Girl Power!

Having just watched the new movie The Runaways, I am feeling rather inspired. Inspired to dye my hair black, cut it into a choppy mullet, spray paint and rip up my own t-shirts just like Joan Jett (or Kristen Stewart). There is something about that angsty teenage rebel queen that has always seemed so cool to me. Probably because rocker chicks à la Kristen Stewart or Taylor Momsen from Gossip Girl, are so far from anything I will ever be. The closest I've ever become to being a rockstar has been while playing Rockband.

Junior year in college, my friends and I had Rockband in our apartment. It was the world's biggest distraction and reason for procrastination. Somedays I would come home from class and find my roommate sitting alone on the couch, staring at the TV screen, strumming on the guitar like a robot. We spent many Friday nights pumping ourselves up to party by rocking out like gamer nerds. I was always on vocals. Mic in hand, I felt overcome with the confidence of a tough, rock-and-roll chick. There was definitely something empowering in belting "Bad Reputation" until my voice became raspy and hoarse.

What was so empowering and liberating in these brief moments of rockstar-dom was that it was such a change from my everyday self. For anyone that knows me, I am pretty tightly wound, almost always follow the rules, and definitely could not pull off a choppy mullet. So these rocker chicks have always been so cool to me, because their image and persona are something I could never pull of, or are just too afraid to try.

I've always admired women who don't seem to care about societal norms of femininity and masculinity. Women who are willing to break through the mold, whether it be in music, fashion, literature, etc. (Coco Chanel, Jane Austen, Britney Spears...haha just kidding, but not really). Although I don't consider myself a trendsetter or mold-breaker, those few moments manning the mic on Rockband allowed me to feel the sense of power and freedom that female innovators, such as Joan Jett, must have felt. Who knew a video game could be so empowering? Rock on!