Guerrilla Girls

The Guerrilla Girls are a group of feminist artists. The group was established in New York City in 1984 and is known for using guerrilla tactics (especially guerrilla art) to promote women in the arts.

Members of the original group always wear gorilla masks and often, but not always, miniskirts and fishnet stockings while appearing as Guerrilla Girls. They proclaim that no one, not even their husbands, boyfriends, and families, knows their identities, except, they joke, their hairdressers. They also refuse to state how many Girls there are in total. Their membership is unknown, but has now grown to include members worldwide, including both British and French sectors.

The original Guerilla Girls no longer exist today. What they refer to as the "Banana Split" divided them into the three groups that all now operate under the title Guerilla Girls. One group is theatrical and tours around the United States, raising awareness of the deficit of female representation within the theatrical world. There is also a visual arts group, and a web-based group as well.

Critics of the group accuse them of hypocritical self-interest masquerading as social activism. Although the GG purport to campaign on behalf of marginalized female artists, goes the criticism, the scope and purpose of the Guerilla Girls' activities serve the economic needs of a handful of privileged, well-educated artists. While the group's criticisms of the art world are well-founded and not without merit, critics assert that their activities ignore the larger trend of misogyny and patriarchy in society, focusing too narrowly on the self-interested pursuit of greater marketability and recognition of female artists.

External links

• Guerrilla Girls Official Website
• L.A. Times article on GG Oscars campaign
• Guerrilla Girls Broadband
• Guerrilla Girls on Tour