Status
Checked out
Publication
Faber & Faber (2010), Edition: 1, 176 pages
Description
"In the early nineties, riot grrrl exploded onto the underground music scene, inspiring girls and women to pick up instruments, create fanzines, and become politically engaged. The movement's message of "Revolution girl-style now" soon filtered into the mainstream as "girl power," popularized by the Spice Girls and transformed into merchandising gold in the form of baby tees, lip glosses, and posable dolls." "So what was the legacy of the nineties revolution in music? Though girl power has been criticized as frivolous at best and soulless and hypersexualized at worst, Marisa Meltzer argues that it paved the way for today's generation of confident girls who are playing instruments and joining bands in record numbers." "Weaving personal anecdotes with interviews with key players such as Tobi Vail from Bikini Kill and Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, Meltzer chronicles the legacy of artists including Bratmobile, Sleater-Kinney, Alanis Morissette, Britney Spears, Pink, Avril Lavigne, and, yes, the Spice Girls. Girl Power charts a path for the future of women in rock."--BOOK JACKET.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member OneBookMore
Having been a teen of the 90s, I was very excited to read this book. I have to say, I was not disappointed. While I was completely enthralled with the whole riot grrrl movement, it was quite interesting to read Meltzer's thoughts on the girl-powered pop music that followed and how it was, in fact,
Don't expect this book to focus solely on rock - it goes beyond to really bring into perspective the far reach of riot grrrl and how its effects can still be felt today.
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important to the message of empowerment. I'm also reading "How Sassy Changed My Life" right now, which she co-authored. It's like 1994 exploded in my living room! Don't expect this book to focus solely on rock - it goes beyond to really bring into perspective the far reach of riot grrrl and how its effects can still be felt today.
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LibraryThing member melaniemaksin
I think that the Goodreads elementary-school-book-report-style prompt "What I learned from this book" is useful here, because truthfully, I didn't learn anything from this book. It's well written and zippy, but I found myself anticipating Meltzer's next steps: "And now she's going to talk about Liz
To be fair, Meltzer lays out the scope of her concerns in the preface: it's "a discussion and analysis as viewed through the lens of personal experience." It would have been interesting if she had used the 151 pages of Girl Power as the core of a larger project--maybe with Girl Power as the introduction to an edited collection of personal essays about experiences and engagements with nineties girl/grrrl culture. (It could have been like a really big zine!)
But never mind my wish list. The book would serve as a decent introduction for someone who's not familiar with that era, but for those who remember it--even those who were only on the margins of some of the scenes Meltzer writes about--there's little that's new or thought-provoking here.
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Phair. Ah, yes, hello, Liz, there you are, nice to see you." Everything--from the chronological arrangement to the subjects (very briefly) addressed to the underlying assumptions and arguments--was predictable. To be fair, Meltzer lays out the scope of her concerns in the preface: it's "a discussion and analysis as viewed through the lens of personal experience." It would have been interesting if she had used the 151 pages of Girl Power as the core of a larger project--maybe with Girl Power as the introduction to an edited collection of personal essays about experiences and engagements with nineties girl/grrrl culture. (It could have been like a really big zine!)
But never mind my wish list. The book would serve as a decent introduction for someone who's not familiar with that era, but for those who remember it--even those who were only on the margins of some of the scenes Meltzer writes about--there's little that's new or thought-provoking here.
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LibraryThing member roniweb
I am totally unqualified to review this book as I totally missed the Riot Grrrl moment. On the other hand, I totally dove into the Lilith Fair moment, so I think that I could write the rebuttal or sequel to Girl Power: The Nineties Revolution in Music by Marisa Meltzer, as Meltzer says she never
Girl Power is a quick read. In fact I dare say that it's a must have on your summer 2010 reading list. It's not fluffy, but at only 145 pages, it delves thru the 1990s women's music scene quickly and in fairly accessible language. In other words, Meltzer doesn't compare Avril to Courtney by using uber-academic jargon. Because of that, I'd also say that this would make an awesome book group selection. I can only imagine the music throw downs at the Women & Children First Feminist book group.
As someone who missed the Riot Grrrl moment, I really appreciated reading about how it came about, got popular and then essentially killed itself thru a media boycott. Meltzer ponders if that would have been conceivable in today's media soaked culture. I concur.
But what I found most intriguing about the book was how Meltzer outlines how a group of feminists grabbed guitars, drums and the mic and launched a very real music revolution and then how that revolution was so successful that it is quickly evolved into what we typically think of as "Girl Power" music.
From Alanis to the Spice Girls, few pop "Girl Power" acts are left un-examined as to how well they stay true to feminism and the benchmark of Riot Grrrl. Meltzer also looks at how some Riot Grrrl acts moved into the mainstream and how that impacted their music. One could use this book to examine just about any grassroots, indie movement to see how it evolves into something vastly different in a short amount of time.
