COP Practical Posters themes

In order to create modern versions of protest posters similar to the women's workshops, I looked at 3 feminist issues of today to work to.

    

Tampon Tax
A very recent protest against tampon tax showed large numbers of handmade signs and slogans protesting the tax which affects women. In one it is argued 'if men had periods too there wouldn't be a tax'. This protest was promoted by many womens collective groups on social media and featured speeches from female public figures, lead by 'the pink protest'.

Consent- 'slutwalk'

In recent years a protest named the 'slutwalk' is gathered in protest of sexual assault, it's main message being that women should have no shame for their appearance and it isn't an excuse to be assaulted.

Code Pink 'Women For Peace'

'CODEPINK is a women-led grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect our tax dollars into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming programs.' works directly with conclusion of further political/global issues that need activism including the force of 'girl power'

These posters are created to go in line with the conclusion of my writing piece which draws to the readers attention the need for these feminist slogans and 'girl power', beyond the creative industry, going in to serious feminist issues worldwide.

COP Practical feedback session

From showing the kind of images I wanted to take as inspiration to reflect modern issues women still face to work with my writings girl power context- this is the feedback I obtained:

-Discuss the argument over Beyonce's marketed feminism
-'Sexism relies on capitalism'

-Tinder interviews and screenshot: this would be great if I were looking to men to give their opinions but they are not part of my sources

-Collage old zines and put with the new messages, to truly show many issues haven't changed.
I asked what imagery I could use for these new posters and everyone agreed use pre-existing imagery to bring it in to new context to highlight the point that issues are still rife.

-Make a zine instead of posters: although this had been my other initial practical idea, the content is hard to get with the time restriction and I have only just obtained collective feedback this week. Posters are still appropriate for the writing piece.

-Re advertise riot grrls: bring the riot grrrl voice in to modern society, like what collectives such as Girl Gang do now with their manifestos handed out at girl talks.
-Current issues to highlight: Tampon Tax, Sexual Harassment (due to Weinstein snowballing of Hollywood of late...), Womens Pay Gap, Genital Mutiliation, Consent, abortion rights

-Use stats in posters in homage to Guerilla Girls style
-Girl power is still needed, the capitalised side isn't for the right reason but women wearing girl power t shirts can only spread awareness and do good.

Excessive Human Collective evening- questions and quotes from Girls That Gig

Going to ask female creatives (is an all female creatives celebration event, art/music)- what do you think of slogans such as 'Girl Power' and 'The Future is Female?'

'Who inspired you to become a female collective?'

'Why do you think it is there are so many female collectives/girl gangs?'

From previous networking event: 'We definetley still need it...girls have more and more of an interest in the movements but don't know enough about them.'

Eva

What groups/collectives, or what inspired you to become a female collective?

To be honest i'm not sure we were inspired by a certain thing. We were just three girls that got along really well and found that we really complement eachother so that's why we decided to start working together.

Why do you think there are so many female collectives/girl gangs?

I think that women tend to be better at working in groups, whilst men are often better of working more individually. This is just my opinion, I don't have any evidence to support that  And then of course there are some female collectives that really want to make a statement and show that women make beautiful work and can be successful, but don't Always get the same chances as men to make it to the top. I do not know if that is true though.

What do you think of the slogans 'Girl Power' and 'The Future is Female', and their increasing popularity?

I do agree that women need to stand up for themselfs and it's amazing that more and more female artists are taking incredible initiatives, but I'm not sure if it needs to be that 'agressive'. I personally as a woman feel like I have the exact same chances as a man to make it in the art industry and I don't feel like something has ever stopped me from progressing because I'm a woman so I don't feel like I need to fight against anything. 

Megan

What groups/collectives, or what inspired you to become a female collective?

We have very few female role-models. There are very few women who play instruments, particularly in jazz. Most of the bands we listen to are men. 

We have FINALLY (this year) found one band that we relate to. They were a band from the 80s called 'The Guest Stars'. They recorded and performed improvisational jazz music with elements of all kinds of different music. 

We're lucky enough to be playing a gig with their guitarist in London this week.

This example sort of shows how rare it is that we find role model bands.

If we were male, we'd have thousands and thousands of bands that we could picture ourselves being like. Because we didn't see women performing the music we make and playing instruments, we've all experienced a lack of self belief that we can be successful performers if we want to be.

