Girl Germs was a zine

Zine

A zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier....

 created by University of Oregon

University of Oregon

-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...

 students Allison Wolfe

Allison Wolfe

-Background:Born an identical twin in Memphis, Tennessee on November 9, 1969, Allison played a significant role in the formation of the riot grrrl movement of the 90s. She grew up in Olympia, Washington, with mother Pat Shively and sisters Cindy and Molly Wolfe...

 and Molly Neuman

Molly Neuman

Molly Neuman is a musician originally from the Washington, D.C. area who has performed in such influential bands as Bratmobile, The Frumpies, and the PeeChees. She was a pioneer of the early-to-mid '90s riot grrrl movement, penning the zine which coined the phrase in...

, both members of the band Bratmobile

Bratmobile

Bratmobile was an American punk band. Bratmobile was a first-generation "riot grrrl" band, which grew from the Pacific Northwest and Washington, DC underground...

.

Feminism

Feminism

Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...

 was influential in the Pacific Northwest

Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...

 in the early nineties: Girl Germs heralded an explosion of zines that accompanied the rebirth of feminism. These zines included Ms America,Satan Wears A Bra, Fantastic Fanzine, I (heart) Amy Carter and others.

Contributors to Girl Germs included Kathleen Hanna; Jean Smith

Jean Smith

Jean Smith is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead singer of the Vancouver-based band Mecca Normal, as well as a painter, novelist, lecturer and filmmaker...

 of Mecca Normal

Mecca Normal

Formed by Jean Smith and David Lester in 1984, Mecca Normal is a two-piece indie rock band from Vancouver, Canada. Smith writes lyrics and sings in a style that is often confrontational and laced with feminist themes; Lester's melodic yet dissonant guitar swirls and loops around her vocals...

; Sue P. Fox; Kaia Wilson

Kaia Wilson

Kaia Wilson is a musician from Portland, Oregon, best known as a founding member of both Team Dresch, a revered 1990s queercore punk band, and The Butchies, a pop-rock spin-off from her solo work. In addition to singing, songwriting and guitar, Wilson co-established and operated Mr...

; the editors of Double Bill, G.B. Jones, Jena von Brücker, Caroline Azar

Caroline Azar

Caroline Azar is a Canadian director, actor, and playwright of Lebanese Sephardic origin. She was the lead singer, keyboardist and co-lyricist/composer of the band Fifth Column.This experimental all-women punk band began in the mid 1980s in Toronto, Ontario...

, Johnny Noxzema and Rex; Jen Smith

Jen Smith

Jen Smith is an artist, musician, zine editor, and activist from the United States.Jen Smith is credited with being the inspiration behind the term Riot Grrrl and being one of the architects of the movement...

; and Erin Smith of Bratmobile

Bratmobile

Bratmobile was an American punk band. Bratmobile was a first-generation "riot grrrl" band, which grew from the Pacific Northwest and Washington, DC underground...

. Groups interviewed by Girl Germs editors include Calamity Jane, Unrest

Unrest

Unrest is a sociological phenomenon, for instance:* Industrial unrest* Labor unrest* Rebellion* Riot-Notable historical unrests:* 19th century Luddites* 1978–79 Winter of Discontent...

, 7 Year Bitch

7 Year Bitch

7 Year Bitch was an American punk rock band from Seattle, Washington that was active for 7 years, between 1990 and 1997. Their career yielded three albums, and was impacted by the deaths of their guitarist Stefanie Sargent and close-friend Mia Zapata of fellow Seattle punks The Gits.-Career:7 Year...

, Jawbox

Jawbox

Jawbox was an alternative rock band from Washington, D.C., U.S.. Its original members were J. Robbins , Kim Coletta and Adam Wade...

 and Fastbacks

Fastbacks

The Fastbacks were a Seattle punk rock band. Formed in 1979 by songwriter/guitarist Kurt Bloch , and friends Lulu Gargiulo and Kim Warnick , they disbanded in 2001...

.

Girl Germs also documents the coming together of Bratmobile, during this time. Allison would go on to play with Cold Cold Hearts

Cold Cold Hearts

Cold Cold Hearts was a punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1995. Comprising singer and songwriter Allison Wolfe, guitarist and back-up vocalist Erin Smith, bass player Nattles, and drummer Katherine Brown, the band released one 7" single in 1996, and a full-length self-titled record the...

, Partyline

Partyline

Partyline is a Washington, D.C.-based punk rock band consisting of singer/songwriterAllison Wolfe , guitarist Angela Melkisethian , drummer Crystal Bradley, and new touring drummer Gene Vincent Melkisethian Partyline is a Washington, D.C.-based punk rock band consisting of singer/songwriterAllison...

, and Hawnay Troof

Hawnay Troof

Hawnay Troof is the electronic indie solo project of Vice Cooler formed in late 2001.Regardless of the bands American punk and electronic background, many untraditional ideas have been incorporated into its sound...

 and Molly played with The Frumpies

The Frumpies

The Frumpies was a punk rock band formed in 1992 Olympia, Washington. The original line-up consisted of singers/guitarists Tobi Vail, Kathi Wilcox, and Billy Karren , and Bratmobile drummer Molly Neuman. Their debut was the 7 inch single Alien Summer Nights on the Chainsaw label...

 and The PeeChees

The PeeChees

The PeeChee All-Season Sensations were a punk band formed in 1994 by Lookout! Records co-owners Christopher Appelgren , Molly Neuman , along with guitarist Carlos Cañedo , and bass player Rop Vasquez .The PeeChees...

.

Archives that have copies of Girl Germs include the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

http://www.glbthistory.org/, the Independent Publishing Resource Center in Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

http://www.iprc.org, Duke University

Duke University

Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...

 in Durham, North Carolina

Durham, North Carolina

Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...

http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/bingham/zines/item/bwzzn01001/, and Barnard College

Barnard College

Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...

http://clio.cul.columbia.edu:7018/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=4790344.

Quotes

• "The first two issues were pretty funny. The next three got more serious. It's kinda hard for me to look at those zines now, I get so embarrassed! I never was a very focused writer." -Allison Wolfe, on the zine

• "We're helping open male audience members minds. Like, 'Oh wow, you're women and you can play!' But it's like, No shit!" - Selene, of band Seven Year Bitch, on sexism
  Sexism
  Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
  
  in music (issue 18)