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Joan Jett Was Told That Girls Don’t Play Rock n’ Roll

On Christmas of 1971, Joan Jett’s parents gifted her a simple guitar and an amp. They thought it was a strange request, but they let their spirited daughter have her wish anyway. Jett was over the moon with her new instrument, which she immediately plugged in and began using.

A portrait of Joan Jett.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Jett didn’t know how to play at all, so she signed up for some guitar lessons. Her teacher insisted on teaching her light-hearted, sweet folk tunes, explaining that “Girls don’t play rock and roll.” Needless to say, she proved him and many others wrong.