REBEL GIRL #2 LYKKE LI

I've been attempting to juggle full time work and packing up my entire life to move out at the end of this week, so I've been pretty negligent of every other aspect of my life including this blog and my personal hygiene.

Last week I spoke about my number one hero in all of music, which was Poly Styrene, lead singer and general badass from 70's punk band X Rey Spex. As an attempt to keep this ball rolling, I'm going to do it again and eventually work myself a little catalogue of all of my favourite ladies in music.

#2 in my list of awesome women in music is Lykke Li. Her debut album, Youth Novels, is one of my all time favourite records featuring tracks such as 'Little Bit', 'Dance, Dance, Dance' which soon became one of my favourite summer renditions of any song I'd seen after she was accompanied by Bon Iver on the streets of L.A.

After that she worked alongside Robyn, another one of my favourite Swedish popstairs, as well as a band of monochrome bohemian-looking types to record one of the most emphatic live renditions of her song 'I'm Good, I'm Gone'. Although she is able to capture herself within her music and music videos, nothing like her live videos does it with so much sincerity. She is rapturous with energy, however while always being so subdued, it allows her vocal talents to take centre stage rather than her on-stage character.

Although Lykke Li is a singer, she attempts to covert her style in every aspect of her field. Not allowing herself to be confined as her role as a singer, she spills out into film, writing, photography and art. Collaborating with the likes of Christian Haag for 'Breaking It Up' and Johan Söderberg for 'Get Some', there is an indefinite aesthetic about Lykke Li. Yet she refuses to hide behind costumes or gimics, relying simply on her captivating stage presence and phenomenally unique voice.

Throughout the three albums she has released, Youth Novels, Wounded Rhymes and the newly released I Never Learn she has grown and developed as an artist, although remaining familiar with a somewhat sombre tone of heartbreak. I Never Learn is completely dreamy and sensitive. Lykke Li is incredibly good at staying relevant within the ever changing music scene by adapting her sound as well as  collaborating alongside A$AP Rocky, but she still retains the charm that allowed everyone to fall in love with her by harnessing the common emotions that every feels - senses of loss, heartbreak and experience. This is the main thing I love about Lykke Li's music. That it allows the listener to be introverted. Whereas a lot of music is much about outward expression.

I really appriciate Lykke Li's attitude towards her own music. Despite being incredibly self-depricating, she allows others be the same way. She also chooses not to settle for the same position she has held throughout her musical career. She not only attempts to better herself, but better the industry. While using her music as a platform for change and growth, she also uses it to testify against the overtly sexual nature of modern popular music. The video for 'Get Some' was an attempt subvert the objectification of women, not only on a sexual level but also on a power level. In an interview with The Guardian in 2010, she openly objects to how the male-orientated industry attempts to compare and confine female artists, saying "I just feel like it's unfair sometimes to be a woman." 

Despite achieving two best-selling albums, and being a female artists who strives to stand out in a crowd which often doesn't want her to do exactly that, she still considers feminism an integral part of who she and her music are. She believes that although women have made strives in so many instances within music, we still have a very long way before we reach equality. And she's completely right. Women are taught to harness their sexuality in an attempt to sell records and gain fame. However, it is always questionable as to whether these ideas of sexuality as a tool are propagated by management and record labels in a bid to make more money or if stars such as Miley Cyrus and Rihanna actually are empowered by their own personal motives. And even if these are the acts of empowered women, media and the industry attempt to make women compete against one another. Yet, Lykke Li's introversion and isolation that follows alongside her music allows her to see this word in retrospect, from the outside in, whilst still being on the inside. Despite female artists being bred to fight against eachother, Lykke Li sees the actual fight to grow as women important and exciting, expressing in The Independant that "It's great being a woman, I love being a woman. It's fun to have more to fight for."

Molly

twitter / bloglovin

Images: Bell & Light

Representing Women is "Too Much Effort"

Ubisoft have axed their playable female avatar for Assassin's Creed Unity, which is to be released in October, because it would "double the work" and they wanted "the best experience for the character". While still deciding to release 4 different special edition box sets of the game, they are unable to 'find the time' to create a character which represents 53% of the population. As a women who plays games, and really appreciates the "novelty" of being able to play as a character who represents me, I am completely upset. I always indulge in being able to play as a women, because I am a women and it upsets me that men, as always, take premise over women in gaming.

