Rotten Little Girls

Remember my highly controversial post about the Myth of PMS? After a resurgence of debate, I decided to take a little time out of my work day to link several academic references supporting my opinion. Since, you know, haters gonna hate.

REFERENCES:

The Social Construction of Premenstrual Syndrome
Rodin, M.
Sot. Sci. Med. Vol. 35. No. I, pp. 49-56, 1992
(link)***

“Conceptual and methodological problems inherent in contemporary biomedical re-search on PMS are cited as examples of how medical knowledge is informed by Western beliefs and expectations about the relationship between the menstrual cycle and ‘irrational’ and ‘uncontrollable’ behavior in women.”

“A discourse analytic approach to women’s experience of Premenstrual Syndrome”
Swann, C. J.
Journal of Mental Health
1995, Vol. 4, No. 4 : Pages 359-368 (Link)

“Challenging the Positioning of Premenstrual Change as PMS: The Impact of a Psychological Intervention on Women’s Self-Policing”
Ussher, J. M.
Qualitative Research in Psychology, Volume 5, Issue 1 January 2008 , pages 33 – 44
(link)

Unfortunately some of these are not free articles, but with some sleuthing, or perhaps through your library or college, you should be able to view them fully.

***highly recommended reading

Let’s celebrate, people!

“Indeed the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same sex couples.”

Here’s the link.

A kiss with a fist is better than none.

Really?

….Really?

So, if you listen to the radio, or frequent Youtube or have hipster friends, you’ve heard of this “kewl” new indie-pop band Florence & the Machines. The lead singer, Florence, is the hipster alternative to Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls — full of attitude, frothy floral skirts and tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

Tongue-in-cheek fails to explain, however, their most popular single, “A Kiss With a Fist”. It’s a bright, punchy little number (no pun intended) and like any good pop song, sticks in your head for days on end.

Only problem is, the song promotes domestic violence.

Now, before you roll your eyes and ask me why I constantly get my panties in a bunch over “silly pop songs”, check these lyrics:

“you hit me once
i hit you back
you gave a kick
i gave a slap
you smashed a plate
over my head
then i set fire to our bed

My black eye casts no shadow
your red eye sees no pain
your slaps don’t stick
your kicks don’t hit
so we remain the same
blood sticks and
sweat drips
break the lock if it don’t fit
a kick in the teeth is good for some
a kiss with a fist is better than none
a-woah a kiss with a fist is better than none”

Lovely. Not only does this romanticize violence between partners, it endorses the idea that a little (or a lot) of violence is a-okay as long as you love each other!

Fuck that twisted logic. This highlights the real, insidious issue with domestic violence — so often it persists because one or both of the individuals involved loves the other. Look, I’m no stranger to the idea that those who are closest to you can hurt you the most. But certainly being alone is better than a kiss with a fist.

The problem here is simple:

1) Florence & the Machines is a hipster-chic band rocketing to their first 15 minutes of fame

2) As such, they reach and influence a large, young, potentially impressionable audience

3) The song makes domestic violence seem cool/hip/”not a big deal”/better than nothing

4) And if you haven’t noticed, pop songs and YA fiction (cough, Twilight) and Reality TV stars actually resonate with youth today and influence the way my generation thinks about love, life and happiness

5) That fucking sucks!

“Hello world, I’m your wild girl…I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!!”

Does it get any more feminist than an all-female rock band? The Runaways were the first of their kind — a teenaged, all-female, badass band playing in a man’s world. They were consummate “rotten little girls” — they dished out as much shit as they received and for a brief, riotous moment ruled the rock scene like no other band before them.

With the recent film (also named “The Runaways”) starring Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart, the band has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity. Google hits for Joan Jett and Cherie Currie have increased significantly and the Runaways have reached a youthful, modern audience.

This is good thing.

In an industry overflowing with successful male bands, it is important to talk about & celebrate the all-female band that paved the way for bands such as The Go-Go’s and L7, and fuck it, any little girl who picks up an electric guitar.

The film itself, unfortunately, leaves much to be desired. The cinematography is lovely & at times reaches the level of fine art. The acting, at least on Kristen Stewart and Michael Shannon’s part, ranges from believable to brilliant. However, the plot & character development leaves something to be desired.

