“In the spring of 1996, my senior year of high school, I documented a group of 8<sup>th</sup>-grade girls who were notorious for their crass behavior and allegedly bad hygiene…” Sisters Amber and Harper, and their friends Carly and Lauren regard themselves as proud adherents of the Riot Grrrls movement. They publish a xeroxed black-and-white fanzine called “Sour Grrrls”. It is full of declarations opposing sexism, racism and homophobia, as well as poems that give voice to their feelings. At school, their behaviour makes them laughingstocks and the object of intense animosity. Still, Amber sticks to her guns – “being different is fine!”<br /> In 2000, while studying film at NYU Tisch, Michael Lucid edited the VHS footage into a short film, including a pithy song by Liz Phair and, in 2013, he posted it on YouTube. As of 2025, some 5.5 million viewers had clicked on <em class="film">Dirty Girls</em>. It is a time capsule of the nineties, just like the girl of evil repute “who didn’t take a shower since Kurt Cobain died”, with her tracksuit and stringy hair, giving full expression to the era’s spirit of rebellion.