Alex Amancio told Polygon that the inclusion of the now long forgotten female protagonist would mean "double the animations, double the voices, double the visual assets." As well as level designer Bruno St-Andre's estimating that more than 8000 animations would have to be recreated on a different skeleton for her to be a functioning avatar. However, these claims were later completely debunked after Jonathan Cooper, the animation director of Assassin's Creed 3 took to twitter to tear Ubisoft apart. He explained that in his educated opinion, to create a new skeleton would take one or two days rather than replacing 8000 animations that Amancio predicted. He also went onto explain that game animators are aware not to create unique animations for every single character, comparing it to Mass Effects' character design, where playing with a female avatar was an option; "It's the same on the [Assassin's Creed 3] build... They share animations. I think the assassin shares lots of animations with NPCs as well. For Connor, I know we gave him some of his own unique jumps and kind of things to give him a lot of character."

Fun fact #2: Aveline de Grandpré shares more of Connor Kenway's animations than Edward Kenway does. pic.twitter.com/lFHHnBfLht
— Jonathan Cooper (@GameAnim) June 11, 2014 

My argument to Ubisoft is that you have the ability to render the French Revolution with intricate beauty, yet you lack the supposed time and man power to create a playable female character. Despite director, James Therien, telling VideoGames.com that “[they] have huge teams, nine studios working on this game” and their previous creation of Aveline de Grandpre, are they still really unable to harness previously used animations? Especially after being criticised by their own previous employees they still stand by their choice not to incorporate a female avatar.

REBEL GIRL #1 POLY STYRENE FROM X RAY SPEX

I've decided to make a collective list of all of my favourite women in the world of music. Partly because I love music but mostly because women are awesome and I'm a sucker for an angry girl band. I've decided that because listing yr fave womenz is such an over-done thing, that I'll try to keep it away from "OMG BEYONCE" and explore different genres of music or artists, who just... aren't Beyonce.

Every week I'll choose a woman I really adore and basically explain why she is the pretty much the bomb.

#1 in my list of angsty feminist goodness is Poly Styrene from X Ray Spex. X Ray Spex are one of the first punk bands of the 70's to be fronted by a woman, to actually be pretty good and to hold a really important sentiment within their music.

Upon hearing the cataclysmic introduction of "Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard but I think... Oh Bondage! Up Yours!" you know something is about to erupt. Tiny Poly Styrene thunders around the stage adorned in braces, Doc Martens and a Dayglo wardrobe. She was a devastating contrast to the images of women that 1970's had created before her. She even refused to conform to what punk had dictated a woman must look like. She wasn't there to be a pretty punk veneer to her band, she wasn't going to sing in tune. Once a trained classical singer, she inverted her talents to create a completely unique sound. That alongside her Ska influences, she wailed and it worked so well because even despite so many punk bands coming before her, none could emulate that voice.

The acceleration of punk music in the UK and America gave women like Poly Styrene and many others the chance not to be beautiful. It allowed them to be ugly for themselves and for no one else. Interest was not on beauty but on the idea of inventing and creating and that's what Poly Styrene did.

In the mini-documentary Who Is Poly Styrene? she explains she chose her name because popstars at the time were disposable and replaceable. It only emphasised her open hatred for how disposable we believe the world around us to be, which features heavily on Germ Free Adolescent, an album with heavy eco-socialist, anti-commercial and consumerist under-tones. At the age of 19, she was breaking down barriers and exploring topics that many people don't reach until it's far too late. She was, in every sense of the phrase, ahead of her time.

From the age of 11, she has been the queen of my world. Poly Styrene is the epitome of the Do It Yourself punk-feminist mentality that was seen in bands like Bratmobile and Bikini Kill except she was doing it over in the UK instead of across the ocean and much, much earlier. She saw the Sex Pistols and had the epiphany that anyone could do it if they could, and she wouldn't be at a loss because she was female. Ultimately, this is why she gets me. She harnesses the things that could be seen as weaknesses and makes them strengths, while inverting her strengths to create uniqueness.

