ABSTRACT
There has been a great deal of feminist debate over the idea of “Girl Power,” its relation to feminism, and whether or not Girl Power is good for girls and young women.1 This chapter intervenes in this debate by focusing specifically on how the discourse of Girl Power relates to girls’ political subjectivity.2 With its origination in the riot grrrl movement and thirdwave feminism, Girl Power began as an explicitly political concept. By the 1990s, the discourse of Girl Power had also been deployed by various elements of popular culture and the mainstream media in a way that constructed a version of girlhood that excludes girls’ political selves. However, even as some versions of Girl Power discourse were creating barriers to girls’ politics, organizations for girls were constructing their own meanings of Girl Power and challenging these barriers to girls’ social and political engagement.
