Abstract
Passages in Nietzsche’s, Beyond Good and Evil, like in Our Virtues, depreciate both women and the women’s rights movement. However, his existentialism cannot be easily dismissed. His analysis of the free spirit, will to power, and master and slave morality, offer a unique insight to the dangers, alienation, and pleasures women face in pursuit of their own will to power, how they redefine themselves, and create their own meaning from these experiences. In this essay, I will analyze the foundational principles of the Riot Grrrl movement and subculture from the perspective of Nietzsche’s Existential Philosophy, discuss points where they intersect, and areas where they conflict. My ultimate goal is to is not to provide a Nietzschean critique of the Riot Grrrl movement, but to demonstrate the pervasiveness of Nietzsche’s theory of will to power and its defining role in human nature and how it translates into the creation of culture (i.e. subculture).
Research Paper
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