So who should my first woman be.... hmm... how about riot grrrl feminist, Kathleen Hanna!
Founder of riot grrrl band, Bikini Kill, and later electroclash outifit, Le Tigre, Hanna has been a poignant and outspoken feminist voice since the early 1990's.
She first became interested in feminism when her mother, a housewife, took her to a feminist rally where Gloria Steinham spoke when she was aged nine, which left a lasting impression. She later studied photography at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, also working as a stripper to support herself. Her exhibits at this time dealt with issues such as sexism and AIDS, although her work was taken down before public viewing by school administrators in the name of censorship, prompting her to create an independent feminist art gallery called Reko Muse. She also did spoken word sexism and domestic violence and volunteered for a domestic abuse organisation.
Bikini Kill was named after a fanzine that members Hanna, Kathi Wilcox, Tobi Vail and Billy Karren created as a response to sexism in the punk rock scene, with the band later writing songs involving such ideals. They released a cassette, EP, split LP with Huggy Bear and two albums - Pussy Whipped and Reject All American before splitting and creating side projects (eg. The Frumpies - minus Hanna, with the addition of Molly Neuman of Bratmobile).
Post Bikini Kill, Hanna started a solo project called Julie Ruin, experimenting with New Wave sounds before later starting political outfit, Le Tigre, who released three albums before becoming inactive.
As someone who is frequently aggravated by sexist comments for sexist comments sake (my guy friends will find themselves quickly shot down), as well as believing in equality, Hanna is certainly an inspiration for me, with herself and her contemporaries challenging a whole scene with their feminist ideals and championing a message that reached new generations across the world. Even now, it continues due to the accessibility of the internet.
Her music is highly catchy, and definitely worth a listen whether you agree with her message or not. 'Decaptacon' by Le Tigre, for example, could easily be the soundtrack to my life, because I am yet to get bored of it! Her image also influences me time and again, as she always looks very put together in with her retro updo's and red lipstick, and wearing prints, tartans. In her Bikini Kill days, she was known to dress as a school girl. Hanna also evidently influenced her friend, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, famously writing 'Kurt smells like teen spirit' on a wall and subsequently inspiring the name of the perhaps the most iconic Nirvana song!
Anyways, check some of the vids below, and I'm pretty sure we have a well deserving first Wonder Woman of the Week.
Bikini Kill - Rebel Girl
Le Tigre - Decaptacon
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Hanna
http://www.kathleenhanna.com/
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