Bjork in a feminist book

"Blue Eyed Pop: The Bjork / Icelandic Pop Music Mailing List" Sun, 11 Jul 1999

I have not been part of BEP long enough to know if this has been previously discussed ? but after reading this book I was outraged.

I have always considered Bj?k to be an excellent example of current feminism- independent, confident, challenging, successful and not limited by any one. She is also and artist, educated, a business-woman and a mother who loves her son immensely. I though that this an example of modern feminism -- but not for the author of the social commentary, 'The Whole Woman.'

The book is a feminist text, 'The Whole Woman' published by Doubleday this year, and was written by Germaine Greer. She has been a very influential figure who is both an equally loved and hated Australian woman. She was the forefront of the Women's liberation movements of the 60's and 70's here in Australia and continues to write on feminist issues. She now lives in England ? I think!

In a chapter titled 'Girlpower' she mention Bj?k's attack on the journalist at the airport in a manner which is totally out of context with incident and her claim that she supports 'whole women.'

The exact extract is typed below and if you want you can read the paragraphs and contention surrounding Bj?k's mention. I don't care if this infringes upon copyright!

The concise extract is:

"Enter Bj?k Gundmundsdottir who, though a mother, proved that she was still a girl by grabbing a woman journalist by the hair, shaking her head violently, throwing her to the ground, jumping on her and banging her head on the floor five times."

This pisses me off because there is no mention of;

1: Her protection of Sindri.
2: That she is a successful, independent single mother.
3: Guarding herself against the "male dominated" press (which Germaine rants about for several pages in another chapter),
4: That aggression is as much a female instinct as a male one and that social stereotyping of women as dainty and submissive has made any sight, of female anger unacceptable. The dominant conception of female aggression limits women by 'male-define' response patterns.

There is also a quote further on which reflects on Bj?k in a better light: [this quote is originally taken from a feminist journal, 'Everywoman' (August 1995, p.10) - which is no longer in print.]

"My mother's generation were very much about screaming and shouting about being locked in a cage. Then the cage was eventually opened. My generation is more about ignoring it, stop moaning and get things done."

The longer extract in context with her argument: [Beware this might also irritate the Madonna, Courtney Love / Hole fans]

GIRLPOWER

"The longest revolution has many phases, false starts and blind alleys, all of which must be explored before a way through can be found. One of these is a brief catastrophic career of 'girls', 'girls behaving badly', 'girls in top'. Though the career of the individual bad girl is likely to be a brief succession of episodes of chaotic drinking, casual sex, venereal infection and unwanted pregnancy, with consequences she will have to struggle with all her life, the cultural phenomenon is depressingly durable and that average age of acting out kinderwhores grows ever younger.

Girls themselves claim decent from the ur-Girl Madonna, who has said to have launched the new stereotype in 'The Girlie Show.' It is probably truer to say that they are descended from Buffalo Girl, Vivienne Westwood, who with Chrissie Hynde used to stick her buttocks in the faces of beholders at The Sex Shop in Kings Road in the 70's. In Westwood's collection for the spring of 1990, Sara Stockbridge wore tights decorated with the commonest kind of lavatory-wall drawing of a penis, with the title of 'Half-Dressed City Gent.' Madonna's display of conscientious harlotry [prostitution] was healthy by comparison. The next heroine of girl culture was Courtney Love, whose bleached hair straggled over a raddled face sacred with lipstick smeared to her hairline. Coutrney's best buddy Drew Barrymore, who added flipping her breasts out on talk shows to the gallimaufry of bad behaviour. Enter Bj?k Gundmundsdottir who, though a mother, proved that she was still a girl by grabbing a woman journalist by the hair, shaking her head violently, throwing her to the ground, jumping on her and banging her head on the floor five times

The rest of the chapter is Germaine berating of teen magazine and their influence in sexualizing young girls. She condemns 'girl's' in this chapter, which Bj?k is identified as and show to be the most aggressive of them all. The Bj?k aggression to the journalist is presented as if it was done just to maintain a 'bad girl' image in line with that of Madonna and others. Germaine's comments at the beginning of the chapter present Bj?k as a mother who is out of control, highly sexually active and that her pregnancy and 'enslavement' as a mother is totally her own fault rather than of choice.

I am so angry about the false representation that perhaps BEP could contact the publishers or people in contact with Germaine. I don't know if this would have any purpose.

I am sorry that this message is so long but it is interesting to know how Bjork is presented in the media- event if is very badly!!

Amy

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