I became interested in xsisterhoodx.com when I saw a WITH HONOR contest on their site. I checked it out, and it got me thinking about girls in the male dominated hardcore scene. A couple years and a few listens to PAINT IT BLACK's "Womb Envy" later, and I figured there were questions that needed to be asked, and a spotlight thrown on a segment of listeners that ha seemingly been ignored or looked down upon. There's calls for unity every so often, and let's not forget that it's not just boys' fun. This is my attempt to remember that.
Pastepunk: What was the reaction two or three years ago to the now ridiculed style of girls jeans by girls? Was it positive or negative? What impact, if any, did it have on the girls in hardcore?
Kelly: I think people are pretty cynical when it comes to guys wearing girls jeans. I don't think it has anything to do with gender roles but more to do with people disliking the emergence of "hardcore fashion." I don't think it has any real bearing on girls in hardcore. It's just another silly trend that we'll all be able to forget about soon enough.
Pastepunk: Have there been bands that have been very keen on working with you from day one?
Kelly: Ali, formerly of Fall River, and now of Spark is Diamond, has been a long time supporter and contributor to xsisterhoodx. Issa from Good Clean Fun has also been a positive supporter of the site as well as an occasional contributor. Matt Fox, from Shai Hulud, and I have been trying to figure out a collaboration between the band and the site. Hopefully we'll be able to work something out soon. 108 has also supported us as well as the Hostage Heart.
Pastepunk: Can Jessica Hopper's well-known essay on gender issues in emo be extrapolated to the hardcore scene, in your experience? With the advent of internet message boards (and my experience on punknews.org), I've noticed that people get more and more knee-jerk in their posts. How do these troubles affect kids who are trying to fit in somewhere?
Kelly: I think you're right; people are pretty knee-jerk in their responses on message boards. They don't treat each other like people, rather like punching bags. When I was a kid hardcore was full out outcasts, kids that didn't fit in, kids that weren't "cool." Our scene was small and at the time, disconnected from other scenes. So we all stuck together, and as cheesy as it sounds, we really were like a family. Everything I know about hardcore I learned from my friend John. John was the singer of the band that my ex-boyfriend was in, and he was lot older than me. He would make me mix tapes and drive me to shows. He took me under his wing. That sort of thing doesn't happen any more. The internet has connected all the small scenes and created something of a global scene, but a disconnected global scene. Hardcore is more accessible, but kids don't have to go to shows to hear new music, buy cds, band shirts, or zines. Kids never have to deal with each other in person. It's easy to make fun of people when you don't know or care about them.
Pastepunk: What was the response to the interview with the band BRING BACK PROHIBITION?
Kelly: The whole notion of "Bring Back Prohibition," to me at least, is ridiculous. I do not condone the use of force and/or violence in any way. If one truly wants to make change than one must win over the hearts and minds of people, not scare them into submission.
I strongly disagree with the notion that the government should be getting involved. I for one do not want the government to have any more power than it already does. Individuals have rights, I have the right not to drink alcohol, but my friends have the right to drink alcohol. I do not believe that the government should have the power to decide what we put in our bodies, be it harmful or not. On the other hand, I do understand that there are circumstances where people abuse substances and put other peoples' lives in jeopardy. I believe that it is at that point where the government can step in and make laws. You have the right to drink responsibly, but once you step over the line and put another person's life in danger you should have to answer to a higher authority.
If we look historically at the last prohibition movement it is painfully obvious what a failure it was. It did little to quell people's drinking. It created a lucrative tax free black market. People didn't stop drinking because it was illegal. They just did it behind closed doors. Much like what people are doing now-a-days with illegal drugs like marijuana.
The majority of people that voiced the opinions of the interview on xsisterhoodx were against BBP. The general census was BBP is too extreme, and ill conceived. I think that a lot of people would be more sympathetic to their cause if they weren't so militant. Hell, the interviewee called terrorists "freedom fighters" and justified the destruction of others property. That sort of thinking does the world no good, and certainly does not help the straight edge "movement" or hardcore scene.
Pastepunk: What are the largest challenges facing girls in hardcore? Where has progress been made?
Kelly: I think there are two real challenges facing girls in hardcore. The first being themselves, older girls distrust younger girls and younger girls resent the fact that older girls don't immediately accept them. The older girls think the younger girls are getting into the scene "for all the wrong reasons" and the younger girls think that they know everything. I can't tell you how many girls show up on the site thinking that just because they're of the female gender that everyone on the site will agree with everything that they have to say. When people disagree with them, they throw a tantrum and quit the site complaining that they don't feel the unity. I just wish that older girls would be mentors and role models to the upcoming generation, and that the younger girls would be a little more patient.
The second challenge girls face are bad attitudes. A couple of weekends ago during my radio show I made a post on a predominantly male message board letting people know about the radio show. I didn't mention anything about xsisterhoodx but since I had an F next to my name I was immediately ostracized and received comments like "Coat Racks Get Rapped" or that my music taste must suck because I'm a girl. I was also dubbed a slut, whore, scene slut and a bunch of other undeserved titles. The whole thing snowballed into an ugly mess. Not because I do a bad radio show, most of them didn't even tune in, or because I said anything controversial, it was all because I'm a girl. Most of the comments came from teenage boys who think it's funny to put girls down. Personally, I think it's disgusting.
Progress has been made in that more girls are going to shows. More girls are involved in the backend of the scene. I can't tell you how many girls work PR for hardcore labels, book shows, run zines, and are playing in bands. For all the challenges, the comments, the disrespect, girls are persevering.
Pastepunk: What was the reaction two or three years ago to the now ridiculed style of girls jeans by girls? Was it positive or negative? What impact, if any, did it have on the girls in hardcore?
