One Girl Revolution: The Christian Feminism of Superchick

Since evangelical Christians became a major force in the US consumer marketplace in the 1970s, they have increasingly carved out a space for themselves in the arena of popular culture with their own brand of contemporary Christian music (CCM). This article proposes an analysis of how Christian alternative pop/rock band Superchick uses feminist discourse to promote the feminine adherence to purity and obedience of Christian religious directives. The origin of such a dichotomous relationship between form and substance can be traced to the Christian music industry’s desire to frame Christianity as ‘hip’ and countercultural in contrast to its secular counterpart. Musical forms are appropriated freely without regard for the historical specificities of their genre and added lyrics promoting evangelical Christianity’s values. The article examines how resisting the corrupt pull of secularism is frequently framed as an act of rebellion to win over young and teenaged audiences. I will especially focus on the period of the 1990s and early 2000s, when the so-called evangelical purity movement was popular and influencing the lives and futures of young American women and girls.