PUSSY RIOT

Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist punk rock band that has gone beyond just making music but has started a movement. Pussy Riot formed in 2011 in Moscow, Russia in response to Vladimir Putin running in the presidential elections. There are approximately 10-11 performers in Pussy Riot who's songs and videos serve to protest in favor of LGBT rights, feminism, reform of the justice system, political freedom, and against Vladimir Putin. Their signature look, which can be seen below, consists of very bright colors and includes masks to cover their faces, dresses, and tights.

http://www.popculturekeys.com/2012/11/these-chinese-sun-blocking-face-kinis.html 

They have stirred up much controversy in many of their protests with one of the most notable one's being their performance at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Their performance was stopped by church officials and led to the arrest of three members of the band but before their arrest and on the night of the performance the group turned the footage they had taken and made it into a music video named "punk prayer." The reason they targeted the church was because of the connection between President Putin and the the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church and more specifically the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour being seen as a symbol of government corruption.

http://therevealer.org/archives/10857

The three members who were arrested, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Maria Alyokhina, were charged with "premeditated hooliganism performed by an organized group of people motivated by religious hatred or hostility." They were sentenced to two years in prison but later that year Samutsevich was was freed on probation. Although there forms are extreme their form of taking a stand for what they believe and dealing with the consequences is very powerful and shows their dedication and passion to what they are fighting for. Maybe some of the things they have done have gone overboard but if they didn't would people even notice? Their protests are successful because if they weren't people wouldn't be talking about them. I do believe that disrespecting a church no matter what your beliefs may be and whether they align with the church or not is very wrong and they should not have gone that far. However, besides the church performance I do think that their form of protesting in a way that gets peoples attention in other forms is a successful way of spreading their message. 

http://blogs.bookforum.com/paper/2014/01/15/a-new-book-on-pussy-riot-as-protest-art-ransom-center-lands-another-collection-of-salingers-letters/