Buch Rezi

Hellions – Pop Culture’s Rebel Women
Author: Maria Raha
Publisher: Seal Press

“We are infinitely complicated women. Our images require as many layers as we ourselves contain” (Raha, 2008).
Chapeau! Maria Raha´ s profound journalistic work deals with the oversimple public perception of both eccentric female artists and activists within the framework of Anglo- American cultural history. To analyze pop history, from a rather feminist point of view, it begs the question of whether males and females are being talked and written about differently by the press. Hellions asks why such renegades, outsiders and outriders, as Janis Choplin and Billy Holliday tended to develop self- destructive patterns of behaviour. Additionally, it elucidates why they were rather remembered for their tragic deaths than for their dogged and brave deeds. Raha, an outspoken feminist, does not only criticize the public images(cherry bombs) of actresses like Monroe, Page and Hepburn, but also sheds light on how the public personas of writers like Woolf and Plath were generally perceived and misinterpreted. Moreover, the journalistic work touches upon political institutions such as former First Ladies (Clinton and Roosevelt) and shows how the press was implicitly trying to batter against their self-esteems. Yoko Ono and Sinead O’Connor were punished by a large amount of fans for voicing their controversial political opinions (in Ono´ s case in particular Lennon’s adherents) and Raha provides us with a more incisive background analysis on their stories. The second last chapter focuses on the chronologic development of movie heroines and how Hollywood came to allow for more self- assertive role models. Last but not least, the book offers a deep insight into rebellious acts, contemporary pop culture, and means of mass communication.
All in all, this book is a hit for everyone who would like to gain more knowledge on pop culture´s rebel women. However, I have to warn you: Raha picked up a very elaborate linguistic style. To most average speakers of English it might be better to wait for the German version. Be that as it may, jump in the water is great!

By Annabell Weimar