The Runaways And The Mirror Cracked With Eyeliner Scribbled Dreams

April 2, 2025

The sun was setting on a chilly November evening in 1975, casting long shadows over the city of Los Angeles. Inside a dimly lit room at a modest recording studio, a small group of girls were huddled together, their laughter echoing off the cracked walls. They called themselves The Runaways, and despite their ages—ranging from just 15 to 18—they were bursting with energy, dreams, and a hint of rebellion. Among them was Joan Jett, whose dark hair fell in waves over her shoulders and whose eyeliner was as fierce as her spirit. As she stared into the cracked mirror, her reflection distorted by the tiny fissures, she imagined a future filled with sold-out concerts and cheering fans.

But life wasn’t always glamorous. The girls faced countless struggles in a male-dominated music industry that didn’t take them seriously. Nights spent practicing in a garage often morphed into long drives back home, filled with thoughts of doubt and uncertainty. Yet, every time they picked up their instruments, a fire ignited within them. Joan would scribble her dreams in eyeliner on the mirror, each word a promise to herself that one day they would break free from the labels society had placed on them. “We are more than just girls,” she would remind herself, “we’re rock stars in the making.”

The turning point came when they recorded their first album, featuring the iconic song “Cherry Bomb.” As the fierce guitar riffs blasted through the studio, it felt like conquering a mountain. For the first time, the world began to take notice. When the album was released, the girls felt an exhilarating mix of fear and excitement. They were leaving their childhood behind and stepping into a realm where music would define them. The song skyrocketed up the charts, resonating with countless teenagers who felt misunderstood, providing a soundtrack to the struggles of growing up.

However, success didn’t come without a price. As the band toured, the pressure mounted. Each performance was a chance to impress, yet it also carried the weight of expectations. Joan, grappling with her identity as a young woman in rock and roll, turned to her eyeliner once again, using it as a canvas for her inner turmoil. Instead of letting the cracks in their journey break her, she transformed the pain into powerful lyrics. The mirror, once a symbol of insecurity, became a reflection of resilience. It taught her that every flaw, every setback, was merely a part of the beautiful mess of being an artist.

As the years rolled on, The Runaways eventually disbanded, but Joan Jett never looked back. She took the lessons learned from those intense days in the studio and carried them into her solo career. She became a symbol of empowerment, inspiring girls everywhere to pick up guitars and chase their dreams. “The mirror may crack, but we can always fill those cracks with our stories,” she would tell the young artists who looked up to her.

Today, Joan stands proud, a testament to the power of passion and persistence. Her journey reminds us that no dream is too big and that sometimes, the most beautiful art comes from the shards of a broken mirror. Each note she plays and every lyric she sings echoes a message of hope: no matter how tough things get, keep writing your own story, for it is yours to own.