From Riot Grrrl to Girls Rock Camp: Gendered Spaces, Musicianship and the Culture of Girl Making

Abstract

This paper explores constructs of rock musicianship and girlhood from the late ’80s/early ’90s Riot Grrrl movement, up until the 2001 formation of the Rock ‘N' Roll Camp for Girls in Portland, Oregon, which was subsequently documented in a 2007 film entitled Girls Rock! The Movie. Topics include feminism(s) and girlhood in media (specifically Riot Grrrl in contrast to the “Girl Power” movement of the late ’90s), girl-centred media franchises, and girlhood with respect to gender-related branding, all of which function as a means to explore the culture of girl-making and negotiations of girlhood, within a musical framework that is frequently still regarded as “male” by the mainstream media. The paper will point to the ways in which Girls Rock Camp reconfigures girl making by expanding its potential for youth empowerment through the practical application of both girlhood studies theory and popular music culture, in order to create a safe public space that fosters a sense of female agency and female identity.