The Runaways is (mild spoiler alert) your typical, cliche band biopic. Fledgling band faces many obstacles. Lead guitarist stumbles upon famous band manager, inexplicably gaining their attention and respect in the process. Questionably talented singer is recruited to the band based on sex appeal. Band gets signed. Lead singer becomes a diva & acquires a nasty drug habit. Band members get mad at each other. Lead singer leaves band. Band breaks up. The end.

It should be noted that this movie is based off of lead singer Cherie Currie’s ghost-written memoir “Neon Angel.” Therefore, Cherie Currie is the focus of the film. So, while Joan Jett might be the most famous character of the Runaways, audiences might be disappointed to find out that she is, at best, a secondary character. While I believe that Stewart plays a mean Joan Jett, she is reduced to two emotions: youthful, anti-authority rage and tender understanding (generally directed towards Cherie, played by Dakota Fanning).

Dakota Fanning, who is admittedly in the midst of awkward adolescence, fails to give Currie the spark & charisma she truly possessed. Viewers are left wondering why Currie was accepted to the band in the first place. It is not entirely Fanning’s fault — the script is weak, and we are thrown random tidbits of pop psychology as reasoning for Fanning’s drug problems: alcoholic dad, jealous twin sister, neglectful mother. However, the movie fails to explore who Currie truly was, how she really felt about her family and her band-mates, and how exactly she got mixed up in all of this.

The feminist message is relatively strong through-out the movie — but there are several factors that weaken the overall “girl’s rock!” sentiment.

First, the band is managed by domineering, sadistic, and eccentric Kim Fowley (who is male). While his methodology was questionable, it produced results. That being said, there is something contradictory about an all-female band relying on a white male to make something of themselves. And, according to this movie, if not for Fowley, the Runaways would not have enjoyed even the slightest bit of success.

Second, there is the fact that Cherie Currie was hand-picked as lead singer based on her Bardot-meets-Bowie good looks. Feathered blonde hair, lingerie on stage, jail-bait sex appeal (she was 15 when she joined the band) — let’s face it, Currie epitomized the concept of “sex sells.” Unfortunately, this begs the question: can a girl band succeed without a “sexy girl”? Granted, if you look at pictures of the band, you’ll see that Joan Jett, despite her tough girl attitude and appearance, oozed sex appeal like no other. So, while this is an element of the film that I did not find very pro-feminist, I have to admit that Cherie’s blonde tresses could not have been the band’s only appeal.

Finally, there is the focus on the alleged lesbian affair between Jett and Currie. Although Currie has admitted that she only vaguely mentions hooking up with Jett in a brief paragraph in her book, Hollywood took that sentiment and ran with it. In a movie that doesn’t have much substance besides wardrobe and good motherfucking music, the lesbian scenes take up significant chunks of time. There is sexual tension throughout the film between Jett and Currie, and then there’s the actual kissing scene…and the morning after scene…and the ensuing drama that implies a deeper, romantic relationship between the two.

This would all be fine if it were a) true, b) based on fact or substantial information from Currie’s book c) not so obviously added for the titillation of straight, male audiences. Hollywood is at it again — forcing false lesbianism between two pretty, white females down audiences throats for the purpose of making a movie starring strong women palatable to a mainstream audience. Because, you know, the awesome story of Joan Jett and the Runaways and Cherie Currie wasn’t enough on its own.

And, perhaps most telling, is the fact that the three other band mates are routinely ignored as playing any major role in the band’s development or success (Lita Ford being the most obvious omission). The drummer, Sandy West, enjoys some mention as Jett’s lovable, pot-smoking sidekick but Lita Ford and Jackie Fox’s characters have literally three lines of speech — I’m being generous with that estimate.

If this were really about the band, and the music, and the awe-inspiring success of the first all-female teenaged rock band, wouldn’t all the members of the band be the stars? Wouldn’t the story focus on the band’s obstacles and successes rather than the lesbian “affair” between Jett and Currie? It is this glaring omission that leads me to think that this is just another pre-packaged Hollywood confection.

