Girl Power?

If there’s one thing that I get so fed up with when it comes to in the world of rock is the old school view about women in music. Band’s fronted by women, or even containing female members are often harped on about being girl power or girl oriented rock. Can’t it just be considered the same as male rock bands? I blame this on two primary things: 1) the industry and, 2) the women who are musicians who continue to sing about being a woman, and being equal. If you want to be considered equal, I have to be blunt and advise you, shut up and make your music without making your point.
Alicia Keys has that song “Superwoman”, but I’m just asking to cancel the Oprah Winfrey generation crap about being a “super woman” and just make some quality music.
I appreciate Karen O for this. Yeah Yeah Yeah’s front woman is able to hold undeniable sex appeal and musical ability without raising up the idea constantly that yes, she is a “woman in a man’s world”. Her songs are raw, excellent and don’t once mention the phrase, “I am Woman” or something of similar effects, thank Christ, or I might be asking for a bucket.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Girl what?

Kathleen Hanna, although a fan of her work from Le Tigre and Bikini Kill, is a big culprit of shedding light on this issue. Not so much evident in her later band, Le Tigre’s, songs, Bikini Kill’s music was constantly (and rather explicitly) open about the fact that they are an all girl group. Their 1993 debut album was appropriately called “Pussy Whipped” and you better believe that Hanna did not hold back. The song Rebel Girl became a huge number for the band, and its content made it clear that Hanna was all woman. But, contrary to my previous rant about women who beat the idea that they are a woman to death, Hanna is merely dirty, sexy, and isn’t so much about Girl Power then the idea of being shocking, and perhaps even unaware of people’s reactions (although doubtful).

Bikini Kill - pioneers of Riot Grrrl

If I was a musician myself, I wouldn't want to be associated with the term "girl power". Particularly if I was a musician in a solid rock band. This is because the 'band' most associated with this term is Spice Girls. There's no denying that back in the day the Spice Girls certainly "rocked", but not in your traditional way.Spice up your life. Spice Girls led the pack with "girl power" with a film to boot.

Although girl power was originally a strand of riot grrrl, a post punk feminine movement, it was changed in the 90s to become a more pop sensation that allowed pre-teens everywhere to unknowingly celebrate their sex, with very little knowledge on what the original powerful women were trying to achieve. Jennifer Miro of The Nuns had the following to say about women in the punk scene in the late 70s, "There were a lot of women in the beginning. It(the Punk Movement) was women doing things. Then it became this whole macho, anti-women thing. Then women didn't go to see punk bands anymore because they were afraid of getting killed. I didn't even go because it was so violent and so macho that it was repulsive. Women just got squeezed out".
The women in these rock bands were so in touch with their feminine side, it was kind of scary. They wanted so badly to be thought of as powerful, sexual women.... but I'm still set on the fact that they could have done this quietly just by making powerful music instead of trying to spread a powerful message and then perhaps the term "girl rock" wouldn't be around, and women wouldn't have to be so segregated by the music industry. Not so unabashedly feminine, a word which I cringe at, and not because I'm not a feminist but because I think that women should shut up about being powerful women and just be cool women. No Spice Girls. No screaming feminist lyrics into my ears. No girl power. Just music....