Dissertation Part 1: Introduction
- Meredith Rees
- Mar 25, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 30, 2021
Below is the first instalment of a series of posts (1/5) that will eventually make up an updated version my final year dissertation!
Atypical Girls: An investigation into the diversity of femininity through exploring the work of female “Punks” in the 1970s
Introduction
Rather than actually write about something that was to do with the degree I’d just spent £27,000 on, I decided to write a literature dissertation about one of my great loves, music. Although, as you will notice, I did manage to shoehorn in some literary references such as the phenomena that was “conduct book culture”. This movement began in the mid-to-late Middle Ages and essentially attempted to list and capture a synthetic and idealised view of femininity according to the societal norms of time and was a popular genre all the way up to the 18th Century. While it became less mainstream after the rise of the novel, the essential necessity to provide a template for what is feminine is still present today in various forms.[1] Most significantly it has since morphed into media like “women’s magazines” which can provide an equally narrow list of beauty trends usually intended to make women “attractive” to the male gaze. It is also important to state that this essay only covers the feminist side of early “punk”, which of course doesn’t provide the full picture of the genre, e.g how rampant racism was in the music industry, but instead uncovers one important element of the time. I chose to investigate this genre initially due to its “D.I.Y” ethos, which encouraged self-empowerment, self-expression, and
positioned the genre as an alternative to the mainstream.[2] Furthermore, the 1970s were a period where the many strands of previous feminist activism fed into second wave feminism, which started thinking more about the interplay between gender, racism, and sexuality.[3] As this essay focuses on the first wave of “punk” music the beauty standards referred to will be those that were popular in the 1970s. This was a decade that praised “natural look”, embodied by women such as Cher, Farrah Fawcett, and Candice Bergen, to which “punk” provided a stark contrast.[4] Now, it is important to note here that the concept of masculinity is also dictated a set of toxic norms, but the following study intends to highlight the diverse nature of femininity within a genre that glosses over female involvement. In order to broaden our retrospective view of “punk” the following essay will provide examples of women who have stood against the aforementioned norms during the 1970s.
Much like the concept of femininity “Punk” has been reduced to an accepted image. This phenomena is described rather perfectly by Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas as “cultural rear-view mirroring”.[5] This refers to the process of remembering a small snapshot of history or attribute false trends to it, like how if you think of the 1980s the first few images that pop to mind will likely be neon sportswear and massive backcombed hairdos. I don’t think Casablancas necessarily came up with this particular concept, but I like him, and as he’s taken influence from infamous NY “punk” artists so he is a wonderful example of the significance of DIY culture in the States. Now, to most modern audiences mentioning “Punk” will inspire images of tartan, safety pins and lewd slogans scrawled on the back of artfully dilapidated blazers. More significantly the individuals sporting these “ripped t-shirts” are more often that not “men with tousled hair". [6] Like with other areas of history, and modern life, despite women and men working alongside each other, the women in this equation are far less remembered, and sometimes just straight up erased. For a relevant example see the fame of Malcom Mclaren’s publicity stunt, The Sex Pistols, as opposed to The Slits or X-Ray Spex.[7] You may have noticed that whenever “punk” is mentioned here it has quotation marks around it, and this is as a direct result of this focus on white male “punk” involvement. This idea was introduced to me by Viv Albertine of The Slits (not personally, I read it somewhere) who writes the term this way in order to reference the often forgotten diversity of the “punk” movement.[8] Despite their omission, the efforts of female “Punks” had a lasting effect on how the music industry views women.
One such artist is “Punk poet laureate” Patti Smith.[9] Janine Bullman notices that when male “Punks” such as Mick Jones started a band they had a long history of “boys wielding guitars” to look up to, such as Elvis Presley or Johnny Thunders. Female artists however, had no such “her-story”, there was only Patti Smith.[10] For the sake of the word count I didn't actually write a separate section on Patti Smith (poor show I know, but that word count was a militant 6000 word limit). So perhaps one day I will write a whole separate section for Patti, but for now I'll give you a brief overview. Essentially, the influence of Smith can be seen in each of the artists mentioned this thesis. Throughout her career Smith did not make any reference to her gender but rather performed in the spirit of her “aggressive, male rock role models”.[11] In addition, her androgynous appearance and uncompromising creativity stretched the boundaries of female expression and moved society towards what author Kathy Acker’s referred to as a “new kind of woman”.[12] Bottom line is, she is a legend, and you should all go listen to "Redondo Beach".
I recently found out that the image above of "Punk" Icons Chrissie Hynde, Debbie Harry, Viv Albertine, Siouxsie Sioux, Poly Styrene, and Pauline Black is entitled "Ladies Tea Party", and honestly, like, I have nothing to say to that lack of creativity. I had hoped it was some political statement against gender norms considering who is pictured here, but in reality it's just lazy sexism, totally pants.
Citations
[1] Teal Triggs, "Scissors And Glue: Punk Fanzines And The Creation Of A DIY Aesthetic",
Journal Of Design History, 19.1 (2006), 69 - 83
<https://doi.org/www.jstor.org/stable/3838674>. p. 70, 73 [2] Shelly Eversley and Michelle Habell-Pallán, "Introduction: The 1970S", Women's Studies
Quarterly, 43.3/4 (2015), 14 - 30 <https://doi.org/www.jstor.org/stable/43958547>. p. 14 [3] John Gregory, A Father’s Legacy to his Daughters, 2nd edn. (London: Strahan and
Caddell, 1774) p. 2, [4] Katheryn Erickson, "The 1970S Beauty Icons To Channel Now", Glamour, 2015
<https://www.glamour.com/gallery/1970s-beauty-icons-to-channel-now> [Accessed 15
May 2020]. ; J.R Thorpe, "What "Ideal" Beauty Has Looked Like Every Decade", Bustle,
women-has-changed-in-hollywood-by-the-decade> [Accessed 15 May 2020]. [5] David Marchese, "Julian Casablancas On His Album, The Strokes, And How Money
Ruined Modern Pop", Vulture, 2020 <https://www.vulture.com/2018/03/julian-
casablancas-in-conversation.html> [Accessed 10 April 2020]. [6] Michelle Lee, "The Early Punk Movement—And The Women Who Made It Rock", Off Our
Backs, 32.11 (2020), 42 - 44 <https://www.jstor.org/stable/20837705> [Accessed 10 April
2020]. [7] Matthew Boswell, "English Punk: Sex Pistols, Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’S The Sex
Pistols And The Great Rock ‘N’ Roll Swindle", in Holocaust Impiety In Literature, Popular
Music And Film (London:Palgrave Macmillan, 2020), pp. 104 - 113 [Accessed 10 April
2020]. [8] Sarah Jaffe, "Why Feminism Needs Punk | Dissent Magazine", Dissent Magazine, 2020
autobiography> [Accessed 10 April 2020]. [9] Steve Huey, "Patti Smith | Biography & History | Allmusic", Allmusic, 2020
<https://www.allmusic.com/artist/patti-smith-mn0000747445/biography> [Accessed 15
May 2020]. [10] Bullman, “Girls Unconditional: The story of The Slits, told exclusively by The Slits” [11] Huey, “Patti Smith | Biography & History | Allmusic” [12] Kathy Acker, in Larry McCaffery, "The Artists Of Hell: Kathy Acker And ‘Punk’
Aesthetics", in Breaking The Sequence: Women's Experimental Fiction (New Jersey:
Princeton UP, 1989), pp. 215 – 230 <http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt7ztv41> [Accessed
10 April 2020]. p. 127
Comments