Due to the most unfortunate circumstances, Poly Styrene passed away in 2011 at 53 from breast cancer that had spread to her lungs. But even in death, she is a living icon. I don't really believe you should have heroes, but if anyone should be awarded that title, it would definitely be Poly Styrene. She's more than admirable for her ability as a singer, a front woman and an opinionated woman who sought out change but really what makes her worthy of being considered one of the most tremendous women in the world is because she created her own space as a woman of colour in a very hostile, punk environment. Lena Dunham said something in her second BS Report which really resonated with me; "it's a specific personality that says 'I see no room for me and I'm going for it'." Whether it was as a teenager, a woman, the lead singer of X Ray Spex or as Marianne Joan Elliott-Said, Poly Styrene sought out her space and fucking claimed it every time.

Do FeMENists mean an end to lad culture and gang mentality in men?

After watching the male students of LREI in New York City undertake classes in feminism from Ileana Jiménez, "the Feminist Teacher" and openly discuss what feminism means and how it's been life changing to understand feminism. It is refreshing to see not just men, but high school students, reflecting on topics such as societal binaries, intersectionality, sex trafficking and defining themselves as feminists!

Although I don't believe a man admitting he is a feminist is really that admirable, because of course equality is something we should all aim for (and not wanting minorities to be raped, murdered and have their general livelihood threatened and compromised everyday doesn't really warrant a trophy). I do understand the pressures that men face to separate themselves from women and society's perception of female issues. It's also important to recognise that high school is a place where fitting in can feel like the number one priority. To be different or stand out is to make yourself a victim straight off the bat and as high school students, that is the last thing we want. This isn't something that ends when you hit eighteen though, this is also a massive part of what manhood is and feeling like you belong in society is a really big thing for everyone. Men often flock together in groups, who share a collective thought and to defy this can often lead to ridicule by your peers or even render you as less of a man. 

Now as a university student and as someone who works on one of the most notoriously "ladish" streets in Bristol, I see this every weekend; groups of men who feel safe in performing ludicrously antisocial acts because they either feel safe in their little obnoxious band of men or because they are too afraid to act in any other way. On one occasion I can remember working on the door, taking tickets and money, and after denying entry to a group of about six middle-aged Irish men I was screamed at for being "racist" and as I was crying one pulled his dick out, pushed it in my face and told me he would only leave if I would be so kind as to suck it.

As my own personal experience shows, I've come to believe that so much sexism can be put down to the anonymity that can be felt in a group. Examples all across the board have come to light recently, with sexual assaults in colleges in Massachusetts, Steubenville, Torrington, Michigan, as well as in the UK where racism and sexism in public spaces is only goaded when in groups of university students, and this is only endorsed by the clubs in which they go to.  I believe this is one of many reasons as to why rape and group sexual assaults are so common place at college and university; a place where manliness is always in question and group mentalities are rife. 

The reason as to why Jiménez's education in feminism appears to work so well for the seven male students who have taken her class is because it takes them away from that group status that allows them to mock and challenge anything and everything for fear of being ridiculed themselves. It allows these young men to be educated and to learn about the importance of feminism with openness and acceptance despite it not being considered a "man's issue". She normalises feminism while allowing them to explore aspects of feminism which apply to them. Nathaniel discusses how  "nothing can just be one dimensional" as they were taught about the importance of intersectionality, and how equality transcends gender and how we must fight for equality between people of difference races, classes, sexual orientations and disabilities. Nathaniel later went onto feature on Nickelodeon to talk about feminism alongside Gloria Steinem.

As I said before, a man believing he is a feminist is no more ground breaking than a women believing she is however it does mean a massive step towards equality as more and more men each day are becoming more supportive. It means that the feminism is no longer a strictly "female issue" as it has been for a long time. The large majority of modern men are unconcerned by the issues which affect minorities because they feel they are unaffected by them, despite often having the most control over them.

With more questions heading towards whether sex education should be taught at a younger age or not here in the UK, social politics, gender studies, body politics and consent, equality and an openness towards differences in race, religion and sexuality of everyone are equally important for children in high school to learn about. It must be taught before fears of social stigma and worries of becoming an outcast in the eyes of their peers begin to become the most important aspect of teenage life. Despite my generation's education being one of the most developed thus far, there is definitely so far to go. I was one of few who never taught about sex education and I never put a condom on a banana or rubber dildo. But this is definitely not the only important thing to be teaching in schools. There is a huge lack of education when it comes showing children how to grow up with openness and understanding. 

