Girlcore

http://girlcorerules.blogspot.com/

I just found out about Girlcore today, via Jezebel.  Apparently, Girlcore is a "collective" of young women who have really elaborate theme parties (sounds fun, if kind of a pain) all over the world and let men into the parties only if they come in drag and according to theme.  They also have a lot of female musicians, artists (photographers, graphic artists), and tips on creating visual pieces on their blog and magazine.  There's a distinct, hipster-y, Threadless-ish visual style to their work.

According to Jezebel, there's some criticism of the Girlcore group for being all glittery and fluffy. They're most definitely not RiotGrrls, Rex and my heroes.  But not all feminists have to be RiotGrrls and/or fall under the "hate men and hairy legs" stereotype, so that's cool.  What I do wonder is if the Girlcore girls are actually feminists?  They do promote female artists and musicians, and they foster a creative party atmosphere that is aimed for female consumers.  But the fact that they're so niche and so bound up with the creation and consumption of art and lifestyle gives me pause.  Is this again, a Butlerian performance of gender subversion, without agitating for societal change?  Should Girlcore promote these female artists AND lobby for record companies to sign more female artists beyond the pop mainstream?  Or to push for more equal education opportunities for women?

All that seems beyond the mission of the Girlcore, and there isn't a problem with that.  You can have whatever mission you want to have.  But when Jezebel says Girlcore "makes feminism fun" (because sometimes fighting for the cause is so "exhausting"), I think it's fair to ask and to debate if Girlcore is feminist. That's our mission.