From the website of an online costume store who shall remain nameless:"Item Description
Our Child's Riot Girl outfit is the ideal Punk Rocker Costume for girls. For a fun group costume idea consider any of our Punk Rock Costumes for any age.
Main Features
Plaid dress
Vinyl studded belt
Vinyl spike details on dress
Please Note
Tights and hair bows not included."
Like sender-inner (and friend of the show) Danielle, this costume baffles me. I am simultaneously amused, annoyed, and appalled. On one hand, I could see how it might be kinda cool, because it's not all sweetness and light and layers of pink fluffy tutus. On the other hand... come on, it's a mass-marketed RIOT GRRRL costume! That ain't right. Seriously, I don't know whether I should be forwarding this to all my friends so we can have a good laugh, or whether I should be tying myself a noose with my fishnets. Basically, I just keep staring at it and going "Uhhh..."
So! Let's take a poll.
Is this costume troublesome because:
a) It supports the commodification of "girl power," without actually doing much of anything to fight patriarchal structures, empower young women, or support female musicians;
b) It demeans the message of the actual riot grrrl movement;
c) It places "female musician" among the ranks of "superhero," "fairy princess," or "kitty cat," i.e. fun for playing dress-up, but not a realistic life goal;
d) It's going to make Kathleen Hanna kill herself just so she can spin in her grave;
e) It doesn't come with a guitar, dammit!
f) It doesn't even look like what Riot Grrrls wear/wore, it looks more like a pseudo-goth/faux-metal/Gwar-esque get-up (especially with those oversized fake spikes);
g) It makes you feel really, really old;
h) The hairbows, which are the best part of the whole dang costume, aren't included;
i) It's still pink.
Multiple choice answers will be allowed.
5 comments:
Well... if I remember correctly, Riot Grrl did a pretty good job of becoming a parody of itself to the point where it became sort of a costume. Not unlike the "punk outfit" or the "goth outfit" that people who were never involved in those scenes will sometimes keep in their closets.
I think at this point in the game, worrying about the commodification of Riot Grrl is like getting upset your favorite band signed to a major label. It's bound to happen and being surprised or upset about it doesn't really solve much.
That being said, this is actually kind of adorable and if some little kid remembers dressing as a "riot grrl" when they were seven and goes out and looks up those bands when they're fifteen, then I don't think it's such a bad thing. Kind of like how Hannah Montana is starting to get pre-teen girls interested in learning how to play guitar. The music is horrible, but the out come may actually be positive.
Chris
B, C, F, H, and I.
Also, because she looks about seven and she's dressed like a mallgoth groupie.
Yet another argument with doing away with the "uniforms" that accompany many a "scene". Your choice of dress should not be the end all/be all of who you are or what you believe.
a) The commodification of girl power happened long ago, when Claire's started marketing bling that read "Girl Power." In rhinestones.
b) Nobody told the kid not to shave her pits.
c) Since when is being a musician, female or otherwise, a realistic life goal?
d) Thank god.
e) Neither do most riot grrrls.
f) Yeah, she looks like she took a bath this week.
g) No, Full House on Nick at Nite makes me feel old.
h) At least one of the authors of this blog knows my stance on hairbows.
i) We're all pink on the inside. Even feminists.
I think it looks like a pirate alien costume. In fact, if I had a kid, I would buy it for them and tell them that they are being a swashbuckler from Mars.
Going to high school not in the city (and not having been allowed to go to the city), I was never really aware that there was a riot grrl style of dress, aside from the occasional kinderwhore look. So for me, the riot grrl "look" is whatever someone wants to wear. Most of the time it was some combination of goth/hippie/punk with some stuff from the Gap. Pieces that we liked and that our parents would let us wear.
Also, I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to sport some pink, be it a tutu or a ballerina costume or fairy wings. At least those aren't sexualized costumes. I just wish it was more okay for boys to rock it out, too. We shouldn't get to hog all the tulle and glitter for ourselves!
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