Sk8er girls: Skateboarders, girlhood and feminism in motion

Abstract

In an era where girls are seen to be predominantly postfeminist, we investigate the potential for a feminist politics within the subject position of “skater girl.” We explore the actions of eight girls, “the Park Gang,” and their purposeful positioning as skateboarders within one local park in Vancouver, Canada. By challenging the male-dominated culture of skateboarding, the Park Gang worked to expand the possibilities for subjectivity within girlhood. As well, by occupying the position of “skater girl,” the Park Gang enacted a bodily resistance to other girls at the park who used emphasized femininity as a source of power. This discursive and embodied resignification of girlhood challenges conventional thinking about today's girls and their disassociation from a feminist politics. We conclude by suggesting that feminism, if it is to continue to be relevant to younger generations, must stay on the move in order to keep up with these and other transformations within girlhood.