Kathleen Hanna, leader of Bikini Kill, is the latest guest on the YouTube show What's in My Bag?, directed by the Los Angeles record store Amoeba, on the occasion of the release of her memoirs, 'Rebel Girl: My Life As A Feminist Punk'.
Between selections from Bruce Springsteen or the Sugarcubes, Hanna shares her purchases of 'Revival' by Selena Gomez and 'Revamped' by Demi Lovato, both in vinyl format.
Hanna admits that she has a special esteem for Selena: “I love what she brings to the world, I love that she talks about mental health and that she has done things for the education of women in Africa.” Therefore, Hanna believes that the public should treat Gomez better or, in her words, “leave her the fuck alone,” instead of constantly criticizing her. Hanna adds that she feels “protective” of Gomez and clarifies that her music does not seem like a “guilty pleasure” to her: “she has very, very good songs.” Hanna likes Selena's music because it takes her to “a dramatic emotional place” or, conversely, a “fun, poppy place.” She especially highlights 'Ice Cream', her collaboration with Blackpink.
About Demi Lovato, Hanna says she and Demi shared a manager: “The only manager we had at Le Tigre left us to go with Demi Lovato, and he ended up in jail,” she says. Above all, Hanna highlights Demi's “powerful” voice and her ability to keep it “healthy.” She explains that she has studied numerous Lovato live performances and that she admires her ability to retain the power of her voice. It is “something that all singers aspire to.”
Hanna identifies with Demi also for a personal reason, her experience with sexual abuse. «Demi again had sex with the person who raped her but, this time, out of an apparent need to control the situation. Many women have gone through this, myself included, and it is a topic that is difficult to explain. “People think you're less of a victim, but that's not the case.”