This lack of belief we felt fuels us now more than ever to keep performing and making sure other women know that they can do it too.

Why do you think there are so many female collectives/girl gangs?

I started up 'Girls That Gig' with my friend Vicky last year. At the time, there were no female collectives/organisations doing anything to support women in the creative industries in Leeds. There were lots of organisations in London, a few dotted about the north (like Girl Gang and Yorkshire Sound Women Network) but, nothing specific to Leeds.

We started social media pages, a website and a podcast to showcase the amazing work of women in the creative industries. We also hosted and are continuing to host events that aim to connect, promote and inspire women in Leeds.

At the time, the word 'feminist' was still a very unclear word and even women were afraid of using it.
We decided that our brand needed to project positivity.
People love throwing negativity at feminists - because how dare they want equality?! Who do they think they are?

So, we made our brand not about hating men but, more about just supporting amazing work by amazing people.
We aim to make the platform a space for people to be inspired, connected and supported. 

There are so many because it's a bloody good idea - Women helping women out: who wouldn't want to be a part of that?!

It's a really exciting time to be involved with projects like this and people like to be a part of the change themselves.

What do you think of the slogans 'Girl Power' and 'The Future is Female', and their increasing popularity?

Great! I think we should be proud to be women and these slogans are progressive and positive. 

We have to put up with so much and a lot of women don't even realise their own self worth.

We are living in a society where, for years, women have been put down, expected to act and dress in certain ways and made to feel like less.
It's definitely our time to realise our potential and be proud of who we are.

Marie

Hey, so What/ who inspired me: 

I dont really have idols that i want to live up to, but Gracefool Collective is definitely one that i take as inspiration, because i love their work and i think they found a really great way of putting out there what they want to say. 

Other than that I have taken inspiration from friends in bands, because i like the way a lot of bands work, like collectively and everyone as the same position kind of, whereas in dance there is often a lot more hierarchy, so i wanted to try making that. And it also kind of just happened, as we three realized we always end up working together, and we do have various different skills we can share.

Why do i think there are so many girl gangs/female collectives out there?

 i actually dont think there are. LIke obviously the number has risen a lot in the past years, but there still isnt that many in my mind. Like in Leeds ( a fairly big city) there is Gracefool and us in the dance sector. 
but i think in general the reason why it is on a rise is because a lot of women realize that first of all working with other women might be easier, especially when you want to share feminist ideas, and second i think there is a new generation of protest, like the women's right movement was fairly "violent" there was quite a lot of protests and strikes whereas i think the generation now is exploring new ways of pushing the equality fight, for example within being creative. Also because legally there is no difference between men and women, so I feel like people have to be made aware of the inequalities in other ways, so they dont have the excuse of "oh but the law says we are all equal..." you know? LIke it needs to be a bit more unconciously introduced into peoples minds, and creativity, art etc is a farily good way to do so....


and what do i think about the popularity of these slogans.?

ehm that's a hard question, for me personally these slogans aren't massively important, but i do think they can serve a purpose, like labelling yourself as a girl gang for example puts a fairly clear picture out there. Because a gang isnt necessarily something very nice and girly, so the name itself is a bit controversial, which then automatically rises the question in society why do women have to be nice and quit all the time.? 

At the same time i think espcially "girl gang" has quite a negative image in a lot of peoples mind, like kind of a group of young teeange girls that stroll around and no one really takes them seriously. So using that slogan in a more serious more outgoing way helps giving it a new image, and making it a more positive slogan.

What i have taken from these answers:

-previous womens rights movements have a violent undertone, so perhaps in posters make this less aggressive
-make the posters make people want to be part of a creative group, keep it positive and inspiring
-use girl gang as a serious slogan with context to address it's stronger side
-slogans are 'progressive and positive'

Contacting collectives for Case Studies

Girl Gang Collectives and many more reached out on Instagram unfortunately did not reply, and at a networking event attended I did not get a chance to speak to them properly and they said they would give me some responses if I messaged but must be very busy.

Girls That Gig have invited me along to an event to network, as there are a lot of female collectives attending so that is very soon, which I can hopefully get some case studies to support my writing for!

