The Balaclava: The Mask That Bears All

Sydney Moody

Dr. Brown

English 306

22 February 2016

The Balaclava: The Mask that Bears All

Shining a light on egregious acts of inequality and oppressive ruling on apart of the Russian government, the members of the musical band Pussy Riot have established themselves as a fearless protest group enthralled with feminism and social freedom. The members of this group are all female and regularly wear vibrant outfits. However, what truly distinguishes this band from other protest groups is their use of the balaclava, a colorful rendition of a ski mask traditionally associated with illegal and covert activities. The balaclavas adorned by this group have the traditional cutouts of a ski mask, but vary in color and material.

This image depicts two women proudly wearing balaclavas in addition to their colorful attire. 

Image credit: Caplin, Robert. “Two members of the protest group Pussy Riot in New York this week. They haven’t considered fleeing Russia because “we love our country,” one said.” Photograph. Melena Ryzik. “Pussy Riot Takes Manhattan, Quietly” The New York Times. . 7 June 2013. Web. 4 March 2016. 

Why wear such odd headgear and leave your identity undisclosed? One would think an infamous band of feminist protestors would proudly show their faces in defiance of their oppressors. Interestingly, the protestors who adorn themselves with balaclavas draw more attention to themselves than they may have otherwise. The colorful masks succeed in two aims: protecting the identity of the protestors and uniting them as a collective protest group with a common face. 

Pussy Riot intends for the balaclavas to inspire political and social activism at home in their Russian stomping ground as well as at an international level within the United States.  The balaclavas symbolize the movement’s efforts in regards to  “feminism, gay rights, improved treatment of prisoners and more transparency in the Russian political system” (Gladstone). The band welcomes new members who support their movement to wear the balaclava, as it is essentially a uniform, bringing the group increased publicity and recognition. Despite the undeniable influence of the balaclavas on protest supporters, the target audience is most notably the Russian authoritative government and Putin himself. 

Much controversy arose in 2013 when Russia passed a law “that stigmatizes gay people and bans giving children any information about homosexuality” (The World Post). The discrimination and harassment continued that year with the “domestic persecution of political opponents and vulnerable minority groups…” (Freedom House). It appears that the Russian government targets its citizens who are in opposition to Putin or fighting for social liberties commonly experienced outside of Russia (Jouet). As a unified group, the members and supporters of Pussy Riot adorn themselves with balaclavas and collectively embody the faces of the many individuals who fall victim to various forms of injustice. 

To truly understand why Pussy Riot and band supporters have chosen the balaclava, one must understand the consequences of being caught protesting by the Russian government and subsequently silenced. In an NPR interview, Masha Gessen described the miserable prison experience of Nadezhda Tolokonanikova, one of three Pussy Riot members who were given a prison sentence for protesting in a popular Russian church. In the interview, Gessen described how female prisoners are “systematically denied the right to wash themselves” (Gessen). Protecting one’s anonymity is important to the members of Pussy Riot and those who support their cause in Russia. Although it may seem counterintuitive, the members of the movement are freeing themselves and their voices by wearing these masks. They are building a public sphere “imagined as a place of embodied voices” (DeLuca et. al, 186).

The purpose of the balaclava is to simultaneously create a unanimous identity while masking individual faces. However, within recent years three figures have become the prominent faces of Pussy Riot with the arrests of Maria Alekhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Yekaterina Samutsevich (Cadwalladr). When these women were arrested for publicly critiquing the Russian government, the United States tuned in to hear the voices of the protesters. Initially, the band seemed focused on getting the attention of Russian citizens, specifically those feeling exploited or perhaps that their rights were being denied by a tyrannical leader. The Free Pussy Riot movement has since become a “global campaign” (RYOT) and has accrued the endorsement of many American music artists (Amnesty International). 

The members of Pussy Riot have established themselves as informed political activists who have managed to enrage and enthrall movement sympathizers. Pussy Riot has chosen to elicit the use of several rhetorical strategies including ethos and pathos in their movement to evoke change within Russian politics. To be convincing to Russian officials, the members also have to be convincing to potential movement sympathizers and their balaclavas are essential to that act of persuasion. 

The balaclava evokes pathos immediately. Those unfamiliar with Pussy Riot and their movement may not recognize the attire, but it continues to draw public attention. Traditionally, those in ski masks are feared individuals associated with criminal activity, but the rainbow of colors represented in a sea of Pussy Riot protestors jolts that assumption. As previously discussed, the masks create a sense of solidarity amongst protestors. Simply wearing a balaclava is enough to make a profound stance in support of both the band and the movement itself. 

What’s truly notable about the ethos of the balaclavas is how they displace the concept of hierarchy within the movement itself to give credibility to their criticisms of the Russian government.  By wearing a balaclava, even a famous individual associates themselves with the faceless community. Under the protection of this mask, it does not matter if you are rich, famous, poor, or mundane.  Once the movement spread to the United States, artists like Madonna sported the balaclava in an effort to convince Russian officials to release the band members from prison (BBC). 

Two members of Pussy Riot left their balaclavas behind when discussing their tours of American prison systems on the Colbert Report in 2014. After personally spending two years behind the bars of deplorable Russian prisons (Gessen Interview), Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina embraced their unmasking to become spokeswomen for poorly treated prisoners. Their personal encounter with the disgraceful conditions of Russian prisons led these women “to advocate for inmates all over the world” (Bennett). Now these women, whose identities are fully known, are using their individual faces to support those in Russia who go unmentioned and become forgotten within the Russian judicial system. 

