PHOTO COURTESY OF MARISA MELTZER

The nineties may have been the decade of the schoolgirl kilt. In 1991, bands like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile were screaming "Suck my left one!" in plaid skirts and torn fishnets; by 1999, Britney Spears had co-opted an irony-free version of their revolutionary costume in her quest to be hit just one more time. While she didn't bother to scrawl SLUT across her midriff, it seems plausible that it was just because she couldn't find a spare Sharpie. What happened to revolution–girl-style–now?

In her new book, Girl Power: The Nineties Revolution in Music, riot grrrl veteran Marisa Meltzer sets out to answer the question, tracing the sometimes inspiring and sometimes disheartening path from Rebel Girl to Spice Girl. While not quite offering an apologia, Meltzer still sets forth a daring thesis for a grrrl from Olympia who used to borrow sugar from Kathleen Hannah: that Girl Power can come in many flavors, including scary, posh, baby, and ginger.


BENNETT MADISON: You've written a lot about the nineties and a lot about girl culture. I know this book was a particularly personal project for you.

MARISA MELTZER: Discovering indie music was like finding something I didn't know I needed and suddenly everything fell into place. Suddenly my mild rage and alienation had a soundtrack. I think I saw Riot Grrrl before I heard it, and I remember–it just hit me: this is what I want.

I grew up in a feminist household, with a second-wave feminist mom, and this felt like my version of feminism. You know, my mom wore comfortable shoes. There was something really exciting to me that I could be fashionable and a feminist, and I could listen to great music, so it was the total package. Plus, as a teenager, the idea of revolution and having manifestos of your own is, like, so romantic and cool. So I just kind of dove in.

MADISON: And eventually you ended up at Evergreen State University in Olympia, Washington which was basically the riot grrrl capital...

MELTZER: Yeah. I was at Reed and I hated it, and all you had to do to transfer was basically fill out one form. It was nice to see all the riot grrrls out in the world, dating boys. It made me realize that no one leads their lives in a feminist bubble.

MADISON: I thought it was interesting that you chose to name the book Girl Power, after the slogan the Spice Girls made infamous. Who came up with "Girl Power" as a slogan? Was it the Spice Girls?

MELTZER: The Riot Grrrls have claim to it. There's an old copy of the Bikini Kill ‘zine that has "Girl Power" on the cover. Later the British girl band Shampoo used it too.