Malone, 1

Addy Malone
June 4, 2024
Ms. Michko
D Block
Choice Essay
Punk Is Dead, So Dead.

Newburyport Massachusetts is undeniably an affluent town that raises upstanding athletes

and scholars. Like many suburbs, the town would not be described as an epicenter for the

counterculture movement. The alternative fashion and music of the Sex Pistols popularized the

punk subculture. The band commodified the punk style with help from designer Vivianne

Westwood who combined traditional preppy clothing with fetish gear, which later defined

provocative fashion. But if anything the punk movement was an ideology that countered

established social systems. Hence extreme hair, dress, and makeup directly opposing beauty

standards. As the punk subculture grew out of England and beyond the definition of punk

fluctuated. Yet one thing remained, to be Punk is the act of being a complete individual and

operating separately from the systems in place.

Therefore it was confusing to see a growth in Punk style in my small town. The punk

subculture stayed alive through music and hardcore shows. Students who traveled to Boston to

be thrown around in an underground mosh pit were given the social credit of benign punk. Many

believed that somewhere maybe in the back of those shows, they would find Sid Vicious, and

like some twisted resurrection day, the Punk movement would then be alive and breathing. But

where they are mistaken is that to be punk they must adopt the counter-culture ideology, which is

very hard to do when that trust-fund money has come from corporate greed. Not only did these

kids not follow any punk values but didn’t understand that what they were looking for didn’t

exist.
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The punk subculture died with the growth of the internet and specifically social media.

When celebrities transitioned from MTV to Instagram there was no way to be punk. It quickly

became impossible to oppose a system that was growing so fast, joining the internet and

participating in social media was inherently “selling out”. Social media also brought about a new

era of marketing, and created ad space that permeates all platforms. And unfortunately for true

punks, provocative fashion sells, especially to angsty suburban teenagers. Studded belts, manic

panic, and other signature punk items could be shipped to the furthest corners of the country. The

new fast paced platforms and three-day shipping destroyed not only punk subculture, but

arguably subculture in general. Punk was no longer a way of life, it is now a costume to be

bought and sold. Furthermore, once the majority of Americans were active on social media the

revolutionary methods of the 80’s were no longer applicable in the digital age. Revolution has no

look, because the high strung attitude of the 20th century is not present today, there are not many

rules left unbroken. In fact today there seems to be much more political action than social action,

there is much less pushback towards taboo things like colored hair and chokers.

With this being said, I fully support any teenager experimenting with their style and

appearance, and pushing the boundaries of fashion and beauty standards is always a good thing. I

too own chokers, doc martens and just last week pierced my septum. Many kids my age dress

more extreme, and listen to harder music, yet they are not punk. The death of subculture is

something I will grieve, but it is definitely still possible to participate in a modern form of

counter culture, under a new name and different definition. Especially now it is extremely

valuable to be an individual and distance from micro trends and fast fashion. So I believe that

these modern punks instead of destroying an old oppressive system are really rebuilding a new

and more supportive one. Valuing things like sustainability and local business, and fighting
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bigotry today that is counter culture. Punk subculture can be viewed as the pathway towards a

more productive society, and this modern radically progressive style must look at the punk

movement in order to be successful. To translate it into a modern day context, it can not be

ignored that the punk movement was incredibly influential because of how new it was. If I was

brave enough I would explain this to my fake punk peers, but dressing up to fit into a nearly 50

year old subculture does not have the impact as actively critiquing modern society. Because to

me a strong and supportive community is really hardcore.