The only downfall to Jiménez's uplifting video is the overbearing message in the About section of her Youtube post. Only seven boys took her gender studies course in two years and despite that being an amazing feat, it is a very tiny minority of the men that have passed through high schools all over America. At this point it is important to reiterate that feminism which doesn't accept men cannot really be for equality as equality is inclusive of everyone. However, it is equally important that women, people of colour, those with disabilities and all those who fall under the LGBT spectrum have a platform in which to teach, learn and promote, and protest without the fear of subjugation, ridicule and torment. men must also realise that feminism is not a platform for them to be overbearing or invade and they are not entitled a place because they are a man.

“Men who want to be feminists do not need to be given a space in feminism. They need to take the space they have in society & make it feminist.”  

- Kelley Temple, National Union of Students UK Women’s Officer

Of course, what Jiménez has does is amazingly important - she is educating young men on how they can use their privilege and status as men to recognise and then fight against systematic oppression. She is also rescuing the very same young men that could by chance be lost into the lad culture that prizes the kind of threatening anti-social behaviour that the vast majority of women have suffered at the hand of. They now fight against the same behaviour that society encourages which dictates masculinity is dictated through an entitlement to women's bodies with or without consent.

Watch the video here!

Follow me on twitter
Follow me on bloglovin

Nice Guys Finish First: Slam Poetry and Nice Guy Syndrome

Yesterday, through no fault of my own, I attended a poetry slam hosted by Hammer and Tongue. The ubiquitous Spoken Word collective who, on the first Wednesday of every month, host a series of poetry slams where I work. Despite not being the most enthralled individual by poetry and poetry slams (mostly because of how it really feels like finding a diamond in a heap of shit to me), I'm pretty open to the nights in which we host because I believe the people I work with have amazing taste.

The night opened with readings from a few poets, one of which was Salena Godden, and then after an hour or so the poetry slam started. The night was pretty slow but the venue was very full and it went on to the final round of the four hopeful finalists who would be going to the National Slam at the Royal Albert Hall on the 21stof June, alongside Kate Tempest.

However, this is where I lost all hope in humanity and the poetry slamming community forever and ever. The first of two winners, who achieved the highest score of the entire night, over all, recited a poem that started with (something along the lines of) “And I know you say you just want a 'nice boyfriend'” and there followed three minutes of him criticising himself for his “bitch tits” and “five foot six” and how she really, truly, deserves a nice boyfriend, but she shouldn't say she wants just a nice boyfriend because she doesn't want just a nice boyfriend. She wants intelligence, height, humour, a good jaw and not him.

Honestly, I don't remember his name, I'm sure it was something like Mike or Tom or something as equally forgettable as the rest of the night was but as I sat on the door with the sounds of people applauding his win, I couldn't help feel like … yeah I know he rhymed six and tits but does he really deserve to win? Isn't content important at all?

Hey Guys! Your aggressive perceptions of female beauty are fucked up!

The topic of the depraved short hair woman pops up so often in the realm of internet media. Previously there was an internet feminist shit storm after the clickbait Returnofkings' website published a piece entitled “Short haired women are damaged”. More recently, one piece by some other straight, white guy with entitlement issues caught my eye. The piece which is entitled “Hey, Ladies! Short hair is rape” explains how yes, you may look like a woman from the back but when I'm doing you from behind and you look like a boy, well I'm not gay so this is rape! Despite being hilarious and intelligent, the author, Gavin is clearly not someone to have ever suffered from the act and long-standing emotional, mental and physical trauma that comes from enduring rape and was clearly so utterly clueless about the severity of his actions that two months later, he had to release an apology. Well no, he just defended his actions further by calling women stupid and laughing at their teeny tiny women IQs. But then again he's also the author of thought-provoking, intellectual pieces on how woman are inherently lazy and I quote “straight men are a great scapegoats because we rarely complain”. Oh and he also interviewed Terry Richardson, and decided he's a-okay guy.