The cult of Joan Jett, beyond ‘the Runaways’

Joan Jett is everywhere in 2010: played by Twilighter Kristen Stewart in the new movie The fugitives, featuring Joan Jett’s Radio Revolution on Sirius Satellite Radio, in a best 2-disc CD collection, in designer Todd Oldham’s coffee table book, written on the pages of Cherie Currie’s memoir Neon angel.

However, she is more than a rocker and more than a guitarist. (However, she is one of only two women to make Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the greatest guitarists in history.) Joan Jett has become a cult figure. She is elevated to the status of Jesus on T-shirts, revered in the feminist and lesbian communities (although Ms Jett has never made a public statement about her sexuality), and considered a saint of compassion for her vegetarian lifestyle and support for animals. causes of rights.

Joan Jett never made John Lennon’s mistake of claiming he was greater than Jesus, but pop culture has put her on a par with the great man of Christianity. “What would Jesus do?” now it has become “What would Joan Jett do?” The tagline may have first appeared in BUST magazine’s girl power store, the BUST Boobtique. The pink “WWJJD?” The shirt is still one of the top ten best sellers. “What would Joan Jett do?” It is also the name of a rock song by the all-female Norwegian rock band The Launderettes.

Why Joan Jett? Because she does not apologize for being a feminist, in actions, if not always in words. When asked by journalist Daniel Robert Epstein if she considered herself a feminist icon, Joan said, “Sometimes I have a problem with labels because people throw these things away and I don’t really know what they mean. I just go out and deal with people every day. And if they look up to you and see you as a role model, that’s great. As for a feminist icon, I really don’t know how to respond to that. “

Still, in a revealing interview with Rolling Stone reporter Evelyn McDonnell in November 1997, Joan recalled the sexism that made working in the world of hard rock ‘n roll difficult for her. She remembered men calling her bad names when she and Runaways started out. Later, with the Blackhearts in the 1980s, he recalled touring with the Scorpions (an all-male group) in Europe. The men there not only verbally abused her to try to get her off stage, but they also spat on her. They didn’t like the idea of ​​a woman playing hard rock. However, she never changed her image to look more like the “mainstream” singers of the 80s. For girls who grew up in the 80s, Joan’s leather-clad rock personality was an inspiration: they didn’t have to aspire to be ” feminine “to be successful. (Success, in the 1980s, was defined as appearing on MTV.)

Let me repeat: Joan Jett has never made a public statement of her sexuality, lesbian, straight, bisexual, or otherwise. This does not mean that lesbian websites do not love her. Joan has her own page in the online GLBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer) encyclopedia. He claims that Joan has been seen with a “Dykes Rule” sticker on her guitar case. Fans on Amazon.com include her albums on their “Lesbian & Female Friendly” singer lists.

Joan is a vegetarian and says she hopes to one day become a vegan. Not only does he refuse to eat animals for ethical reasons, but he also uses his musical talents to raise money for no-kill shelters. He has filmed a promo for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). She is an advocate for animal rights and also a strong advocate for the preservation of the natural environment and clean water.

Whether or not she is her personal icon, Joan Jett is a permanent part of American pop culture. The fugitives opened nationwide on April 9, 2010.

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