Commodification of Punk??

After reading the recommended text by Dick Hebdige, the commodification of the subculture of punk becomes more and more obvious.

In Dick Hebdige's Subculture: The Meaning of Style, he confirms that subcultures such as punk which are granted to be "spectacular" often raise and address controversial and forbidden issues. Firstly, when a group such as 'punk' arises, the media coverage of concerned events tend to be in a state of moral panic, where opinions are widepsread and the problems are diagnosed. Secondly, when the subculture begins to form its resistance and incorporates itself into the society, it can be seen as somewhat 'acceptable' as the vocabulary and dress associated with it become more and more familiarized to the point of naturalization.

As Hebdige puts it, most subcultures are centred around consumption. But punk was delivering the so-called shock effect in regards to this. They were unconventional in their dress and social behaviour. However, the lines between commercialization and the authenticity and creativity of the punk subculture become blurred with a number of factors contributing to its commericalization, with the most prominent being fashion.

With punk culture, people strived to be individual and to support the little guy, but they followed the 'punk' trend along with the millions of others. Where did this leave the individuality? The punk culture, in this way, fed back into the mainstream through fashion and music and the epitome of this are The Sex Pistols. The style which was original, with clothing held together by safety pins and the use of plastic, succumbed to the mass-production pressures. Private connotations attached to the style could be seperated from it and sold on a large scale, become another concern among others in the commercialization of punk.

There was an attempt to promote a 'difference' yet having a 'group identity'. The look was low-maintenance and easily achievable so it became less than easy to follow suit of the punk trend. It even featured in Cosmopolitan in September 1977 and Hebdige's account describes models covered in piles of safety pins and plastic, thus mainstreaming the punk look and style. And to top it off, the article concluded with "To shock is chic", taking the essence of the shock effect and the prime basis of punk to 'chic' fashion.