THE GIRLS AT THE FRONT - RIOT GRRRL, SARA MARCUS

In the early 1990s, a popular reactionary radio host coined the term "feminazi," and a study found that young women tended to begin hating themselves during adolescence. It was a difficult time to be a girl, growing up with promises of equal rights that bore no resemblance to reality. Sexual assault rates reached record highs; sexual harassment was rampant on college campuses; boys would still be boys; and girls still had to watch how they dressed and where they walked. It was enough to make anyone want to scream. Riot Grrrl came into the spotlight in 1991: an uncompromising movement of angry women who had no patience for sexism, no stomach for double standards, and no intention of staying silent. Incendiary punk bands like Bikini Kill—fronted by the prophetic Kathleen Hanna—Bratmobile, and Heavens to Betsy spread the word. Dozens of riot grrrls published zines, founded local collectives, and organized conventions, and the movement spread from its origins in Washington, D.C., and Olympia to the Midwest, Canada, Europe, and beyond. "Girls Up Front" is the story of the Riot Grrrl movement: a punk-tinged, lyrical chronicle of a group of extraordinary young women who came of age angry, collectively, and publicly. At a time when America thought feminism was dead, a generation of outrageous girls rose up to prove everyone wrong.

• Number of Pages: 408
• Binding: Hardcover
• Approximate dimensions: 15 x 2.7 x 21 cm