Punk has an…interesting reputation as a subculture. Today, most people are familiar with the aesthetic – shaved and dyed hair, numerous piercings, plenty of leather and distressed jeans – as it has become something of a staple in ‘edgy’ fashion. Depictions in popular culture lean into this image, but typically reduce punks to delinquents, criminals and other violent factions of society. Some might be aware of the anti-establishment, often anarchistic, attitude of punk, through exposure to bands like Green Day, Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance. This ‘mainstream’ image of punk culture is rooted in an underground movement with surprising depth, heart and a strong ethical sensibility.
As with so many facets of society, punk seems to be a male-dominated, testosterone-fuelled space – aside from Avril Lavigne, there aren’t many universally recognisable female punks out there! Yet punk has been shaped by women from its inception, from punk ‘godmother’ Patti Smith to the Riot Grrrl movement of the 90s (which inspired not only the modern feminist punk scene but 21st century feminism as a whole). Hidden behind the shouting and guitar-smashing lies a subculture with empowerment at its core. In this article, I will share some of the most inspiring messages I have come across in my time as a part of this weird, wonderful community.
1. Shouting is healthy
Long before the internet age, punk was encouraging young people to shout into the void about their problems. While screaming lyrics instead of singing them may not be to everyone’s musical taste, I believe this unashamed, visceral expression of anger holds an important message for women in particular. Girls are taught from a young age to repress anger – when it comes to confrontation ‘boys will be boys’, but girls are ‘unfeminine’ or ‘rude’. As adults, this morphs into one facet of the ‘hysterical woman’ cliché, where women are punished for daring to express a strong negative emotion in public. How many of us have been asked whether we’re on our period in response to such an outburst?
Anger is a natural response to unfairness – even the most easy-going person has their tipping point. Problems arise, however, when anger can’t be effectively expressed or channelled. Without an outlet, we risk damaging our nearest and dearest, ourselves included. Punk has definitely been that outlet for me. Shouting along to an angry song helps me process my own emotions, allowing me to identify what it is that I’m actually frustrated with. I can then calm down and begin to work out what I can do about the situation. Obviously punk will not be that catharsis for everyone, but the lesson still stands – it is okay to be angry, and be angry LOUDLY!
In an everyday context, ‘loudly’ doesn’t necessarily refer to volume. I would argue that simply vocalizing feelings of anger is ‘loud’. Confronting peers or superiors about their behaviour in both professional and personal contexts can be extremely difficult, confronting societal behaviours even more so. Yet doing so is vital for general well-being and life quality. I firmly believe that this is why learning to ‘shout’ in a no-consequences environment (like a punk gig) is so important. By engaging with our anger in this way, we can better articulate our feelings to others when it really matters.
2. Sometimes telling is better than asking
During my undergrad dissertation, I was lucky enough to speak with one of my punk heroes, Steve Ignorant of 80s anarcho-punk collective Crass. He made a comment about the difference between punk and hippie culture that really struck a chord with me:
“…The hippie movement…they were saying ‘We’d like a better life please, if that’s alright?’ Punk came along and it said ‘We want a better life, and we ain’t asking, mate, we’re f***ing telling you!’”
Although significant progress has been made by women and minority groups in the battle for social equality, I believe there has been a tendency to adopt the pleading mentality of the ‘hippies’ when challenging the established hierarchy. Yet marginalised individuals are increasingly speaking up in a more forceful way, and have been doing so through punk for decades. 1977 saw the release of the feminist anthem ‘Oh Bondage Up Yours!’ by punk band X-Ray Spex, with the immortal opening line:
“Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard, but I think ‘oh bondage up yours!’”
In 2015 feminist punk band Downtown Boys released ‘Monstro’, with the rallying cry:
“Today! Today! We must scream at the top of our lungs, that we are brown, we are smart!”
‘Asking for permission to enter and exist in cis-straight-white-male dominated spaces is a saddening trend in the behaviour of marginalised groups. There comes a time, however, when simply asking will not make progress. We are already seeing this manifest to a degree. The Black Lives Matter protests forced white people (myself included) to re-examine the privileges we take for granted and the structures which perpetuate them. On a less dramatic scale, organisations like Girls Who Code are providing women with the opportunity to enter traditionally male spaces with confidence. These are both examples of the “we ain’t asking” attitude of punk, one making a point by (non-violent) force, the other through inserting itself into a ‘male’ space without asking.
Punk has very much taught me that it is okay – necessary, actually – to be forceful about the important things, and I’m pleased to see that being reflected in acts of social defiance, large and small.
3. It’s never too late to go for it
I’ve often found myself rolling my eyes whenever this particular cliché comes up. Call it residual teenage contrarianism, but my instinct is always to think of examples that disprove it (how many eighty-year-old boxers/supermodels/astronauts do you know, hmmm?) Yes, this particular phrase may be a little overused, but punk has reminded me why it is such an important one to repeat.
