Posted on: February 25, 2010 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Given all the ink that’s been devoted to grunge over the past few years, it’s a little surprising that more has not been written about the Riot Grrrl movement.

In Girl Power, author Marisa Meltzer devotes plenty of space to riot grrrls, as well as a slew of other female-fronted music genres throughout the decade including “Angry Womyn” (Alanis Morissette and Tori Amos), girl groups (The Spice Girls and Shampoo) and bubble gum pop (Britney, Mandy and Christina). Though all genres are covered, it’s clear that Meltzer was/is a fan of the riot grrrl movement and that section is particularly well represented here.

Meltzer’s book is certainly well-researched, but it’s her honest, first-person point of view, and liberal use of humor that makes Girl Power exceptionally enjoyable. Her visit to the Michigan’s long-running Womyn’s Music Festival, in particular, is laugh-out-loud funny.

Girl Power does a fantastic job of not only dissecting the role women played in music during the 90’s but also brings up an important debate about how the movement affected feminism (the quotes from various Spice Girls arguing how they actually helped feminism are particularly amusing).

Girl Power: The Nineties Revolution In Music by Marisa Meltzer/Faber & Faber/176 pages

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