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70’s Punk Movement
by EllieHendry
The punk movement of the 70’s was a defiance and artistic, cultural movement against similar societal conditions we are experiencing now. This period in Britain was noted to be extremely depressing, with leader of the Sex Pistols band John Lydon recalling the nation to be “run down with trash on the streets and total unemployment- just about everybody was on strike” (Lydon, n.d). Society and the economy were declining, and individuals expressed little hope for their futures. The hippie movement of the 60’s provided a false utopia which frustrated beings, urging them to react against their motives and aesthetics. The authorities provided little reassurance and concealed the problems the public were facing, heightening anger and aggression even more. Punk unified these communities who felt ignored and fearful for their prospective. It stood as a personality and freedom for people of low income and unemployed status. Punk became an anti-fashion shift demonstrating the raw realities society was facing, unfiltered and unmasked.
Where fashion was once designed in the studios, the punk revolution abolished traditions and began in the streets. The clothing was a mode for attracting attention and causing offence. At this era, garments were typically kept unspoiled and dirtfree. These principles were eradicated, however, through deconstructed fabrics, frayed edges, and defacing prints upon t-shirts and vests. Individuals used their fashion choices as a representation of their emotion and a contestation to the previous movements and ongoing constrictive social and economic conditions. Their style was purposely outlandish, subverting usual dress norms and replacing it with a shock factor. Accessories including studs, leather, bondage, and safety pins were fashioned alongside body piercings to reject prettiness and old glamour styles. The feelings of restriction and entrapment were unleashed, spreading across the suburbs, provinces, and cities of the UK, creating an alliance which were fearmongered and for once, stood as a vast threat to the authorities and socialist system. With high inflation figures and continual media scares, the UK are facing similar advertisement. As a young adult myself, I can resonate with the fear and uncertainty the generations of that era faced. If we are consistently being ignored by officials who have the power to make change, we stand to question: what hope do the youth have
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