SMELLS LIKE INTRO AND SCOPE

SMELLS LIKE GIRL

Bratmobile

INTRODUCTION
1990-1999 was a good decade for feminism in music. While feminism has existed in music for years, with pioneering artists such as Joni Mitchell and Joan Jett leading the way, these female artists have traditionally been marginalized in popular culture, and the majority of women who achieved popular success were the ones who could double easily as Playboy models. The nineties saw a huge surge in popularity in women’s music, where female artists were taken seriously as musicians on a large scale, and more emphasis was placed on musicianship than image. Female artists have written and performed music about women’s issues and social reform for years, but beginning in the nineties, this was seen as less of an anomaly, and it was hugely popular with men and women. All-girl bands and women who wrote their own music and played their own instruments played heavily on MTV and the radio, and the all-female summer concert tour Lilith Fair, feminism’s answer to Lollapalooza, sold out venues across the country.

INTRODUCTION

1990-1999 was a good decade for feminism in music. While feminism has existed in music for years, with pioneering artists such as Joni Mitchell and Joan Jett leading the way, these female artists have traditionally been marginalized in popular culture, and the majority of women who achieved popular success were the ones who could double easily as Playboy models. The nineties saw a huge surge in popularity in women’s music, where female artists were taken seriously as musicians on a large scale, and more emphasis was placed on musicianship than image. Female artists have written and performed music about women’s issues and social reform for years, but beginning in the nineties, this was seen as less of an anomaly, and it was hugely popular with men and women. All-girl bands and women who wrote their own music and played their own instruments played heavily on MTV and the radio, and the all-female summer concert tour Lilith Fair, feminism’s answer to Lollapalooza, sold out venues across the country.

SCOPE
The purpose of this pathfinder is to guide the way for finding information on feminism and rock music in the nineties, whether for scholarly research or general edification. “Subject Headings” gives a list of Library of Congress subject headings that will be helpful when trying to find information in a library catalog, and subject headings are linked to the on-line catalog at UNC-Chapel Hill. The “Journals,” “Articles,” and “Books” links list printed volumes and articles, and the “Links” page is a directory of online resources.

SCOPE

The purpose of this pathfinder is to guide the way for finding information on feminism and rock music in the nineties, whether for scholarly research or general edification. “Subject Headings” gives a list of Library of Congress subject headings that will be helpful when trying to find information in a library catalog, and subject headings are linked to the on-line catalog at UNC-Chapel Hill. The “Journals,” “Articles,” and “Books” links list printed volumes and articles, and the “Links” page is a directory of online resources.

Back to Main Page