I didn't agree with many of Meltzer's conclusions such as grouping P!nk with Avril as bullies. She points to "Stupid Girls" as being problematic by calling out specific "stupid girls" instead of calling out society. I think that's exactly what P!nk does by calling out "tiny dog" accessorizing celebs. Maybe I'm just still reeling from Meltzer making a great case as to why the Spice Girls were a good thing and not P!nk. And reeling in the sense that I think it's an excellent case and one we should all reexamine.
Girl Power also made me stop and consider how do we want girls to discover feminism. Or more to the point, how do we think we can get them to discover feminism?
My daughter has taken a liking to this book solely due to the title.
The kid has asked me how I have liked the book, what it's about and tried to read over my shoulder. This is a book I do plan to leave on a shelf for her to have easy access to when she's around 10. Maybe a bit sooner, but 6 is still too soon for me to discuss rape with her. But the thing is that she knows "girl power" and what it means to her. I asked her and she said, "That girls can play soccer, girls can play chess and girls can play guitars!" Then she laughed and confessed that she cribbed that response from the cover of Girl Studies. I tell ya, she's a smart cookie. But if even 75% of girls her age know "girl power" as a slogan that translated into "Of course, I can do X!" then isn't that a good thing?
I guess it can be a not-good thing if the girl in question doesn't have someone in her life to build upon that feeling and reinforce it.
Hopefully you get that the bottom line of this review is that it was a good read, a fast read and one that did make me ponder if it's feminist to "go down in a movie theater" or not.
Disclaimer: The only payment I received for this review was the copy of the book. I met Marisa years ago when she was with Bitch magazine, but I highly doubt that it is why when I asked for a review copy, her peeps sent one.
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attended Lilith Fair. But I don't hold that against her.Girl Power is a quick read. In fact I dare say that it's a must have on your summer 2010 reading list. It's not fluffy, but at only 145 pages, it delves thru the 1990s women's music scene quickly and in fairly accessible language. In other words, Meltzer doesn't compare Avril to Courtney by using uber-academic jargon. Because of that, I'd also say that this would make an awesome book group selection. I can only imagine the music throw downs at the Women & Children First Feminist book group.
As someone who missed the Riot Grrrl moment, I really appreciated reading about how it came about, got popular and then essentially killed itself thru a media boycott. Meltzer ponders if that would have been conceivable in today's media soaked culture. I concur.
But what I found most intriguing about the book was how Meltzer outlines how a group of feminists grabbed guitars, drums and the mic and launched a very real music revolution and then how that revolution was so successful that it is quickly evolved into what we typically think of as "Girl Power" music.
From Alanis to the Spice Girls, few pop "Girl Power" acts are left un-examined as to how well they stay true to feminism and the benchmark of Riot Grrrl. Meltzer also looks at how some Riot Grrrl acts moved into the mainstream and how that impacted their music. One could use this book to examine just about any grassroots, indie movement to see how it evolves into something vastly different in a short amount of time.
I didn't agree with many of Meltzer's conclusions such as grouping P!nk with Avril as bullies. She points to "Stupid Girls" as being problematic by calling out specific "stupid girls" instead of calling out society. I think that's exactly what P!nk does by calling out "tiny dog" accessorizing celebs. Maybe I'm just still reeling from Meltzer making a great case as to why the Spice Girls were a good thing and not P!nk. And reeling in the sense that I think it's an excellent case and one we should all reexamine.
Girl Power also made me stop and consider how do we want girls to discover feminism. Or more to the point, how do we think we can get them to discover feminism?
My daughter has taken a liking to this book solely due to the title.
The kid has asked me how I have liked the book, what it's about and tried to read over my shoulder. This is a book I do plan to leave on a shelf for her to have easy access to when she's around 10. Maybe a bit sooner, but 6 is still too soon for me to discuss rape with her. But the thing is that she knows "girl power" and what it means to her. I asked her and she said, "That girls can play soccer, girls can play chess and girls can play guitars!" Then she laughed and confessed that she cribbed that response from the cover of Girl Studies. I tell ya, she's a smart cookie. But if even 75% of girls her age know "girl power" as a slogan that translated into "Of course, I can do X!" then isn't that a good thing?
I guess it can be a not-good thing if the girl in question doesn't have someone in her life to build upon that feeling and reinforce it.
Hopefully you get that the bottom line of this review is that it was a good read, a fast read and one that did make me ponder if it's feminist to "go down in a movie theater" or not.
Disclaimer: The only payment I received for this review was the copy of the book. I met Marisa years ago when she was with Bitch magazine, but I highly doubt that it is why when I asked for a review copy, her peeps sent one.
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Language
Original language
English
Physical description
176 p.; 5.5 inches
ISBN
0865479798 / 9780865479791
Local notes
Music
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