The larrikin girl

Abstract

The male larrikin, or street rowdy, is a common figure in late-colonial Australian history. His female counterpart is much harder to find. Rather than presenting us with images of female larrikins, many commentators tell us that the closest equivalent to the male larrikin was the prostitute, or that adolescent girls only participated in the larrikin subculture as ‘donahs’ (meaning ‘moll’ or ‘girlfriend’). These commentators mostly reach this conclusion from reading the Bulletin and the fictional work of its contributors. This over-reliance on the Bulletin is problematic because its images of the larrikin and ‘donah’ in the 1890s were heavily influenced by Cockney vaudeville routines. In this article, I offer alternative evidence to show that there were adolescent Australian girls who acted as larrikins in their own right rather than simply as girlfriends or sexual conveniences to the boys. These girls held prize fights, got drunk on street corners, participated in attacks on police and in rare cases even formed members of pushes – all activities considered to be hallmarks of larrikinism in Australia at the time. I also suggest that these girls' relationships with each other were more significant to them than their relationships with male larrikins. It is thus time to set aside the image of the ‘donah’ in favour of the brazen larrikin girl among her female friends.