encourage and be encouraged in the face of all our
own insecurities, in the face of beergutboyrock that tells us we can’t play our
instruments, in the face of “authorities” who say our bands/zines/etc. are the worst
in the U.S.
BECAUSE we are angry at a society that tells us Girl=Dumb, Girl=Bad, Girl=Weak.
BECAUSE we are unwilling to let our real and valid anger be diffused and/or turned
against us via the internalization of sexism as witnessed in girl/girl jealousism and
self-defeating girl type behaviors.
BECAUSE I believe with my wholeheartmindbody that girls constitute a
revolutionary soul force that can, and will, change the world for real
**What is DIY?
Another distinguishing characteristic of the Riot Grrrl Movement, and a significant
reason as to why most girls take part, as previously mentioned with the zines, is Do-It-
Yourself (D.I.Y.). For many, Riot Grrrl is a D.I.Y. community. Within this community grrrl’s
can break the rules and challenge something they don’t believe in and still feel comfortable
voicing their opinion, whether it be through a blog, zine, punk music, workshops or any
other avenues of venting. When grrrls feel alone resulting from a disagreement with the
cultural majority, there’s a network of people they can turn to and rely on.
This ethic of “Do-It-Yourself! (Or you may be misrepresented!)” implies action on
the part of zine producers who seek to express their beliefs and experiences in their own
forums. In other words, the D.I.Y. ethic encourages active participation in the production of
critical beliefs and practices in a place of passive acceptance or consumption of established
political norms or representational media (68).
But the D.I.Y. doesn’t stop at zines. Conventions were held allowing Riot Grrrls to
meet, exchange zines they produces, and bands performed. Grrrls everywhere began to
hold workshops for other grrrls, focusing on topics much like the zines. Grrrls would

7. gather and discuss and debate, and sometimes just listen, to the stories of other grrrls in
similar situations or facing comparable circumstances. Just like in the zines they shared
with one another, topics such as eating disorders, self-mutilation, racism and self-defense,
among other concerns were thoroughly talked about.
Through these conventions and incorporating the D.I.Y. agenda, Riot Grrrls again
took off. More often, technology began to creep its way into the scene, allowing for
alternate forms of media and more widespread coverage, reaching grrrls everywhere.
Various zines, such as Grrowl! and Bitch made corresponding web pages known as online
zines, or e-zines. Through these e-zines readers are able to react and interact with the
author/publisher. Through the e-zines, publishers are also able to link other feminist
related/feminist-oriented web pages. And with it, the internet e-zine phenomenon brought
the whole new idea of cyberspace as a third wave and Riot Grrrl expression (Orr 39).
Race became another issue within the movement. Riot Grrrls were predominately
white, middle to upper class. It was an angry, white, female, punk reaction to the male
dominated punk scene. Outsiders involved in the movement attempted to deride it and
many disassociated themselves with it completely. Much of the movement was based on
word of mouth which tended to be passed along, remaining within the stereotypical
boundaries because of racial segregation (Rosenberg and Garofalo 811).
Riot Grrrls allowed girls to have all their rights and opinions. With it, they had the
ability, and used it accordingly, to vent and share with others their own enjoyments and
frustrations and needs. Though not necessarily victorious on all fronts, Riot Grrrl has been
successful in causing girls to have revolutions within and of their lives (841). Riot Grrrl has
changed and will continue to change those involved within the movement, some through
mainstream, while others still through word of mouth and the underground.
VI. Active Activism
Grrrls had shows and meetings – discussed political climate and their personal
experiences with sexism, sexual violence, and art.
*The political climate of the time included Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas, Reproductive
freedom, Sexual Assault, reproduction
* also stories about who they want to be, and what good they want to see in the world,
stories about bad things that had happened to them, like sexism or even abuse, music, art,

8. jobs, family, about any experiences we may have had in music or otherwise
**SEXISM - what is it? The belief that one sex or gender is better than another.
"The Radical Notion that women are people" AND "The Personal is Political"
They were attacked onstage at times, couldn't get sound that was good, or wouldn't be
plugged in until they said they were single, or were otherwise harassed. "every show we
played was a war. no crowd control, no manager - bowling alleys"
***RADICAL - means system changing, means SEXISM changing
"any time a woman picks up a guitar and says, sings what she feels, it's a radical act"
"really important that we're girls, that we're doing new things."
These grrls weren't trying to say - do one thing or another, but telling stories is important!
Now YOU are creating Herstory on stage and in print..
**RECLAIMING MEDIA - doing things as women is important, historically women
weren't allowed to speak in public, hold political office, vote, be lawyers, doctors,
musicians, or go to college - they learned from male siblings or went to girls schools which
were often about etiquette.
VII. 10-30 minutes – play some of the Riot Grrl music
**Girls can cut up mags if they want and start the zine project
- decide how they want to do the project – art, poetry, lyrics
- start a discussion topic list, maybe plan a meeting for after their practice
**Share last year’s Girls Rock Camp Videos
popcorn! music!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmTQHkvV3bQ&playnext=1&list=PL5B1E38326E1B7
C91
*This video along with the band Care Bears on Fire were the inspiration behind
creating a presentation for the womyn of Girls Rock Las Vegas. Thank you to the teachers
and volunteers of this program for showing me that in order to create an educated, artistic,
sustainable course of human action – we must teach girls.

9. RESOURCES
Collins, Dana. “No Experts: Guaranteed!: Do-It-Yourself Sex Radicalism and the Production
of the Lesbian Sex Zine ‘Brat Attack’.” Signs 25.1 (1999) 65-89.
Garrison, Ednie Kaeh. “U.S. Feminism-Grrrl Style! Youth (Sub)Cultures and the
Technologies of the Third Wave.” Feminist Studies 26.1 (2000) 141-170.
Harris, Anita. “gURL scenes and grrrl zines: the regulation and resistance of girls in late
modernity.” Feminist Review 75 (2003) 38-42.
Leonard, Marion. Gender in the Music Industry: Rock, Discourse and Girl Power. Burlington,
VT: Ashgate, 2007
Orr, Catherine M. “Charting the Currents of the Third Wave.” Hypatia 12.3 (1997) 29-45.
"Riot Grrrl." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 6 Dec 2008, 02:59 UTC. 8 Dec 2008
Rosenberg, Jessica and Gitana Garofalo. “Riot Grrrl: Revolutions from Within.” Signs
23.3(1998) 809-841.
Gillian Garr, She's a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock and Roll. New York: Seal Press,
1992.
Chérie Turner, The Riot Grrrl Movement: The Feminism of a New Generation , New York:
The Rosen Publishing Group, 2001 (Everything You Need to Know About young people's
series)
Nadine Monem (ed), Riot Grrrl: Revolution Girl Style Now!, London: Black Dog Publishing,
2007.
Marion Leonard, Gender in the Music Industry: Rock, Discourse and Girl Power, Aldershot:
Ashgate, 2007.