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Punk History: Resisting Gender Norms of Femininity
Mildred Van Bergen
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DOI:10.17265/2159-5836/2019.07.008
SUNY Empire State College Old Westbury, USA
Adolescent girls often experience a decline in their self-esteem as they begin to realize their second-class cultural status on the road to adulthood. Studies have demonstrated that exposing girls to creative outlets and/or experiences can have a positive impact on how they see themselves as valued human beings. In this article, I explore how creative energy and its power often connect to a male point of view and experience. The do-it-yourself attitude of the early days of punk rock presented an opportunity for women to not only find their own voice and make their own music, but to question the prevailing gender roles of the times. Examining the work of Patti Smith, and her strong desire to be creative in different areas while challenging gender roles in the process, I also explore how Smith influenced other young women who would emulate her strong example, focusing on The Slits, a punk rock band formed by adolescent girls. The lack of information about this unique group of girls speaks to the lack of importance placed on female artists in general; in some ways, this connects to the lack of self-confidence some girls can endure during puberty. Through the lenses of several disciplines, this article investigates how certain perspectives of the punk rock era encouraged young women’s creativity and self-esteem, ultimately changing the way they viewed themselves as well as how they were viewed by the world.
gender, punk, creativity, feminist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKOULF922Rs
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