tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post5416053224258009993..comments2024-01-31T22:11:39.253-08:00Comments on Feminism/Popular Culture: Kurt Cobain's Interrogation of Hegemonic MasculinityCortneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872805766270158996noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-49828858508668315742012-01-29T19:16:01.354-08:002012-01-29T19:16:01.354-08:00Hey there, I loved your post, and would love to re...Hey there, I loved your post, and would love to read the rest of your paper:) I have also just finished my degree in women's/gender studies and am a raging nirvana fan. I think that whilst celebrity clearly was bad for Kurt Cobain himself, it was (and is)a great platform from which to circulate models of values and ideology that are helpful (rather than antagonistic) to feminism and to humanity in general. If kids are still looking up to someone who says the kind of things like the 'isms' quote used, my faith in humanity is not quite extinguished!!<br />A lot of kids have difficulty fitting into the moulds that get carved out for them when they enter highschool, and I realise that this has way more to do with gender/class/race roles being fake constructions that do not come naturally to us than having 'problems'. Kurt knew this; which was evident in both his interviews and lyrics. I think this is why so many people are able to connect so intimately with Nirvana's music; it so poingniantly captures that disconent that we all feel which results from an incongruency between socially constructed gender roles (and identities in general), our (non-)performance of them, and our own realities and desires. what a rant lol, but i wish i could be in your class- it sounds awesome^^prunedancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02286790372046726037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-72865431764487094822011-03-13T14:26:50.879-07:002011-03-13T14:26:50.879-07:00Wow this is really intresting, thanks a bunch. I&#...Wow this is really intresting, thanks a bunch. I'm doing a course called "communications and culture" and i have to make a video about Kurt Cobain and the cultural boundarys and ideas of ideology etc etc that kurt has challeneged- your post is great and has given me much food for thought. Thanks again.George Jnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-88696678252095336862010-10-25T00:46:01.683-07:002010-10-25T00:46:01.683-07:00i remember him saying in school he was friends wit...i remember him saying in school he was friends with more girls and that he identified with and related the gays more. i think he was entertained by the jocks thinking he was gay. i think it's actually in his journals that i got that from, come to think of it.Amanda Rnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-57476539857246719972010-05-24T23:24:08.887-07:002010-05-24T23:24:08.887-07:00I enjoyed reading your blog post on dominant mascu...I enjoyed reading your blog post on dominant masculinity and Kurt Cobain, which is surprising, considering Feminism is really my area of interest.<br />I've reckon Cobain was, and this sounds trite, an ordinary guy in extraodinary circumstances. It's interesting the points you make about Cobain challenging dominant masculinity, but he also reinforced the dominant masculinity in many ways. His music and voice and his 'fuck you attitude..), and may be I'm wrong, sounded angry and aggressive at times, which is a feeling that men can freely express. It seems to be a masculine quality. This idea comes from Connell in her stuff on masculinities. He seemed to be independent in many ways (in his moral code, the way he dressed, etc), which traditionally is viewed as a masculine quality...Timnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-28283638578496511442010-05-22T18:49:27.702-07:002010-05-22T18:49:27.702-07:00Agree with everyone here that this was a really in...Agree with everyone here that this was a really interesting post. <br /><br />When I was in middle school and Nirvana was at its peak, I felt a special connection to Nirvana and grunge/alternative rock in general because the style was surprisingly gender neutral. I was (and am) a Muslim girl who couldn't wear the "girl styles" of spaghetti strap tops and little shorts that my peers wore, so I was afraid I would always be out of style...but then grunge came in, and I could wear baggy jeans and wrinkled plaid shirts and they were modest AND cool and EVERYONE, male and female, could dress like that without being told they weren't being "masculine" enough or "feminine" enough or "pretty/sexy/adult" enough. You were just GRUNGE. And that was awesome.<br /><br />Time to listen to Nirvana again.<br />-MaggieDangerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-76971993264793008792009-07-09T10:34:54.396-07:002009-07-09T10:34:54.396-07:00Thanks Anonymous! I wonder what exactly it was ab...Thanks Anonymous! I wonder what exactly it was about him and/or his music that felt feminist to you? I am especially interested in the impact that Toby Vail of Bikini Kill had on Cobain. She introduced him to a lot of feminist concepts but after they broke up he started rejecting some of her feminist ideals and you can definitely hear it in his music. I'd love to hear more about your experience!Cortneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872805766270158996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-37425873813534688342009-07-09T10:19:10.316-07:002009-07-09T10:19:10.316-07:00I totally agree with your thesis and original stat...I totally agree with your thesis and original statements. <br /><br />Nirvana and Kurt got me hooked on feminist theory back in JR high. I realized it wasn't just something for my mom back in the 1970's. It was something for my generation to care about too. <br /><br />It stinks that he's not given the credit which he deserves for having encouraged so many my..etc generation to self-identify as feminists.