On a surface level, we’ve probably all conflated punk with the idea of being confident and it’s not hard to understand why. Everything about it- no matter what era or interpretation of punk you’re talking about- is infused with characteristics that we would associate with having truckloads of confidence. Clothes that make you stand out in a crowd; the attitude of rebellion and defiance, the non-conformity and just general VOLUME…surely if you are wanting to blend into the background, punk will not help you do that!
But just like there are varying ways to involve yourself in the world of punk- and a multitude of looks, sounds and ways to be- there are just as infinite amount of ways to express confidence. Maybe you’re gregarious and sociable, maybe you take risks in your life and follow your heart, maybe you quietly rebel against a world that wants you riddled with self doubt? And all this begs the question- are confident people drawn to punk or does punk inspire confidence in those who are receptive to it? And what does confidence even mean anyway?
First things first… I was inspired to write this after listening to a Q&A with Alex Michon and Gina Birch at the Women in Punk Conference in Nottingham. Artist, writer and designer Alex Michon was a costume designer for The Clash in the 1970s as they were becoming known as edgy trendsetters in fashion as well as music (largely because of Alex’s vision). In amongst talking about the impact of punk for women, she refuted the idea that all the women involved in those early days of punk were larger-than-life characters with exhibitionist tendencies. Michon reminded the room that punk ‘was just as much for the shy girls’ as anyone else. She talked about identifying herself as someone who was not naturally extroverted and was really quite shy- and that wasn’t a barrier to getting involved with the burgeoning punk scene amidst all those characters. In fact, it was maybe a testament to the inclusive nature of punk back then that she was still able to play a major role. And I found that really bloody brilliant.
So how can punk – and what it stands for and what it IS- make us feel confident?
Being Yourself
I reached out to the interwebs to understand how punk had impacted people’s sense of confidence and whether they could distil/pinpoint more specifically how being a fan of the genre had had positive effects on them internally. The contributions were varied and they covered so many different aspects of people’s lives and there was no component part of punk that cannot be used in an affirming way.
One of the big themes was punk giving people the permission, the encouragement and the endorsement to just be themselves. For some, like Radical Embroiderer, it was the impact of a specific musician that inspired them to fully be comfortable with themselves:
“With punk it was visceral and the band that reached the core of the 14-year-old me was Poly Styrene and her band X-Ray Spex. I loved Poly’s voice, Lora’s saxophone, the energy, the look and of course the words. They spoke to ME! Poly and X-Ray Spex made me realise that it was OK to be me. I will be forever grateful”.
The overriding theme from those people who sent me reflections on what punk has done for their self-confidence and belief is the feeling of a pressure release. The pressure to conform to how others wish to see us and to just begin to feel comfortable in our skin as punk fan Dean Cousens articulates:
“I think I would say that in a general sense, Punk allowed me to kind of unlock my own personality, gave me a kind of ‘character’ by which I was able to feel more confident and over time, develop more of an understanding of who I was, and find an identity that gave me a community in which being myself felt safe.
As for the music, I couldn’t pick out a particular song but I think there is so much self-support to be found in Punk. It tends to have a very introspective side that allows you to understand yourself in a way that only music can – stuff like X Ray Spex, Buzzcocks, The Interrupters, I would say especially the former and the latter, really allow you to feel it’s OK to experience all the stuff you go through in life and that kind of feeds into that ability to start trying to rise above whatever it is that’s making you anxious or self conscious, or feeling trapped or alone…. and sometimes a spiky jacket that says “leave me alone” to the worst of the world and “welcome” to the right people is enough!”
Body Confident
Punk has long been associated with celebrating being physically unique, not just in terms of the clothes you’re wearing but embracing the fact we all have different body shapes and sizes. Perhaps it is because of punk’s traditional opposition to the cynical, profit-driven capitalist model of life that encourages us all to find fault with every aspect of our appearance so we can consume more products to help us be beautiful in the eyes of the shareholders. Punk says fuck that- you should not feel like you have to reduce yourself to be worthy of respect, something punk musician Casual Wednesday articulates here:
“Punk is a shout, a scream, a spit in the face of conformity, becoming the home for outcasts and freaks alike. It makes complete sense that punk has felt like home to me, as a fat, opinionated, loud mouth woman.
