¶ … grrrl -- here me roar! We've come a long way since the bra-burning days of yore. Feminists in the 1960s and 1970s helped break down significant barriers for grrrls, and helped us to reclaim that fun-filled word. However, that "second wave" of feminism is long gone. We're back to struttin' our stuff, high heels, lipstick, and all. Now 20-somethings don't have to demand to be called a "woman" to assert feminine strength; grrrl is just fine. In fact, the term reeks of fun and frolic, of grrrl power. As Angela McRobbie states in her book Postmodernism and Popular Culture, "far from having to relinquish their femininity to achieve 'equality, these girls have demanded their right to hold onto it intact, even excessively," (166). Welcome to the Third Wave of Feminism, grrrls!
Ironically, it took hairy legs and armpits to achieve this linguistic transformation and ride this third wave. We had to know which parts of ourselves were created or dictated by men, and which flowed naturally from our feminine beings. Now, grrrls are reclaiming traditional femininity with pride. We needed the pendulum to swing from the complete eradication of anything girly to a joyous display of lace and lipstick. Grrrls can now reexamine individual female identity without any societal pressures. Look at Madonna, who might be credited with being one of the first famous third wave feminists. Madonna's image is ultra-feminine and yet ultra-strong. She thrives on being a wife and a mother, she dons daring lingerie, and she keeps her body in tip-top shape. Madonna is all grrrl.
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