Punk Subculture

In the article “Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion,” Kawamura talks about how Japanese street fashion is led not by Japanese designers, but by high schools girls who influence and control fashion trends. However, why do these high school teens create fashion and why? The answer can be tied down to identity. These street fashions are seen as subcultures that attract teens through a sense of self belonging and are symbolic of group identity. Most of these teens obtain a sense of belonging by creating their own subcultures or being a part of one through things such as fashion. However, street fashion is depicted a phenomena that is produced, maintained, and slowly fades away.

This often reminds me of punk subculture in the United States. Punk subculture is based on punk rock. It is not only expressed just through fashion but music and other types of products. The punk scene is composed of an assortment of smaller factions that distinguish themselves from one another through unique variations.

Punk fashion consists: ripped clothing was held together by safety pins or wrapped with tape; ordinary clothing was customized by embellishing it with marker or adorning it with paint; a black bin liner became a dress, shirt or skirt; safety pins and razor blades were used as jewelry. Some punks wear tight "drainpipe" jeans, plaid/tartan trousers, kilts or skirts, T-shirts, leather jackets (which are often decorated with painted band logos, pins and buttons, and metal studs or spikes), and footwear such as Converse sneakers, skater shoes, or Dr. Marten boots. These kinds of clothing and items differ punks from the crowd as well as create a sense of belonging. However, similar to the Japanese high school girls, this kind of fashion begins to slowly fade away with time.

For my compact challenge, I have been doing great. The only thing I have purchased this week only consisted of necessities such as food and water, although I do believe that I should start shopping for clothes because I want to show up to school looking normal. I’ve been showing up to class in my sweaters and jackets because I haven’t had the time to go shopping. However, when I do go shopping, I’ll keep in mind about the things that I do buy.

Blog #8

Anancy Thao

Sources:

Yuniya Kawamura. “Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion.” Class Reader.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_subculture