It’s 1976. ‘Anarchy in the UK’ is released and everything changes. PUNK becomes a thing, and you and your mates find yourselves down at SEX, a boutique run by the one and only Vivienne Westwood, to buy yourselves some new gear.
In the 70s, punks got creative with what they wore. It was important to the whole political movement. The purpose wasn’t to ‘look pretty’ or ‘hot’; girls didn’t spike their hair up to become sex bombs; they did it out of frustration and contempt for the system. They did it for fun. They did it for themselves. Since nobody had any money, sewing machines were the hotspot. Fabric was torn, hair was dyed, chains were dangled, military jackets stinking of cigarette smoke were salvaged from bins, crude messages were blazing across the front.
So what’s changed in the modern day? Why is it that when you search up ‘alternative fashion’ on popular apps like TikTok, the first things that come up aren’t celebrations of individuality- but tutorials on how to look exactly the same as everyone else? I searched up ‘alt fashion haul,’ and one of the first videos to come up was a TikTok Shop haul- the first comment?
‘These are all from shein I fear’
Our answer to that:
So what happened? How did we go from individuality to public endorsements of damaging fast fashion brands? When did important music subcultures become all about image and none about beliefs?
The lyrics from ‘Jumping Someone Else’s Train’ by the Cure say, ‘Jumping someone else’s train’ spell out: ‘Don’t say what you mean/You might spoil your face.’ applies to the posers of the community who care too much about how they look- which directly opposes the meaning of subcultures like punk, new wave, and goth to rebel against conventional beauty standards. Unfortunately, that rebellion seems to have turned in on itself and become something else- something horrific: fetishization.
A common misconception about listening to the music is that everyone who listens to- say- The Clash has to have liberty spikes and dog collars. You can dress however you want and still be a goth. You can wear a T-shirt and shorts and still be a punk. It’s listening to the music that makes you one. It’s not about looking hot; it’s about believing the stuff you listen to and having the passion for it. When fashion takes over music, that’s when you get the posers.
A recent trending YouTube video is a perfect example of this. Titled ‘9 Bad Girls Blind Date 1 Nice Guy’, the video features 9 sexed up ‘goths.’ A subculture which once prided itself on female liberation is now being fetishized the heck out of. Where it was once strong and powerful, individuality has now been reduced to- well… genuine fetish slop.
Meanwhile, in the 70s, women like Siouxsie Sioux were saying things that made sense.
‘People forget the punk thing was really good for women. It motivated them to pick up a guitar rather than be a chanteuse. It allowed us to be aggressive.’
So how do we combat these issues? How do the non-posers reclaim their subculture? How do we make ‘goth’ something of our own again? The answer is we boycott the fast fashion brands and get the sewing machine up and running again, and we don’t listen to posts like these:
If everyone does it- is it really ALTERNATIVE?
Being alternative is not being hot. It’s not being pretty and having your lashes and lip combo done. It’s about believing in the music, believing in your views, and most importantly, believing in yourself.
To quote Vivienne, ‘Buy less’
Buying from places like Vinted is also a great way to not only help the environment but also find unique second-hand pieces to style and make your own. In order to ‘buy less’- just buy a few key wardrobe pieces, perhaps a pair of stained black boots that are about as old as Dracula (gothiccc) or a simple white tshirt which you spray paint with some important message (FUCK FETISH SLOP- seems like a good one), or even a pair of really threadbare jeans. That way, not only will you value your clothes more- you’ll also be finally getting on your own train back to the original political heart of punk.