I grew up in the 90’s/00’s nurtured by Special K diets and the acerbic voice of Kate Moss chanting nothing tastes as good as skinny feels, as I diligently weighed myself in the hope that I miraculously lost half my body weight overnight. I spent the next decade in a push-pull contest between starvation and emotional binging, never quite sure what would make me feel better.
It wasn’t until I discovered the likes of Beth Ditto, and later on with bands like Split Dogs and Amyl and the Sniffers, that I realised that it is ok to indulge in my own authenticity. At this point, I was starting to explore my own music career, armed with the audacity and inspiration of the women that surrounded me and came before me. A split decision, while on stage during the summer of 2023, changed things for me forever; I decided to perform in a bikini top. My arms flapping, my belly protruding, the lines of cellulite showing through my spandex flares, and yet all I could feel was euphoria. It could have been the crowd screaming in excitement, or the feel of my cool guitar on my skin, but I felt connected to my music, and my mission, in a way I had never experienced before.
Punk gave me a platform to feel like my body was worth more than what it looked like; it was a vessel for energy, feeling, and rawness. It became a way for me to communicate pain and trauma in a way that allowed my listeners to hold me in solidarity. It became a way to take up space in a world that would happily see me shackled in the chains of sexism”.
You can read our interview with Casual Wednesday HERE.
Mind And Soul
Punk’s core values rest on seeing people as individuals and encouraging that individual expression and ‘maverick’ spirit. But punk can also reconcile that with observing that people are part of a wider community and society (or at least they should have a community that will show up for them if they need support). For me personally, punk has directed me to consider how important it is to strengthen community bonds and take an interest in the quality of other people’s lives. I don’t have to belong to a particular demographic myself to believe that everyone has the right to live with safety, dignity and with their basic needs met. I have that in common with a lot of ‘political punks’ or those who also take on board the social messaging of the music.
Punk is often associated with anger and for those outside the genre, that can be used as a way to dismiss it, labelling it as just ‘angry music’. But why are people angry? What are angry punk bands singing about? Seeing oppression, discrimination, injustice and unfairness in the world SHOULD lead to feelings of anger. There is an empowering and cathartic aspect to being part of a community of like minded people who can validate your feelings of alienation and encourage you to learn and grow through them.
It might be that the lyrics of punk songs are where you find your connection- lyrics that challenge you to stand up for yourself and your community, that validate your innermost feelings and inspire you to use our own voice and not be afraid to go out on a limb. One contributor Eric D reflected on his first foray into the genre:
“I started buying hardcore punk records at 16 (1991) attracted by the energy and intelligence of the music. There were pop kids, goths, and metalheads at school but there didn’t seem to be a punk clique and that gave me the feeling that I knew something that others didn’t. ‘End of Silence’ (Rollins Band) came out in 1992 and honestly say that the lyrics gave me an inner strength, a resilience to deal with a tricky period in life (e.g schools and relationships). It’s an album that should be made available on prescription.”
Resilience goes hand in hand with confidence. Resilience is the belief that you are equipped to deal with life’s challenges and can weather tribulations using your own psychological tools. It doesn’t mean doing it on your own- embracing community support (and being able to give it) is also positive. MellyW speaks movingly to the power of punk:
“I was always super confident from a young age. When I left school, I worked in a record shop, a really cool one. We put on gigs of all the great US and UK touring bands in the 90s. Made a little fanzine. I could do anything. My life revolved around music and that scene. In my 30s I moved across the county, fell in love and had children. I love being a mum but of course your identity is a little lost along the way but it’s a small price to pay. I didn’t go to gigs so much and spending money on music was difficult and I became out of touch.
