Group 1 - Kathleen Hanna

Hanna Performing in the 1990's

Kathleen Hanna is an American singer and activist most well known for her work as the lead singer of punk band Bikini Kill and as a pioneer of the riot grrrl movement, an underground feminist punk movement which was most popular in the 1990’s.

During her childhood, Hanna and her family moved from Oregon to Maryland. Hanna cites her mother as a huge influence on her ideas around feminism. She and her mother both had a deep interest in the women’s rights movement.

After moving back to the Northwest for college, Hanna had her first experience with organizing for activist events. She and her friends created an art and photography exhibit which dealt with themes of sexism and AIDS. Soon she began to perform spoken-word poetry which addressed similar themes. Eventually, a friend of hers suggested that she join a band, which lead to her entrance into the punk scene.

 

Early riot grrrl zine by Bikini Kill

In the early 1990’s, Hanna was part of a band called Bikini Kill. Bikini Kill's music addressed female empowerment, feminism, homosexuality, and sexual violence. Soon into their career, Bikini Kill launched the underground punk feminist movement riot grrrl. Riot grrrl consisted of multiple female-led bands which aimed to create a safe space for women and girls at punk shows by enforcing policies like “girls to the front” and passing out zines to audience members at their shows.

Hanna herself ended up at the front of tabloid magazines which made false claims about her reasons for starting riot grrrl, attributing it to rumors that her father had raped her during her childhood. These rumors were false. Her beef with punk singer Courtney Love also made it to tabloid magazines, after Love walked up to Hanna and (possibly) hit her in the face during Lollapallooza in 1995, which sparked a backstage argument between the two.

In 2013, filmmaker Sini Anderson released a documentary called “The Punk Singer” about Kathleen Hanna’s life. Today, Hanna remains a feminist punk icon who continues to spread her activism along with her music career, all while battling Lyme Disease.

Here is a link to our slideshow so y'all can check out our visual components and some of the videos we may not get to in the presentation! :)