My name is Natalie and i turned 31 in 2007. I was born in France and i currently live in London, England.

I don’t think i am more important than you, which is why i type “i” and not “I” when referring to myself.

I love music, and i’ve always done from an early age.

At the age of 15, through reading an interview with Kurt Cobain in a french mainstream music magazine, i heard about the riot grrrl movement for the first time. Something clicked right away and i set out on trying to find out more.

A few years later, i was making my own fanzine, setting up a small record label and a record mailorder. Riot grrrl was my life, i was involved in the first european Ladyfest (Scotland, August 2001) and generally defining myself as a riot grrrl.

Why “post” riot grrrl?

Riot grrrl is by its nature a youth feminist movement. So what do you do when you are getting older? Where do you go next? I don’t want to forget about my riot grrrl roots but at the same time, i’m not a 20 year old anymore.

I guess you can say i’m doing the modern equivalent of writing a fanzine, in the form of blogging, but I’ve stopped my record label and record mailorder due to lack of time. 

This is what the “post” is about - it’s my personal journey. It doesn’t mean that the riot grrrl movement isn’t good and a new version should come; the “post” simply refers to a personal time frame. Where do you go after you don’t belong to a youth feminist movement anymore but still stand for what it means?

This blog is a personal log about my desire to link my current life with my riot grrrl ethics. Riot grrrl always had a personal meaning for each girl involved so my story is probably different from yours.

Why “Girls and women”?

My specific goal is to empower girls and women. Yes, of course, i am in total favour of personal empowerement for everybody, men and women alike. However, i feel the mainstream media and society often try to disempower girls and women specifically.

I don’t talk about feminism to every person i meet but it doesn’t mean that i don’t notice sexism when i see it. I’ve seen it in my job a lot (i’m a technician in the traffic engineering industry), i’ve seen it in my circle of friends (one of my best friends is consanstly being used by her brothers, who expect her to cook & clean without ever thanking her for it).

Want to know more about me?

In the summer of 2007, i was doing a personal music project called Nat JM - www.natjm.co.uk I have stopped that project for the moment but i am working on some new songs for others. I prefer being a songwriter than a performer.

I write a blog called Quaxle, about “songwriting and music recording for the creative mind” - www.quaxle.com

I am working on my debut novel - currently editing the second draft. The title is “Taking off” and it is set in London. I also review books and films at www.takingoff.org