Lippy mag at University Of Leeds, which I have blogged about in the past in the hopes of meeting messaged me asking me to come to their launch to meet them in which I can hopefully get some stories. Although it is a magazine, the style is quite zine aesthetic and they will have other links.

She Does Digital were recommended to me at a networking event for statistics. Although I visited these sites statistics are never fully accurate and different geographically and often not updated so these will not be used.

Therefore, there are two network events coming up soon which I will go to investigate and try and obtain quotes and information for the writing piece from collectives and female creatives.

Feedback session 13/11

What legacy has girl power marketing had on contemporary collectives/zine culture?

Girl power is capitaising girl power
Up to us wether to decide

Look at Gentlewoman-Fantastic Man

Look at the aesthetic of zines
Contact See Red Women's workshop as they still do talks

Look in to and follow Magculture

Girl Power Slogans references

The amount I have seen the increase in these slogans on the high street, as well as many female collectives, got me inspired to write this essay and find out more about what others think about the slogans and what impact they are actually having, why they are being bought, and the origins of modern girl power.

Critical Writing last main body quotes/notes

‘What do you want readers to take away from it?

For young women especially, we want them to feel confident that they can make a career and build a sustainable life out of their creativity. And to just encourage them to keep creating and to keep submitting their work — the world needs to see the female perspective.’ https://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/neenq8/girlgaze-photography-for-women-by-women

Zine inspo- ‘Typical Girls zine’
TIMES ARE TOUGH BUT WE ARE TOUGHER
As Jamila told i-D last year, the zine was launched in 2015 with the aim of "creating positive representations of women in the media,"
https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/59gb88/the-new-typical-girls-zine-features-generations-of-radical-creative-women


In 1986, activist art collective the Guerrilla Girls published a report card ranking New York's top art galleries based on how many solo shows by a female artist each had mounted that year. The results were pretty dismal (actually, they're still pretty dismal). Let's try the same for fashion.
https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/pabxwk/why-we-need-more-women-in-top-design-positions

Bitches, Bimbos and Ballbreakers - By the Guerilla Girls 2003

WOMEN IN MUSIC INDUSTRY CURRENTLY
Howl emerged in 2014, the same time that male peers such as Tom Odell, James Bay, George Ezra, MNEK and Sam Smith were breaking through. “I was like: ‘Why are you able to be yourself and that’s fine?’” she says. “I felt like I constantly had to work on my image and be media-trained. Be a better performer. All the time, no chance to grow. Often, girls are expected to be the full package a lot sooner than guys . I see boys go on in jeans and a T-shirt and look a bit scruffy and they’re a bit awkward and people love it, but when you’re a female act you’re expected to be very polished very quickly. It can be daunting.”
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/21/pops-glass-ceiling-why-new-female-stars-cant-break-through

MEDIA,GENDER AND IDENTITY- DAVID GAUNTLETT 2008 OXON SECOND EDITION

217- ‘Young women want to prove they can do without feminism as a political movement, while enjoying the rewards of it’s success in culture and everyday life.’


Discuss marketing on Missguided/PLT ‘Girl Gang’ trend and relate to this quote

‘These people have reduced the message to a stereotype of women just needing to look pretty and love clothes. To us, the girl-gang image is supposed to go against the cutesy, delicate female stereotype and is a symbol of anger, violence and power. To put that stereotype back on the girl-gang image just goes against everything it’s about. It loses its meaning. It’s also quite insulting to the women who have worked their arses off creating in these male-dominated fields like art’(skinny girl diet)  is all still, in their opinion, about looking good, not actually active in making a change or working towards breaking the gap in gender equality.

‘Whether these groups create a safe place for girls to party, or an inspiring environment to work in… they all serve a purpose with genuine authenticity.’ “I would say generally that female culture — if such a thing exists — does maybe facilitate these conversations a bit more,” Ione explains. “Especially if there’s a space that’s comfortable for other women, knowing that they’ll contribute to it and be treated right, then it may feel the same as having a chat with someone you knowcurrent girl collectives, more inclusive scene. Although they agree progress is evident in that they are given a platform to express these feelings, women are constantly being presented with new challenges such as pressures of social media and continuing to fight the pressures women face globally still to this day.
http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/30269/1/how-do-we-move-beyond-clickbait-feminism
https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/ione-gamble-polyester-zine-publicatio-world-mental-health-day-101007

