Masculinity and punk

It is well known that punk is considered violent, with violent lyrics and riffs, violent dancing and violent passion, there is little that is soft and gentle about punk music. It is also very strongly associated with masculinity. When asked to describe a punk, very few people would describe a woman and probably none would mention the word feminine. As I have mentioned before, even female punkers are expected to behave in many masculine ways. Female singers frequently have to have rough, husky voices to become popular (although certainly not always) and their lyrics make use of masculine attitudes and sometimes genitals.

Though the singer could be talking about her breasts, this is not what is implied later when she refers to her mother telling her "You've got to be polite girl". And this is very insightful. Part of the reason many women shave their hair into a mohawk, dress in torn clothing and wear heavy, smeared makeup is to rebel against the very strict gender expectations this society has. Girls are expected to be polite and do whatever men want. They aren't supposed to spit or growl or tell people to suck their left one, and breaking these expectations can be very satisfying. Breaking these expectations can, in some small way, balance the odds and fight the gender inequality that still exists.

Punk women are still women however, and they often do things to retain their femininity and balance. Some girls dress strictly in lingerie or dress as though they are baby dolls. One woman pulls off a very striking balance between her masculine rage at the way she and other women have been treated and feminine quiet and softness. The contrast between the two seems almost bipolar but it is very fun to listen to and her lyrics are killer commentary and societal expectations of sexually active women.

A cool essay on women in punk can be found here: http://visualvitriol.wordpress.com/women-in-punk-an-essay-punk-aesthetic-uses-to-question-and-reclaim-the-female-gender/

But women aren't the only ones who are expected to be masculine. Men in punk are pictured as almost hyper-masculine: tough, angry, violent and never weak. And this is frequently true, in reputation at least. My personal experience has shown me that there is much more to it than that though. I have found the punk community to be surprisingly supportive when men experience a loss. Men are allowed to dress in women's clothing and hug their friends, sing and dance and kiss each other and no one bats an eye. They're also permitted to show emotion without retaliation in most cases, anger most often, but also love and sadness. This is not often done in public where people other than punks are around but in the actual scene itself it's not unheard of. There are even punk love songs.

And even sillier, a psuedo-satire song that claims to be against the violence often present at shows. This one starts out almost like a campfire sing-along.

By the same band, here is a song that reclaims the word gay, using it as one of it's original meanings. 

So punk may be very masculine at times but there are many instances where this is not the case. Either way, gender norms are frequently challenged, very often with humor.