The story is one that needed to be told. The characters are rich. The history is true. The music is terrific. And yet, I’m disappointed. We need more films about the Runaways, about all-girl bands, about feminism and being an individual in a world that pressures us to conform — and, as much as I wanted to love it, “The Runaways” is not that film. It’s a step in the right direction, but it does not do the Runaways — or rotten little girls — justice.

—-

Here are some great clips from the movie & from live performances by the real Runaways. Enjoy!

“Publicize the music — not your crotch!!”

“I like your style. A little Bowie, a little Bardot, and a look on your face that says I could kick the shit out of a truck driver.”

Please weigh in — did you like the movie? Hate it? Let us know!

Fuck, guys. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Remember a few months ago when the Supreme Court decided to allow corporate funding of political campaigns? Remember how everyone was all “oh, don’t worry you silly feminists and democrats and tree huggers, corporations aren’t going to abuse this power”?

Think. Again.

Target, the major alternative to that crapshoot they call Walmart, just donated $150,000 dollars to a right-wing organization called MN Forward, which has used the money to finance campaign ads for the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota. The same candidate (Tom Emmer) who opposes gay marriage.

Target, after minor backlash, has come forth with a statement stating that they support LGBT rights and the rights of their gay employees. Easy to say that, but if you follow the money trail…where does it lead you?

This is just one of many instances of corporate funding of campaigns, and if you think this is nothing, I predict that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Keep in mind, too, that supporting the Republican party is in corporations’ best interests, fiscally. And if you think corporations care about anything besides profit, god bless your naive little heart.

When corporations donate to charity, they do so to avoid backlash from the community & to improve their public image. Of course, most corporations (all corporations?) far outspend on advertising than they do their charitable efforts.

So, I don’t know about you, but I’m boycotting Target until they make a similar donation to a gay-rights organization. I can do without their cheap commodities — believe me, I can find most of that crap elsewhere. And I’ll be damned if another cent of my money goes indirectly towards a cause I don’t support.

At the end of the day, folks, all that matters is money and it’s about time we realized our purchasing power (more powerful than our votes!!) and started wielding it.

Want to show your support? Sign this petition!

From the creator of The Story of Stuff…this should be mandatory viewing!!

I can’t believe it’s been two entire years since Harley and I picked a domain name and started blogging. Our first posts were about Senator John McCain (sooo 2008…) and Eco-Friendly Shopping. We’ve come a long way since then, and I’d like to think we’ve covered some pretty interesting & useful topics pertaining to feminism, politics and life in general!

Now we are all grown up, so to speak — at least, the both of us have graduated college and are starting to navigate the ‘real world’ as young, outspoken feminists.

After doing a little soul-searching, I’ve decided it is time to move Rotten Little Girls forward…by introducing myself!

Although most of you know me as ‘Dollface’ my name is actually Kelly. I grew up in a neighborhood of Boston (yep, city girl through and through), which has shaped my politics and views indelibly. I went to Skidmore College for the last 4 years and found that, despite the varying highs and lows, I really learned a lot about myself. Blogging saved me at a time when I was pretty frustrated with my college experience. The process of blogging, which I’ve mentioned before, opened me up to many different opportunities — I decided to minor in Women’s Studies and became more politically active.

Now that I’m back in Boston, I’ve found my first apartment!! I will be living in a co-op with a bunch of feminists and environmentalists (most of which are vegan, to boot). I mean, they have a bookshelf devoted entirely to zines. Needless to say, pretty soon I’ll be in heaven. Though it will definitely be an experiment in cooperative living (11 people, 7 bedrooms, shared chores and groceries…did I mention they dumpster dive half their food??) It’s not only exciting, but it has been the impetus for me to “reveal” my true identity on this blog. As my online feminist presence melds with my ‘IRL’ experience, I realize that I want to discuss more personal experiences on this blog, alongside the usual posts about national and international events, politics, and ideas.

So, Hi, world. Oh, and future employers? Please don’t judge me for my views and opinions. Rotten little girls may be blunt and unashamed of their sexuality, politics, and irreverent pursuits, but even we need jobs to pay the rent. Thanks in advance!