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-73809088035143626792009-06-13T22:40:31.408-07:002009-06-13T22:40:31.408-07:00You're all worshiping a man who blew his own b...You're all worshiping a man who blew his own brains out before he was 30. Put that into account before you blindly follow his lead.chris_rnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-43421185481279451622009-03-10T14:23:00.000-07:002009-03-10T14:23:00.000-07:00Thanks a lot Irene and Jen. I have decided to mak...Thanks a lot Irene and Jen. I have decided to make this the topic of my thesis. I'll be sure to post more when I finish. It is always great to hear that others are interrogating masculinity and incorporating that discussion into feminist pedagogy.Cortneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872805766270158996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-76655737776668543452009-03-10T14:16:00.000-07:002009-03-10T14:16:00.000-07:00Great post! It helped me with my lecture on challe...Great post! It helped me with my lecture on challenging hegemonic masculinity. Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-19102740354229333242008-09-27T13:43:00.000-07:002008-09-27T13:43:00.000-07:00Great job interpreting those 4 lines by cobain; yo...Great job interpreting those 4 lines by cobain; you should seriously consider writing more about those lyrics (and perhaps compare them with those by other bands of that period... perhaps courtney love? i read the whole woman by greer just a couple of weeks ago and she wasn't amused by her im-one-of-the-boys attitude, reversed sexism, etc). <BR/><BR/>anyway great job; i'll keep an eye on your blog :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-4973621128434536122008-08-21T01:20:00.000-07:002008-08-21T01:20:00.000-07:00this is fascinating. ive been wanting to write a t...this is fascinating. ive been wanting to write a thesis on kurts gender identity and his queering affect on pop culture. my theory is that he actually identified more as a female than a male. lots of his lyrics make a lot of sense if seen thru that lens. check my last two posts on my blog, and if you wanna talk about this more, id love to read the rest of your thesis (or what you have of it so far...) rayvanfox.blogspot.comrayvanfoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02783679496710801355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-75892330963138857582008-08-01T11:08:00.000-07:002008-08-01T11:08:00.000-07:00Great post! You might be interested in something I...Great post! You might be interested in something I wrote on Kurt and Courtney-- I take a totally different approach, but I dig your take. <BR/><BR/>http://popfeminist.blogspot.com/2008/07/kurt-courtney.htmlRachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18045346955442377009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-79278261124102461552008-06-13T18:47:00.000-07:002008-06-13T18:47:00.000-07:00He actually reminds me of Madonna. Though many of ...He actually reminds me of Madonna. Though many of things she did were extremely progressive they were purposefully done to titillate, excite rather than being a statement of self. Just the pursuit of celebrity alone make it necessary to concede certain norms otherwise there is no distinction between the celebrity and the average person. <BR/><BR/>I tend to find a body more interesting outside of conventional culture. For instance walking by a youth shelter one can watch counter culture authentically. Yes I know I am doing this with a voyeuristic lens. In my seeking my search the body becomes reified. In fact the act of searching maintains the normal/counter culture binary, each dependent on each other for definition...sorry going on way to long...maybe I should write a blog post and figure it out there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-78006920894668241882008-06-08T18:31:00.000-07:002008-06-08T18:31:00.000-07:00That is a really interesting angle, Renee. I hadn...That is a really interesting angle, Renee. I hadn't thought it through that far but I suppose that would be a radical feminist or structural approach. Rather than fucking the system he might have actually been playing into it in order to succeed within the boundaries set up by capitalism. That is something I'd really like to flesh out in the paper. Maybe I could present both perspectives.... Thanks!Cortneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872805766270158996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-28339733607861130302008-06-08T17:47:00.000-07:002008-06-08T17:47:00.000-07:00"His performance of gender is at least non-normati..."His performance of gender is at least non-normative but I would argue that it is also queer."