Girl Power

The phrase Girl Power, as a term of empowerment, developed during the mid - 1990s.

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There is great debate as to both the origins and meaning of the phrase Girl Power. While Grrrl Power was a term frequently associated with the Riot Grrrl movement during the early 1990s, the Plumstead pop-punk duo Shampoo can also stake a claim to this term, as they released both an album and single titled Girl Power in early 1995 (despite the fact that they were quoted -tounge planted firmly in cheek- as saying: "Girl Power is a load of rubbish, who the hell thought that one up anyway? ").

Related Topics:
Riot Grrrl - 1990s - Shampoo - 1995

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Without a doubt, however, the phrase is most commonly associated with the mid - 1990s British singing group the Spice Girls http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/38786.stm, http://www.spiked-online.com/Printable/00000000553B.htm. This group used the phrase as a slogan in interviews, on merchandise, and as an overall band 'politic,' through lyrics such as "God help the mister that comes between me and my sister" (Love Thing).

Related Topics:
1990s - Spice Girls

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As a number of critics have suggested (including Dr. Susan Hopkins, a Lecturer in The School of Journalism and Communication, The University of Queensland, in her book Girl Heroes) the phrase Girl Power! mirrored the growing interest in popular culture in "The Girl" during the late 1990s. This interest was further reflected in the development of the academic disciplines Buffy Studies, Girls Studies, and Girl Culture (see "Scholarship" section below).

Related Topics:
Lecturer - University of Queensland - Girl Heroes - Girl - 1990s - Buffy Studies - Girls Studies - Girl Culture

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Another way to think of this is as an expression of the dynamics between Second-wave feminism (as embodied in the images of Ellen Ripley in the Alien films and Sarah Connor in The Terminator films) and Third-wave feminism (as embodied in late 1990s female action heroes such as Buffy Summers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Sydney Bristow of Alias) http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/20010225/LI_001.htm & http://www.isiswomen.org/pub/wia/wia203/editorial.htm. Media theorist Kathleen Rowe Karlyn echoes this sentiment in her article Scream, Popular Culture, and Feminism's Third Wave: I'm Not My Mother.

Related Topics:
Second-wave feminism - Ellen Ripley - Alien - Sarah Connor - The Terminator - Third-wave feminism - 1990s - Female action heroes - Buffy Summers - Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Sydney Bristow - Alias

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Girl Power had different meanings according to context. The brand of Girl Power espoused by Shampoo involved "coming home drunk in the midnight hour" (Girl Power), whilst the official book for the Spice Girls quotes them as saying, "Feminism has become a dirty word. Girl Power is just a nineties way of saying it. We can give feminism a kick up the arse. Women can be so powerful when they show solidarity."

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In 2001, the Oxford English Dictionary added the term Girl Power!, defining this phrase as a self-reliant attitude among girls and young women manifested in ambition, assertiveness and individualism.

Related Topics:
2001 - Oxford English Dictionary

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