15 years later, Just as I was at a point where I felt I was becoming myself again as the children were older, my confidence took a steep drop. What is going on? Why am I crying all the time? Why am I forgetting things? Who is that woman in the mirror? I had constant anxiety. I didn’t have the confidence to drive anywhere new, even though I’d drive a car loads of people to London gigs back in the day with an AtoZ and a scribbly map as a guide with no mobile phones. I was sick of myself and I was sure that the people around me were sick of me as well. So much so I thought it would be a relief for them if I left and never came back. I was so low, anxious and negative and I could see no sign of it improving. I needed to find the person I was, I didn’t want to live in the past, but I needed to find the now version of that girl.
It coincided with the rise of a lot of 90s bands reforming or touring. Babes in Toyland, Bikini Kill, Sleater Kinney, Jawbreaker, L7, Afghan Whigs. It’s like they heard me calling and they stood up. I couldn’t get enough of the run of memoirs that started to appear. Kathy Valentine, Kathleen Hanna, Debbie Harry, Kim Gordon, Carrie Brownstein. They weren’t rehashing the past, they were building on it and moving forward, like I wanted to. I made playlists of bands I used to listen to and started to run, listening to them everyday and they fired up my passion, confidence and attitude in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time. I was relieved to find I was still in there. Then I found Loud Women and I,Doris. Are you kidding me? This is amazing. They even have a song called HRT. I felt understood and I didn’t feel so lonely anymore. I was back and I couldn’t have done it without music”.
Melly’s story reads like punk left her a trail of breadcrumbs to follow to get back to herself and her power. And no matter what age or stage you are in life, there are punk bands and songs to keep you going.
DIY for You and I
People are often frightened of being bad at things which can put them off pursuing certain activities or skills or lead them to give up before they’ve given things a good go. What can be more confident than just embracing the amateur and all the imperfections and just doing it anyway? Punk’s DIY spirit is a core tenet of the movement no matter which era or scene you are looking at, it is quintessentially PUNK to not wait for permission or perfection but to create and get involved and do THINGS when you want to do them and learn as you go. That can be musical as Suzy H explains:
“I went down the classical route learning piano and trumpet where there’s a focus on getting things right and playing pieces in really specific ways to succeed in exams. Learning like that helped me develop my skills, but also pushes perfectionism. I’d really beat myself up if I made the tiniest mistake. When I went to uni, I got into punk and joined a ska punk band. It was such a contrast – so relaxed and unstructured, without any pressure. The only aims were to have fun, play the songs and never take ourselves too seriously. I loved being in a band and feeling part of a group gave me a sense of identity which boosted my confidence. I stopped worrying about making mistakes. Even now when I’m in a band playing ska and punk I feel more confident in myself and like I belong. I’m also rarely anxious about playing music on stage anymore. Obviously, I still want to do my best and play well, but I also know it’s not the end of the world if I miss a note or play in the wrong place”
Looking back on some of the musicians I’ve interviewed, it isn’t always being on stage that has tested their mettle and proven how capable they can be. Organising tours, travelling from place to place, liaising with studios and venues, dealing with bandmates…all develop essential life skills. Alex MacDonald from LA punks Mermaid Island highlighted this in her interview with us last month:
“I think another one of the reasons I feel like this band is important is because it is an example of a woman in a leadership position. I’m trying to guide this band not just creatively but also the business side of things and how we fit into the world. People don’t think about what goes on behind the scenes- there is so much management, coordinating and conflict resolution and practical skills that go into having a band. It is really important to me that a young girl could think ‘I can start something if I want to, and people will listen to me and follow me and believe in me, I can lead something’.”
And the ‘give it a go and enjoy yourself’ approach doesn’t have to just apply to music. There are countless ways to exercise DIY principles and just think how empowering that is- to take an impulse, an idea or a problem that needs to be solved and just DO THINGS yourself- bring something into existence that wasn’t there before whether it’s a song, a painting, a piece of writing, a zine, a gig, some crochet, a fundraiser…to create on your own terms is an act of supreme confidence. You’re a badass and you probably don’t even know it.
Go forth and be a powerhouse- the power of PUNK compels you!