<BR/><BR/>Is it really fair to define it that way considering that it is within the confines of celebrity. When one must continuously push in order to be recognized how authentic is the journey? I don't believe that all of his action was motivated from within. In a different environment would he really have "become" this. Is our queer understanding of Kurt who he really was or what was projected to achieve maximum fame? If it is the latter than he is more of an exploiter than one who transcends. I will however say that I still listen to Nirvana...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-61115494943396013052008-06-08T13:33:00.000-07:002008-06-08T13:33:00.000-07:00An interesting read, thanks.An interesting read, thanks.Daisyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16354486841414802245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-47393984333159060542008-06-01T21:11:00.000-07:002008-06-01T21:11:00.000-07:00Wow. I am really intrigued by these ideas. It's in...Wow. I am really intrigued by these ideas. It's interesting that I always sensed something about Kurt Cobain, something along the lines of what you have written here. I guess that's why I never really felt uncomfortable listening to Nirvana - I knew there was a reason why the lyrics and music didn't bother me. I guess this is why.<BR/><BR/>Also, I just packed up my favorite Kurt Cobain shirt: It has a picture of him wearing a floral dress, dark eyeliner, and smoking a cigarette.<BR/><BR/>This is really fascinating. I would love to take a course about the construction of celebrity. Sounds very interesting.Ameliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10884754298018500343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-34552693240912415802008-06-01T20:13:00.000-07:002008-06-01T20:13:00.000-07:00Okay...I found this blog as feministgal's place an...Okay...I found this blog as feministgal's place and I really really reaaaallly want to read this post as soon as I finish packing up and getting back home for the summer. I will be e-mailing myself a link to this post.Ameliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10884754298018500343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-70246871120916763872008-05-31T18:52:00.000-07:002008-05-31T18:52:00.000-07:00His lyrics made me uncomfortable when I was in hig...His lyrics made me uncomfortable when I was in high school and I think that they still do now because, as you said, they are complex and there is no easy interpretation. I could see some of them as a depiction of a phobia of women particularly of women's biology but I could also see them as being revolutionary and challenging to those same phobias. If I were to take on this topic I'd have to apply a post-structural feminist analysis. <BR/><BR/>It would be a lot of fun to analyze these lyrics particularly in their present context.Cortneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872805766270158996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-88639403985178305032008-05-31T18:43:00.000-07:002008-05-31T18:43:00.000-07:00Also, I think I was in 6th or 7th grade when Kurt ...Also, I think I was in 6th or 7th grade when Kurt Cobain wore a pink frilly dress to the Headbangers Ball. My friends and I were hooked from that moment.kathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18268308908367447768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-84348654344033675172008-05-31T18:41:00.000-07:002008-05-31T18:41:00.000-07:00It would be really interesting to read Nirvana lyr...It would be really interesting to read Nirvana lyrics critically. I'm a musician, and always identified way more with Cobain the musician, rather than Cobain the lyricist. Even though grunge rock is hardly a complex genre, Cobain was actually a musical genius.<BR/>Some of the lyrics have always made me a tad uncomfortable, but I'm really interested in re-reading them more academically.kathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18268308908367447768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-74246852893779690352008-05-30T08:17:00.000-07:002008-05-30T08:17:00.000-07:00Right on! Sexism and rigid gender roles hurt ever...Right on! Sexism and rigid gender roles hurt everyone. Kurt was quite an innovator!Cortneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872805766270158996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-7157165933964997122008-05-30T08:14:00.000-07:002008-05-30T08:14:00.000-07:00Great thoughts. As a guy (and now, dad) who grew u...Great thoughts. As a guy (and now, dad) who grew up not fitting our culture's mold of masculinity, it was great to read that Cobain quote about how sexism hurts ALL of us. It doesn't merely denigrate women; it compels men to behave in traditional "manly" ways - and to feel worthless if they can't manage it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006133754103433895.post-56943658250970665412008-05-30T05:00:00.000-07:002008-05-30T05:00:00.000-07:00This is really interesting, i never ever would hav...This is really interesting, i never ever would have thought of Kurt Cobain in an academic, and feminist, way. But the "Isms" quote you used, totally feminist. That makes me love him even more than i did in high school... never thought that was possible ;)Radical Remindershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09155472776262393597noreply@blogger.com