Punk Fashion as a Metaphor in 1980s Britain and Poland

While cultural theorists (Hebdidge, McRobbie, Muggleton, Fowler, Reddington) and fashion historians (Wilson) unanimously cast Punk’s sartorial practices within the discourse of rebellion and subversion, it is worth noting that the meaning of that rebellion differed across cultures and social contexts. While in Britain, Punk’s complete rejection of the established codes of dressing signified rejection of the middle-class values and Thatcherism, when transplanted on to the Polish ground, Punk was ‘hijacked’ for the purpose of political warfare, and Punk fashion became one of the sites of the battle against the oppressive communist regime. Elements of Cognitive Metaphor Theory and Conceptual Blending Theory are applied to examine metaphorical meanings of Punk fashion in Britain and in Poland, exemplified by the sartorial practices of female singers and Punk fashion icons Siouxsie Sioux and Kora (Olga Jackowska, a vocalist of a Polish band Maanam).