‘It’s a great time for feminism and for change, and it’s very exciting to be female and a part of the zine scene – it’s a real community which extends beyond London thanks to the internet. Whilst it’s positive that this movement has been recognised by the mainstream media, sometimes it worries me that feminism is seen as a trend. We’ve still got a long way to go in terms of the pay gap, the tampon tax and dated attitudes, but constantly talking about and promoting these issues will equate to change’ 2016   
Zine scene has risen rapidly within the last few years
http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/29843/1/the-girl-power-zines-to-read-this-month

Clickbait feminism??
‘And while I’m happy to talk about feminism and I’m happy that I’m a girl, I do sometimes feel like, ‘Why does everything I do have to be viewed through a lens of ‘feminist or not’?’ Like, can’t I ever do or create anything just as a person?’
http://www.dazeddigital.com/projects/article/22611/1/42-tavi-gevinson

There is a contradiction of not wanting to be labelled a ‘girl gang/girl band’ but still being necessary in attracting inspiring and empowering women ‘...Haley Shea, frontwoman of Norwegian punk band SLOTFACE. “I wish that we didn’t have to be called female-fronted, and that we could just be a band. That it isn’t anything special that we’re a band with a female. But on the other hand, it’s important for other girls to see themselves represented. I’d rather female-fronted bands make a point out of it, if that would help other girls to start rock bands.”

‘But in today’s music industry where misogyny is still deeply rooted and the gender divide is still prominent, the term “girl band” is needed more than ever.’

Sister: A Magazine For Girls A/W 2017
Hattie Stewart: ‘...I’ve been ignored, put down. Told I’m not good enough, been the token female on projects (directly said to me on numerous occasions).’ TOKEN FEMALE- DISCUSS
‘’Just ask any female illustrator and they’ll give you hundreds of stories of what they’ve had to face daily. I see more variation and quality in my female peers and male, yet I see more variation and quality in the projects given to my male peers.’

Polyester Issue Five 2016 Elidih Duffy
‘It becomes problematic when women or femme-identifying artists are branded as ‘feminist artists’ simply because their work comes from a place of feminism
CONCLUDE WHEN PRIMARY RESEARCH IS ATTAINED that the problem is still
there and perhaps more problematic than ever

‘No, a “girl band” is not a genre. A “girl band” is a revolution.’

http://www.polyesterzine.com/opinion/dont-call-us-a-girl-band

VISUAL ARTISTS PETRA COLLINS/MAISIE COUSINS
COLLECTIVES- GIRLGANG, I AM COLLECTIVE  GIRLS THAT GIG( IN LEEDS)
TOP GIRL STUDIO
DOCUMENTARIES-
‘THE F WORD AND ME’- CHARLI XCX BBC DOCUMENTARY
‘THE PUNK SINGER’- KATHLEEN HANNA RIOT GRRL STORY

Critical Writing second part main body quotes/notes

‘The third wave’s most visibly organized incarnation to date- the brief but fiery riot grrrl movement of the 1990’s - not only sketches out the contours of feminist youth culture today but gives us a sense of how the pin-up has become to the youngest  of contemporary feminists a kind of visual shorthand for their era.’ (STARTS 343 ABOUT RIOT GRRRLS)
‘..activities viewed as male-dominated, in which riot grrl felt women had always participated but where their contributions had been overlooked

KATHLEEN HANNA AND ‘RIOT GRRRL’

DISCUSS THE BANDS SUCH AS HOLE AND THEIR FOLLOWING

GIRL POWER- HILLARY CARLIP 1995
‘RG meant to be empowering, having a safe space, standing up for girls rights…’
Communication and inclusion is key.
‘Uninhibited, uncensored, and always unpredictable’


Girl Zines: Making Media, Doing Feminism Book by Alison Piepmeier 2009

Women were seen as accessories rather than co-creators, male counterparts in the frame of mind that ‘girls don’t do that.’
Zines are- Fragmented/incoherent/explorations/sources of creative energy
‘Many grrrl zines are concerned w/unrealistic beauty standards’ they challenge corporate ways of publishing whilst using the ‘safe space’ to discuss and challenge diverse topics such as race, class, history, ethnicity, body image and gender.

