1- Untypical Girls: Gender, Age, and Punk - Norma Coates, Western University

The years of the punk women are (finally) upon us. The punk women in question are all from the first wave of punk in the 1970s, most of whom languished in semi-obscurity (Patti Smith and Debbie Harry being notable exceptions), their existence and physical presence occasionally resurfacing during musical moments, particularly grunge and its sort-of cousin, Riot Grrrl, in the 1990s. In the 2010s, groups such as the Raincoats, the Slits, and X-Ray Spex began to get their due not as “women in punk” but as crucial contributors to punk, its attitude, and its continued influence. This presentation interrogates this present moment and argues that recent public presence and interest in the original women of punk is not just about establishing legacies or writing women into punk history, as these groups have always been there, to an extent. Accordingly, this paper focuses on other possible reasons, including the current cultural and political climate and its resemblance to the 1970s; the increasing recognition of how the influence of the Raincoats, the Slits, and X-Ray Spex range far beyond Riot Grrrl and music; and how involvement with punk in the 1970s has inflected and affected both musicians and non-male fans as they age.