Something I thought was very interesting in the study of the “Riot Grrrl Is…” chapter by Schilt was the politics of navigating different boundaries. On one hand, the movement encouraged girls “to move outside the ‘bedroom culture’…and into the realm of subcultural producer” (115,) illustrating how they wanted to redefine what it means to be a female in a subculture by embracing the aspects of the DIY music scene. By taking themselves away from the corporate, the women in this scene were allowed to express their feelings on “the treatment of women in the punk scene” (117,) clearly illustrating a divide between the male and the female identities.
However, on the other hand, I found it extremely interesting when Schilt shed light on the fact that, once the females come together, all other borders are no longer recognized when she delves into the scenes of punk-white girl privilege and alienation of the non-white other. By “denying the race issue…[the scene] led many nonwhite girls to feel that their experiences were devalued” (121.) Sexism isn’t the only thing to create a dialogue about, as there are many other boundaries to be explored even if the “white feminists often…identified with their sisters of color” (121) due to their own feelings of being second-class citizens.
One issue that this debate brings up though, is how political can you get before the Riot Grrrl scene becomes more “about music…[than] about politics”? (122.)
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