According to some sources, Nadezhda and Maria “are no longer affiliated with the group” (Bennett), but recent headlines prove otherwise. Just last month, Nadezhda appeared in Pussy Riot’s new music video, “Chaika,” in which they continue to criticize the Russian government (Flintoff). None of the women pictured in this video are wearing balaclavas, implying that they no longer fear the backlash of Russian officials. However, balaclava is still a form of protection for the members of Pussy Riot who wish to speak out while ensuring their identities remain hidden (Stuart). 

Understandably, the band has neglected to use logos as a form of rhetoric in their informal protest movement. The balaclavas, song lyrics, and behavior of the protestors demonstrate much more of an emotional appeal than one of logic. Pussy Riot has shown that there is a plethora of energy to tap into when impassioned protestors fight against the injustices of the authoritarian government. Many Russian citizens are already aware of the unsettling statistics and figures representing the “gross human rights violations in Russia” (Jouet). Instead of tapping into the logistics of these violations, Pussy Riot members and supporters don their multicolored balaclavas to encourage powerful and perhaps illegal behaviors to promote social change. 

The goal of the Pussy Riot movement has been to point out the unbelievable realities of the Russian government using their balaclavas as symbols of the band’s revolutionary authority and powerful influence. The masks meet many of the needs of the movement including protecting the identities of the protestors and creating a source of commonality amongst them. Today many prominent members of the band show their faces proudly as they discuss social change across the globe, including a recent stop in Phoenix, Arizona. While in the state, two members gave a lecture titled Art, Sex & Disobedience: A Conversation with Pussy Riot (Peterson). One leader of the band has even gone so far as to enter into the discussion of American politics, with Nadezhda’s proclaimed support for Democratic presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders (Suebsaeng). As for the balaclavas, a recent exhibit featuring Pussy Riot’s traditional protest uniform has been erected in Los Angeles by sculptor Maureen Selwood (Miranda). The image below displaying Selwood's sculptures, reveals that the balaclavas can stand alone as a symbol of the Pussy Riot protest for social change.

This is a photograph of Maureen Selwood's sculpture, which is part of her exhibit "Sounding the Note of A" at a Los Angeles Gallery. Image credit: Miranda, Carolina A. "Power, feminism and giant, knitted balaclavas: artist Maureen Selwood's Pussy Riot tribute." The Los Angeles Times. 13 November 2015. Web. 4 March 2016.

Works Cited

"Adele, U2, Madonna, Yoko Ono, Radiohead, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Ke$ha, Sir Paul McCartney and Sting Unite With More Than 100 Musicians to Call for Release of Pussy Riot"amnesty.org, 22 July 2013. Web. 20 February 2016. 

Bennett, Jessica. “From a Prison Cell to the Red Carpet.” The New York Times. 21 May 2014. Web. 4 March 2016. 

Cadwalladr, Carole. "Pussy Riot: Will Vladimir Putin Regret Taking on Russia's Cool Women Punks?" The Guardian. 28 July 2012. Web. 20 February 2016.

Caplin, Robert. “Two members of the protest group Pussy Riot in New York this week. They haven’t considered fleeing Russia because “we love our country,” one said.” Photograph. Melena Ryzik. “Pussy Riot Takes Manhattan, Quietly” The New York Times. . 7 June 2013. Web. 4 March 2016.

DeLuca, Michael and Jennifer Peeples. "From Public Sphere to Public Screen: Democracy, Activism, and the "Violence" of Seattle." Readings on the Rhetoric of Social Protest. By Charles E. Morris III and Stephen H. Brown. 3rd ed. 183-203. Desire 2 Learn. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. 

Flintoff, Corey. “The Kremlin Is Not Going To Like Pussy Riot’s New Video.” npr.org. 3 February 2016. Web. 4 March 2016. 

“Freedom in the World 2014.” Freedom House. Web. 4 March 2016.

Gessen, Masha.  Interview with NPR’s Fresh Air Host Terry Gross. The ‘Pussy Riot’ Arrests, 

And The Crackdown that Followed. 2014. Web. 20 February 2016. 

Gladstone, Rick. "Pussy Riot Members Take Tour to New York." nytimes.com, 5 February 2014. Web. 20 February 2016. 

Jouet, Mugambi. “The Sochi Olympics Emboldened Putin’s Abuses in Ukraine and Russia.” The Huffington Post. 18 March 2014. Web. 4 March 2016. 

"Madonna Appeal over Pussy Riot." BBC News. 8 August 2012. Web. 20 February 2016.

Miranda, Carolina A. “Power, feminism, and giant, knitted balaclavas: Artist Maureen Selwood’s Pussy Riot Tribute.” Los Angeles Times. 13 November 2015. Web. 4 March 2016. 

Peterson, Julie. “Art, Sex & Disobedience: A Conversation with Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina, & Ksenia Zhivago.” Web. 4 March 2016. 

“Pussy Riot goes global” Associated Press. RYOT. 2012. Web. 4 March 2016. 

"Pussy Riot Pt. 1 and Pt. 2." Interview by Stephen Colbert. The Colbert Report. Comedy Central. New York, New York, 4 February 2014. Web. 20 February 2016. 

“Russia’s Putin sings anti-gay measures into law.” The World Post. 20 June 2013. Web. 4 March 2016. 

Stuart, Hunter. “Pussy Riot Members ‘Kot’ and Katya Samutsevich Speak Out in ’60 Minutes’ Segment.” 25 March 2013. Web. 4 March 2016. 

Suebsaeng, Asawin. “Pussy Riot Planning Tribute to Bernie – and a Song for ‘Dickhead’ Trump.” The Daily Beast. 27 February 2016. Web. 4 March 2016.