he fashion for punk clothing has seen a revival in recent years and it's no tamer than the first time round. It is, however, a little more widely accepted in this culture of anything goes. Trends will always come and go in fashion, particularly for the young, but there is no longer this narrow corridor of what goes and what doesn't. There is an arena for people to express themselves through clothing whatever their preferred genre, including punk clothing. The earliest form of punk, namely protopunk, began in the United States with the musical scene of Alice Cooper, Velvet Underground and the like. There was also a strong punk ethic among the transvestites with their own version of glam punk. It was also loosely known to have connections with the underworld of drug trafficking so it's understandable that back in the early Seventies, parents weren't that keen on their children getting involved in the whole punk scene.
In the UK, punk caught on in a big way thanks to economic recession. There was a strong flavour of dissatisfaction and anger expressed through punk music and this rebellious angst led to a rebellious way of dressing. Anything that appeared way out or extreme was punk clothing, from ripped, skin tight clothing to having pins and piercings anywhere and everywhere.
Back in the early days, punk music had a very definite feel but by the Eighties, things were moving in a more general direction. Other influences were beginning to be brought in with bands like The Clash being seen as a punk band but also bringing in touches of reggae, rockabilly and jazz. It became less about the angst of life and started include more melody and lyrics about relationships and life in general and fun - a little less harsh than the 'down with the establishment' feel that ran through original punk music.
This is pretty much the feel of punk today. It has a much wider range of musical styles and a pretty varied array of punk clothing, albeit still extreme. It is much more widely accepted as 'one of those things youths go through' - when did you last see a middle aged punk (Johnny Rotten aside). Punk music still covers feelings of anger and frustration but this surely has to be a better outlet than violence? At the same time, it also covers everyday life and other emotions that involve love and pain, fun and the more serious issues.
Punk clothing can be seen as fun, particularly by the young. Today's young punks have the advantage that to them it may all be new and extreme and exciting but to their parents who have seen it all before, it's simply a revival of a phase that is bound to pass once again and these parents have the security of the knowledge that it is unlikely to induce an uprising or to result in murderous young adults. This ultimately leads to the young people being able to express themselves with their punk clothing and punk music without incurring the wrath of their parents.