SEX APPEAL- STEVEN HELLER 2000 NEW YORK
‘136- ‘...humour is a main weapon in the girlzines’ armoury...by poking fun at the situation, women take charge of the contexts in which they are viewed, and as a result, are empowered.’- MARKETING DOING THE SAME THING AS GIRLZINES? COMPARE SIMILARITIES


Girls- Catherine Driscoll 2002
‘Within girl culture there are many positions on the dominant late modern demand for  girls to (want to) be fashionable, encompassing many different modes of discipline and identification.’
‘Punk or riot grrl fashion, for example, is recognizable as not mainstream by producing a particular identifiable style’ subcultures such as these are also a way of marketing clothes to girls’ compare to girl zines quote (‘Girl power movement became a tool of resistance, but also a marketing stratedgy’ -Piepmeier 2009) discuss the roots of girl power how this continued to rise to mainstream and lead on to pop bands such as spice girls, girl power become mainstream etc
‘...girl readers of girls’ magazines are looking at eachother as desirable’ state this is a strong component and reason for positive girl zines opposed to corporate magazines, riot grrls were tired and bored of eroticized images of women in magazines and within western society girls and women are starting to reject the mainstream media’s beauty standards too.’

Rise in eating disorders and such are a contrast of the girl power movement perhaps?

‘The Spice Girls (suggest) that contestation over the meanings of girl culture and “girl power” surrounding and pervading popular culture, girls, and feminism’ marketed for girls. ‘..are figured as doing something in a place of all the girls who can’t- like kick over tables in a men’s social club in the “Wannabe” video clip’ Dridcoll questions if feminism can really be a mass produced and globally distributed ‘product’ DISCUSS
GIRL POWER SLOGAN- ‘Despite these stratedgies and slogans, the Spice Girls were widely discussed...as having no kind of authenticity at all.’
‘Hostile and destructive of a real girl culture, perhaps offering some expression of their desires, but encouraging passive conformity in the long term.’
Refer to marketing strategy quotes
‘While riot grrl zines and sites decry such pop phenomena as the Spice Girls, some of the Spice Girls fan material describes the riot grrls as dull and dour, whining, self pitying, and sexless- interestingly some of the same accusations riot grrls have leveled at second wave feminism.’



GIRLS THE FRONT- SARA MARCUS 2010 NEW YORK
327. (Late 90s post riot grrl) ‘Statements of female anger weren’t looking quite as revolutionary anymore either, now that major pop record labels were feeding it to the masses in the “angry women in pop” personas…’
‘Even “girl power”, a phrase that had probably debuted on the cover of the second Bikini Kill zine, transmogrified into a cheerleader’s refrain when the Spice Girls’ first record came out...these girls were so empowered, apparently, they didn’t even need to have real names or play instruments.’
‘Some wondered, was this the twenty-first-century rebirth of feminism the riot grrrls had wrought?’
‘Top-forty artists aren’t cultural movements; they’re ultra-homogenized and uber-marketed holographic projections...mass culture always contains cleaned-up, camera-ready variations on the underground, incorporating just enough of what’s “edgy” to maintain it’s own relevance.’

328- ‘...twenty-first-century feminism is alive in everyone who made it through the horror show of adolescence with the help of Riot Grrrl’s ideas about empowerment and DIY.’

MEDIA,GENDER AND IDENTITY- DAVID GAUNTLETT FIRST EDITION

GAUNTLETT ARGUES ‘The ‘girl power’ concept was a celebration of self-belief, independence and female friendship, and whilst cynics muttered that it was an empty ideology – sneering that its goals were only the right to shout “girl power” a lot – it nevertheless did seem to be empowering for young girls.’


Discuss difference of coverage comparing bands, spice girls were still mass produced for ‘teenyboppers’, riot grrls underground and for more mature. Feminism is now coming out of the underground.
‘Girl culture consists in circulating the things girls can do, be, have, and make, and in that process defining what processes are particular to girls’

SEX APPEAL- STEVEN HELLER 2000 NEW YORK

143- ‘Girl Power sexuality has become another advertising cliche, and the surburban housewife stereotype of the fifties has been suspended by the empowered party girl and the proud hooker’

DISCUSS, ARGUE AND GO FORWARD TO MODERN DAY ZINES, BOOKS MORE RECENT