“Even if it seems like a stereotyped name for a woman, that was far
from being true since you could see my name on subway cars next to all the
male writer’s names. I was a feminist speaking for women’s rights even
before I ever heard about anything like that.” – Lady Pink
Males have always dominated all aspects of hip-hop, and graffiti is no exception.
However there has always been a small but significant number of women who
are represented in the scene. This chapter, although short, will investigate
the females, who played true to the game. Like Lady Pink, one of the most
well known of the female writers, who still writes to this day – legally and
sometimes illegally.
Females have a harder time achieving fame in this predominately male genre.
Some of the best and most well – known female writers – Barbara 62,
Eva 62, Lady Pink, Charmin, Stoney, Lady Heart, to name some, have played
a role in changing the male dominated shape of the graffiti world. Charmin,
for instance, gained her fame by tagging the statue of liberty – the
first writer to do this, male or female, earned her the respect she sought.
Barbara 62 and Eva 62 were early writers – in the same era as Taki 183 –
and they usually wrote in a pair. Many female writers used male names – the
reason for this could be inferred as a way to gain acceptance before a stereotype
could be attached.
Many male writers resented female writers. They did not want them to come
to train yards, they say, “Cause if they get hurt we’ll feel responsible.”
Another female writer of the early days, Kathy 161 would go to the train yards
but most female writers attempted to gain their fame via walls, handball courts
and tagging the insides of trains.
Female writers were usually boxed out of graffiti groups and organizations.
On rare occasions, if a female writer was considered to be a good writer,
she would be invited to join an organization. An example of this is when the
highly prolific and prestigious organization, United Graffiti Artists (UGA),
invited Charmin and Stoney (two very accomplished writers of the time) to
join them. In fact, Stoney had previously been a member of the “Ex-Vandals”
gang. Opposition from male writers to allowing females into their organization
was strong. Many of these writers saw females as a threat, especially if they
had fame, good style, etc.
The attitude towards Stoney by Hugo Martinez (founder of the UGA) and other
male writers was, according to Bama, “…She was about being serious.
Hugo kind of saw her as a threat to the other guys’ egos because she
kind of painted very well…That sort of attitude made some of the fellas
who weren’t as good, but were important members of the group, feel bad.
So they thought that it would be good to get rid of her, and they got rid
of her.”
All- female crews and groups were attempted but they never really got off
the ground. Female writers then were always slaves of the male dominance of
the subculture, always having to be one step ahead in order to be taken seriously
as graffiti writers. They were always on the outside, sometimes breaking through
into the inside.
Females had a lot more to prove than their male counterparts, while aiming
for the same goals of style and fame.They often had to live with rumors about
their sexual activities.
As Lady Pink describes, in an interview with Molotov Cocktail, (a graffiti
‘zine), “As a female writer your sexual reputation is run through the
dirt. Boys will not tell each other that a girl said no to them. People were
saying crazy things about how I wasn’t doing my own pieces and so on…So
I went painting with guys in the Bronx and all the way down to Brooklyn. They
saw that I was serious.”
This can be seen as an attempt to intimidate females from partaking in the
subculture, and it did deter many females. However, according to Lady Heart,
“Although it was sometimes an effective strategy, fear of family reprisals
and the physical risks in train yards were much greater deterrents against
female participation.”
Female style of graffiti was similar to males, although females often painted
more feminine, using less blacks, more color and more visually pleasing characters
and backgrounds. By using more gender role colors, etc, while still maintaining
style and technique, these women individualized their work asserting the fact
that they were females in a male field, but that they could be as good and
sometimes better than the boys.
This article has been reprinted with the permission of the author, Pamela
Oliveras. Contact Pamela at: ukreal1@hotmail.com.
