Yes - punk clothing is back again! Back in the Seventies, punks were the latest rage. It was the young people's way of being rebellious by finding the most outrageous way of dressing that they could. Old people were definitely shocked to see youngsters walking around with lurid coloured hair in gravity defying spikes. Bits were shaved from girls and boys and when it came to hairstyles, anything that drew attention was good.
As far as the definition between male and female went, there was none. The only way you could tell if you were speaking to a boy or girl was the tightness of the trousers and who wants to inspect that? Thus we now have a generation of older people who refer to every young person as 'dear' to make sure that don't get it wrong.
Punk clothing fashions were for the tightest trousers you could possibly get away with which might well explain the drop in the population and the increase of men with a low sperm count. It also explains why punks were to be seen hanging around on street corners. Sitting was a physical impossibility in punk clothing. Not just for because of their tight trousers but also for the pins. Safety pins and spikes were to stick out of clothes at dangerous angles to emphasis the fact that you were a punk and not just a person who's clothes were too small for them.
It wasn't just punk clothing that demanded metal objects to protrude from it. It was also the body itself. Anything that dangled should be pierced. If the piercings were in close proximity, then they should be joined together with chains. I personally can't see the problem with this. Many a time I have thought my kids should be chained and easily restrained but if I voiced this then they would do the opposite and become chavs and I just can't do this to them.
Today, the punk clothing has made a bit of a comeback, albeit with less impact. In the Seventies it was new and vibrant and just a little bit dangerous to be seen as a punk. Since then, the generations have become increasingly daring with what they will do to draw attention, even harking back to the days where they looked like the man from C & A. Thankfully this didn't last.
So, young people are punks once again. The hairstyles are extreme but not shocking like last time, the colours are still loud but so many people have gone down this route that I actually think it looks nice rather than shocking. Yes, I like to think of myself as one of the modern mums who encourage individualism - if that is possible with the anything goes view of today's youth. However, I am not easily scared.
It is common knowledge today that if you don't want your kids to do something outrageous, don't argue with them, don't ban them. Laugh, encourage them, they'll soon stop it. Even though they know it's reverse psychology it still confuses their little brains and it takes all the fun out of being rebellious. They should be happy. They've got what they always wanted.
Anything goes when it comes to fashion - goth, punk, emo or chav. Kids can dress how they want and unless they walk around in gimp masks with a leash, they are still able to get jobs, dressed in a way that my mum's generation would have put you in an institution for.