Punk is a subculture of music that is mainly ruled by males. Normally people living the "punk" lifestyle are in a sense living with only the essencials. Many are outsiders to normality. They live by their owncode of ethics. And also only with associate with people in the same punk scene as them. Punk started off in the late 70s. Influenced by many bands like The Velvet Underground, Generation X, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, ect. It drifted over and into the 80s the UK turned punk into more of a fashion statement. Having their own punk bands like the Sex Pistols and ect. But women in the punk scene were treated very
poorly. Often they would adapt these personas. They were outspoken and tough. Punk brings through it's characterisitics from behavior, dress, music and alienation from the rest of society.
Punk's DIY (Do it yourself) system formed from making clothing, posters, magazines, music, and many more things. The DIY system came about from not wanting to have things made from mainstream media. Sinda Gregory discuses in “Junk and Punk Aesthetics”, the desire to reject mainstream culture also emerged in a belief in, “…the freedom offered by death and pure chaos…madness, self-destruction, glossolalia, nonsense, ugliness, horror, willful crudity, ephemerality, and pure noise”. So by making a culture of their own and running it themselves they shot out any other form of music/clothing/media/propaganda
made.
The body was the main object to destort the look from normality. Things such as safety pins, ripped clothing, combat boots, dog collars, chains, school girl skirts, obsene colors, shaved heads, akward spikey hair. Also making burn marks, tattooes, and peircings on the body. Rejected the mold of the norm. Females of punk often wore large sums of makes up, caked on to make themselves look ugly or hideous. Attacking the way girls are suppose to look "feminine". The point was to make girly looking men. To manly looking women.
For a female to truely join the punk scene she must revoke anything femine. To become "manly" in all sense of the word. To reject the female race and join the punk life style. Like I was saying before to become more manly, aka looking like men and acting. Acting crude, violent and angry was only half of the behavior. Punk men would use hair dye, peircings and clothing incorrectly and the women of punk would be tossing
out all feminity out the window, while battling to keep their sex. Like for example wearing their under garments on the outside of their clothing. They took away the image of wandering mind and to break through the barrier. And also wearing little girl's clothing, to counter the adult female nature. The line between innocent and whorish nature. Often calling themselves vulgar names they made an impact on masculant punk generation.
Bands like The Bags, The Damned, Blondie, Bikini Kill and Joan Jett and the Black Hearts had females in them. They started contriversies and broke loose out of the system of male punk bands. Starting many new generations of female artists.
I used an acticle by Hannah Hickman for information/pictures.
Remember kiddies Riot not Diet! :P