alterity

November 7, 2004

Lauraine Leblanc: "Pretty in Punk"

Leblanc, Lauraine. Pretty in Punk: Girls' Gender Resistance in a Boys' Subculture. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1999. xii + 286 pp. ISBN 0813526515, $21.95 pbk.

Review:

Analyses of subcultural participation have consistently highlighted masculine resistances, often through accounts of male participation in and formation of subcultures. Media coverage of subcultures perpetuates the impression that the only narrative of subculture identity is that of the males. Furthermore, male domination within the subculture is notable. Subculturally identified females are faced with oppression by both the normative mainstream as well as the male-dominated subculture. As such, their resistances provide an alternate narrative that is critical to understanding the position of subcultures in society.

What attracts girls to male-dominated youth subcultures like the punk movement? What role does the subculture play in their perceptions of themselves, and in their self-esteem? How do girls reconcile a subcultural identity that is deliberately coded "masculine" with the demands of "femininity"? (Leblanc: backcover)

These are the some of the questions that frame Lauraine Leblanc's quest to understand the positioning of females in the punk movement. Pretty in Punk: Girls' Gender Resistance in a Boys' Subculture serves as an ethnographic account of her observations and findings in late-1990's punk culture in Atlanta, Montreal, New Orleans and San Francisco. Using judgmental and snowball sampling, Leblanc interviews and captures the stories of 40 female punks ranging in age from 14 to 37 (ibid: 27). Her approach is a phenomenological one, whereby she approaches the girls from a respectful manner. Her own participation in the punk scene is a valuable asset in interviewing the girls she approaches; many are willing to speak with her because they trust her punk signals.

The primary value of Pretty in Punk is as a feminist ethnographic account of a subculture, documenting the methodological, theoretical and ethical tensions that arrive while working with marginalized populations whose trust of authority is limited. This work serves to challenge and complement earlier depictions of subcultures and resistance while working within the framework that they offer. In particular, Leblanc challenges the Birmingham cultural studies tradition, specifically Stuart Hall who suggests that the only valuable theoretical tool for analyzing subcultures is marxism and class struggle (Hall: 198). Hall's theories on 'culturalism' can "not account for the way in which factors other than class (gender, race and subculture, for example) entered into what looked like far more complex relations of dominance and subordination" (Slack: 116). Leblanc does not disregard the class struggle, but she mixes feminist theory and cultural theory to highlight the complexities brought forward by a gendered and class-driven form of resistance. Siding with feminists, she quietly critiques early researchers by suggesting that the male-dominated analysis of subcultures is rooted in their romanticization and glorification of masculinity as seen through rebellion (Leblanc: 67).

As a native to punk culture, Leblanc uses her privileged position to craft an insider's view of punk's history, offering both the media narrative as well as the undercurrents involved. She is able to situate her contemporary observations within the larger history of punk and the public perspectives articulated by other women in punk. Her historical account of punk is exceptionally vibrant, revealing the complicated relationship between consumption, production and identity for punks of different political persuasions. For example, much of the punk DIY (do it yourself) aesthetic stems from turning mainstream consumer culture into some absurd, using the present fashion against itself. Yet, this inversion was immediately commoditized by Sex, a British store that produced the Sex Pistols to promote its merchandise (ibid: 37).

The punk value system is grounded in rejecting a society that had already rejected them by challenging the rules through mockery, irony and parody (ibid: 41). What emerged from this was a subculture that simultaneously challenged and magnified particular aspects of mainstream culture, such as violence and misogyny. Frequently, the punk philosophy does not coincide with punk actions. It is within these conflicts that Leblanc reveals the complexities of female roles, as both a victim and a perpetuator of the hyper-masculinized punk scene. In doing so, she weaves a story of abuse, resistance and self-realization amongst female punks.

Leblanc is aware that she is challenging all conceptions of punk and subcultures by cultural theorists, sociologists, feminists and parents. In her final chapter entitled "Nonacademic Conclusions," she addresses each of these communities from her framework.

The greatest weakness of this work stems from Leblanc's focus on the most noticeable of female punks. She sought girls who both identify as and are perceived as punks. While these women are arguably the most embedded in the subculture, their perception of the subculture is through this radical participation. Leblanc never addresses the girls who sit in the margins of participation, the girls that some of her informants call "safety girls" (ibid: 111). While her informants speak of girls who are ostracized from the scene for not being masculine enough, Leblanc never interviews these girls either. Thus, the stories of resistance she conveys are from the most public and consistently resistant girls.

Leblanc's familiarity with the punk scene is sometimes a hindrance to the writing because she sometimes fails to describe the significance of certain people and particular details. An example would be when she relies on the significance of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen's relationship to discuss abusive relationships (ibid: 125). Without knowing that Vicious killed Spungen (thanks to Wikipedia), the argument makes no sense.

Pretty in Punk is a critical supplement to current texts on subcultures. Leblanc gives a voice to the struggle of female punks by capturing their complicated, and sometimes disturbing relationship to their families, authorities and fellow punks. She reveals the significance of these girls' resistance to mainstreams culture in order to find identity and meaning, in spite of their second-class citizenship in punk culture. In doing so, Leblanc opens up subcultural studies, paving the way to move beyond Marxism to analyze subcultures. Her work also serves to convey the importance of a feminist reading of earlier (sub)cultural texts.

Further work in subcultural studies must address the overlooked populations and narratives, particularly those who are marginalized within those communities. Although Leblanc makes a passing reference to race and sexuality issues within subcultures, a proper treatment of their marginalized positions is necessary. Leblanc's passing reference to queercore makes it clear that there are other punk narratives. Future research should also consider the interrelationships between different subcultures and how individuals move between them. While Leblanc addresses how some punks came from the skater scene, she does not address how individual identity formation is affected by these changes and what prompts the move. It would also be beneficial to consider the transition between mainstream identity and subcultural identity for those individuals who do not become radical in their involvement and for those who leave the subcultural identity behind. Finally, as digital technology pervades youth culture, it would be interesting to consider how technologies such as mobile phones, instant messaging and blogging get used in the production and maintenance of subcultural identities.

Hall, Stuart. 2002. Notes on Deconstructing the 'Popular'. In Cultural Resistance Reader, 442-53. New York: Verso.

Slack, Jennifer Daryl. 1996. The theory and method of articulation in cultural studies. In Stuart Hall: Critical dialogues in cultural studies, 112-127. New York: Routledge.

Category: subcultures

Posted by zephoria at November 7, 2004 11:23 AM

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