As the '90s passed, so did the trend toward powerful women in rock,
such as Sonic Youth's href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Gordon" target="blank">Kim
Gordon or Breeders/Pixies lifer href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Deal" target="blank">Kim
Deal. They were quickly replaced in the mainstream by vacuous
vessels like Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson, and so the
proliferation of young women whose cultural capital was stored in
their scantily clad bodies retook the music scene, where they hooked
up with MTV's ever-present video hos, Girls Gone Wild, and
instantly available internet porn. It is partially in reaction to this
sexualized environment that target="blank">Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls was born.
A documentary film about what happens at the righteous Rock Camp is
out this week. Directed by Arne Johnson and Shane King, href="http://www.girlsrockmovie.com" target="blank">Girls
Rock! tracks four girls from different backgrounds during a
weeklong hideaway in Portland, where they form bands, write songs and
eventually throw a concert for hundreds. It's a touching film.
Friendships develop amidst creativity and conflict, teaching girls the
true value of communication and self-esteem. Even better, the girls
are guided through the process by some admirable women of rock,
including target="blank">Sleater-Kinney's guitar shredder/singer href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Brownstein"
target="blank">Carrie Brownstein as well as href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_Ditto" target="blank">Beth
Ditto, booming vocalist extraordinaire from The Gossip.
align="right">"These girls are encouraged to speak their minds and
push the envelope," explained camp instructor and href="http://www.rainingjane.com" target="blank">Raining Jane
drummer Mona Tavakoli. "That's not something we are encouraged to do
as women in school or at home. The community involved with the camp
totally understands the value of supporting a safe space for these
young women to learn and explore."
Straight up, Girls Rock! should be mandatory viewing for girls
of all ages. Let's face it: They need something meaningful to
counteract all the pressure, to realize their identity isn't locked up
in some unrealistic ideal projected by male desire. Learning to
actually create music, rather than putting on a miniskirt and
lip-synching to it, can help. As Brownstein argues in the film, "There
is that sense of empowerment...having that microphone for the first
time, having volume. You can't underestimate how it feels to hear your
voice echo through a room."
And you can't underestimate the effect it has on those watching it happen. "The
first time I saw them kicking out the jams on their guitars and drums," said
co-director Arne Johnson, "I was moved to tears."
That happens a lot when the subjects of your film are girls coming to
grips with their identities, while trying to write a killer rock song.
As the film follows Laura, an adopted Korean from Oklahoma who also
happens to be both a National Merit Scholar and a death metal fan, you
feel the pressure she feels to conform. But you also feel it lift, as
Rock Camp commences and brings the noise.
"I don't need to wear make-up and perfume to be a woman," she told me
later about the experience. "I don't need to have short hair and wear
pants all the time to be a metal fan! Now, I don't box myself in
either way. And I feel better about it."
Laura's problems pale in comparison to those of Misty, who is also
followed through the film. With drug-addicted parents ditching her and
gangs entangling her, she's had enough problems without having to
learn bass, join a band, and perform an original song in front of a
crowd of strangers. Yet, she did, and it changed her.
"If I didn't go to the camp, then I would have never gotten in touch
with myself on such a personal level," she explained via email. "In my
future, I see nothing but the positive. Rock camp gave me the
confidence to be who I am."
And what better lesson is there? "I didn't know how these negative
cultural influences were actually shaping and affecting girls on a
visceral level," Johnson added. "It was heartbreaking, but also
inspiring to see them take on these huge forces with such joy and
courage. They're my role models and inspirations."
Laura would recommend the experience for every girl. "Rock Camp
teaches girls, by example, that there are as many ways to be a woman
as there are women. As long as a woman is strong and confident, and
she is not hurting herself or others, then all of these ways are
valid, and even wonderful. Plus, you meet role models, make lifelong
friends and get to rock out with other girls!"
If you are in search of positive influences to counter all the
negative influences a girl receives in her life, then take your
daughters, sisters, nieces and granddaughters to see this film. And
even if you are not in search of that, just take them for the rock.