Why I Like Riot Grrrl!

Hi all,

I'm Monique, or Moni and this is my first Ra Ra Riot Grrrl post. I just thought I'd explain how Riot Grrrl has influenced me and why I like it so much ^^.

I believe the infatuation started when I saw 13 and saw the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. It was Julia Stiles's character who was into Riot Grrrl music and feminism and there was a part where Heath Ledger mentioned Bikini Kill and The Raincoats. They were officially the first Riot Grrrl bands that I had heard of. My favorite song became Bikini Kill's pretty well-known song, Rebel Girl. I always liked the feminist ideology that runs so deep through the songs of all Riot Grrrl and Riot Grrrl-inspired groups.

It made me feel like I had finally found a positive female role model, when all around me were girls like Britney Spears selling themselves out to sexual exploitation, while singing mass-produced bubble gum pop songs about pretty shallow topics. The songs were meaningless and I felt like an outcast for not "loving" the pop songs that were the hott topic (no pun intended lol). I couldn't ignore the poignance of the songs I had heard by Bikini Kill and The Raincoats. I was thirsty for more. The anger and emotion and ideals of the songs made me feel alive. Suddenly, I had a thirst for more Riot Grrrl and that was how I really got into it. I introduced all of my friends to it and we would rock out in the car while cruising our boring town for hours. Dudes, this is teh awesome!

In college, I really think that Riot Grrrl influenced me to major in Women's Studies. Then, I worked in a Domestic Violence shelter and now I'm back in my hometown in Arizona to help care for my mother, who suffered from a stroke. This music is my comfort music, so I am listening even more now that I'm going through some hard times. I hope that all of you who love Riot Grrrl music have awesome stories about it and if you're not really familiar then I hope you will look it up!

This site will focus on different bands from the movement and some current bands that I really like who I feel fit in really well. If you would like to hear some more music by any of the bands, please don't hesitate to email me and I'll help you out :) I'm also open to feedback! Please let me know what you think and what you'd like to see and please support the Riot Grrrl Online Community, which I also belong to. Peace!

I leave you with the Rebel Girl video.~