Oh Bondage Up Yours! Punk, Women and Feminism in the UK 1976-1984

Abstract

This thesis is a study of punk, women and feminism in the UK between 1976 and 1984. Primarily, this thesis seeks to challenge the dismissal of women from existing accounts of punk by exploring the ways in which women navigated a space within the punk subculture. It discusses the ways that women engaged with both punk and feminism, considering their motives for doing so as well as the impact of their actions. Like the wider study of history, women have historically been omitted from accounts, leaving a one-sided, hyper-masculine perception of punk. Consequently, women have been overlooked.

By revisiting primary material, neglected material, new sources and personally conducted ethnographic research, I challenge existing male-centric histories of punk by deconstructing perceived notions of male supremacy, sexism, heterosexism and stereotyped gender roles. Above all, I discuss the relationship between feminism and punk in a way that has not been done before , shedding a new light on a radical period of women’s history. It is only through unearthing the untold voices, documents and activity of punk women that a balanced account can be produced. Through the study of oral histories, fanzines, music and fashion, the agency and, the often accidental, feminist activity of female punks can be revealed and understood within the wider context of punk.