In our society, there remains a real pressure to have everything ‘settled’ by the time you reach thirty – career, house, marriage, kids, the works! Even with our evolving ideas of what being ‘settled’ actually means, for women in particular the idea of the ‘ticking clock’ remains pervasive. Adding to this stress is the changing shape of the career landscape. The rapid expansion of the internet has provided a vast, accessible platform for people to start making a name for themselves.
“Influencer” was made ‘English Word of the Year’ in 2018, highlighting the, well, influence of these new careers in our society. While for some people this has provided amazing opportunities for success, for me, and I’m sure many others, it has merely thrown into sharp relief my own lack of productivity and accomplishments. The expectation now is for people to have made something for themselves ridiculously early, an attitude that is not only damaging in terms of mental health but also misleading for young people exploring their career options.
My forays into the punk world have introduced me to a subgenre I never expected to exist – mummycore! Mummycore focuses on the everyday realities of ‘being a woman’, including the struggles of parenting (hence ‘mummy-core). The term was coined by a favourite band of mine, I, Doris, which lead singer Cassie Fox (absolute legend) began when she was 38. Before I, Doris, Cassie had never played music in a performance setting before. This is far from the only example I have of someone going for their passion ‘late’ in the punk community, which serves as a healthy reminder to us all that the ‘ticking clock’ is just an illusion. Our lives are our own, and we do not have to conform to any societal expectations of what we should be doing with them at any given time.
4. Your hobby doesn’t have to be your career
So, we’ve established that ‘it’s never too late to go for it’, but an important question is do you actually want to ‘go for it’ in the first place? Internet culture has provided a platform for thousands of successful bloggers, influencers, artists, photographers, and so many more, to be paid for doing what they love. On the face of it this seems like a dream, and perhaps it was at one time. Now, though, the concept of ‘doing-that-hobby-you-really-love-as-a-career’ has morphed into a pressure to turn anything we are remotely competent at into a ‘side-hustle’. This is part of a disturbing trend towards absolute productivity that Western society is encouraging, i.e. every minute of the day must be spent doing something profitable, or something that will lead to you making more profit, because that is the measure of your value as a human being.
Punk has been taking a stance against this since its inception While some artists move from the underground, DIY scene to the big-money, commercial-stage (see Green Day), most do not. And have no interest in doing so! Behind the scenes, underground record labels are typically profit-sinks; records are often distributed for free or traded for ‘in kind’ payments instead of money; gigs and festivals are run and put on by volunteers for little or no money. I myself write music reviews for, and help with the organisation of, a feminist punk collective on a voluntary basis. Punk is not a source of income for any musicians I am in regular contact with. They just love the music and want to play it.
The simple fact is that there is no need to monetise every single part of your life. It sucks the joy out of hobbies and adds stress to an already pressurised existence. Make time for the activities you enjoy, and remember that not capitalising on their money-making potential is absolutely fine!
5. It doesn’t matter if you suck
This is by far the greatest, most enduring message of the punk movement, and one that I think we could all stand to hear more often.
For some context, the earliest punk artists emerged, in part, as a reaction to the progressive (prog) rock music that dominated the charts in the early 70s. Think bands like Rush, Pink Floyd and Genesis. Prog rock emphasised the abstract application of technical music skills, making it quite an inaccessible genre for many. Very few stadium bands had not received musical training – the Rolling Stones were the only ‘amateurs’ around at the time. The early punks set out to prove multiple points – that you don’t have to be a virtuoso (or even know what you’re doing) to succeed is often overlooked outside of the community.
Some of the most powerful music ever written emerged from the punk scene, penned by self-taught musicians who hand-drew their own gig flyers, hand-wrote their own fanzines and performed in jeans and t-shirts because they couldn’t afford anything else. It was the first subculture to encourage people to ‘do it yourself’ and not be afraid of trying. The point wasn’t whether you were good or bad, the point was doing. I think this is an important message for women and minorities in particular. There is pressure (this article’s buzzword) to be as close to perfect as possible to prove that we belong in spaces that we have traditionally been excluded from. The punk stance that perfection is overrated, and that not being amazing at something isn’t failing, is something I think we should all adopt in our daily lives.
Parting thoughts
Punk has taught me a lot over the years: healthy self-expression, forgetting self-consciousness and how to carve out and begin to live the life I want to on my own terms. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea in terms of music, but I hope these lessons are still inspiring! If you haven’t listened to any DIY feminist punk before I encourage you to do so (X-Ray Spex and Big Joanie are good places to start) and remember – be loud, tell don’t ask, it’s not too late, your time is not money and imperfection is not failure.
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Written by Kirsten Rowland
Illustrated by Francesca Mariama
