Around the end of the 1970s, the punk youth movement from the USA and England swept over to Germany. There, a youth culture developed that wanted to distinguish itself from the rest of society with new music, new clothes, and new ideals. Influenced by bands like The Clash, The Vibrators, and The Sex Pistols, punk bands such as Male, Mittagspause, or from the East, L’Attentat and Schleimkeim, also formed in Germany.
Introduction to the Project
While planning this project, I reviewed my punk playlist, which included the aforementioned bands, and realized there wasn’t a single woman featured. This led me to the idea for my project because one thing is clear: Women were certainly present in punk! In Germany, there were almost all-female bands like Östro 430 and Hans-a-Plast, but also bands with female singers like Bärchen und die Milchbubis or Jingo de Lunch.
(Even if you don’t understand German, feel free to listen to some of it. The sound alone says a lot. Here are some links to songs by German female punk bands on YouTube:
- “Jung, kaputt spart Altersheime” by Bärchen und die Milchbubis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51JW474hckg
- “Lederhosentyp” by Hans-a-Plast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN0tXM8oIFI
- “S-Bahn” by Östro 430: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exjdIHDE6-w
- “Für ne Frau” by Hans-a-Plast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p-ksE_J5xQ
Punk in Divided Germany: “No Future” and “Too Much Future”
Since Germany was divided, punk developed differently in the GDR and BRG. Punk in the West was under the motto “No Future.” The youth of this culture didn’t see themselves growing old in the current world and expressed their feelings in their songs. This was also reflected in their lifestyle, as heavy alcohol consumption was common for many.
In the East, the movement was under the motto “Too Much Future.” The SED regime in the East had a clear path outlined for the youth, leaving little room for alternative life choices and decisions. An important difference here was that punks in the East were subjected to persecution by the regime.
A fitting statement on this comes from former East punk Henryk Gericke: “West punk was a ‘pop-cultural phenomenon’ with political background, and East punk was a ‘political phenomenon’ with pop cultural background.” Examining the differences between the West and East would be a research project in itself and definitely interesting but would go beyond the scope of the current text.
Methodology: Women in Punk and Their Forms of Expression
In my project, I focus on women in punk. Punk musicians and fans used music and fanzines to express themselves. Fanzines were home-produced magazines, often made with limited resources. Pasted together from their own drawings, photos, and typewritten comments, they were copied and usually sold for 1 DM.
I visited the “Archive of Youth Cultures” in Berlin-Kreuzberg and looked at fanzines. I wanted to see how women were represented in the fanzines and if so, how they were portrayed. Additionally, I examined the song lyrics of German punk bands. I also had the opportunity to interview two women from the punk scene. Based on these sources, I want to try to answer the question: To which extent did punk culture serve as a space for emancipation for woman?
I want to note in advance that both the interviews and the music and fanzines are only excerpts. Unfortunately, it is not possible to look at all the fanzines, listen to every song and person. With more time, a more nuanced picture could certainly be drawn. I believe that my compiled sources provide an enriching insight, but they do not claim to definitively answer the question.
Interviews: Insights into the Scene
To gain a deeper understanding of the role of women in German punk, I conducted interviews with two women who were active in the scene. These personal reports provide valuable insights into their experiences and the challenges they faced.
Annette
Annette, a woman from the West German punk scene and singer of the band “Bärchen und die Milchbubis,” describes her first encounters with punk: “It just matched my attitude towards life and besides, I liked the music, I liked the people, it didn’t initially have a deeper meaning.” When asked about the significance of punk in her life, she adds:
“We felt cheated and lied to. (…) We actually believed that we wouldn’t live much longer because there were many conflicts and there was the atomic bomb. (…) And Chernobyl happened, so it wasn’t that far-fetched.”
Annette’s statements reflect the general mood of the time: deep uncertainty and the feeling that the world as it existed then offered no future. This bleak view was a central part of West German punk, manifested in music, fashion, and lifestyle.
For example, in these lyrics by the band Fehlfarben:
“I look around and see only ruins Maybe it’s because I’m missing something (…). A TV is on, dead and mute. And I’m waiting. For the question, the question, ‘Where to?’ Where to? What I want, I can’t get And what I can get, I don’t like”
(Paul ist tot – Fehlfarben)
Mex
Mex, a woman from the East German punk scene, reports on her experiences in the East:
“We were not political; we were made political. We didn’t anticipate that the state would show such a harsh reaction to it. (…) We wanted to shock at first, it was more about the age than the system. The system came later with reality.”
Mex’s descriptions show that punk in the East was initially an expression of youthful rebellion, which later became politicized due to state repression. The strict control and persecution by the regime turned a cultural movement into political resistance.[1]
Fashion, Music, and Self-Expression
Fashion aimed to visibly distinguish oneself from the rest of society and to identify with the punk youth. In the East, everything was self-made; clothes were sewn from second-hand items and badges were crafted. This was not only a creative form of expression but also a necessity, as many materials and clothing items were hard to obtain in the GDR. Hair was styled high with the help of glue or lacquer. A leather jacket with badges, and torn and self-sewn clothes were often worn. The worst insult was: “Your hair is flat,” says Mex, laughing.
In the West, fashion was similar, but there was often more access to Western brands and products. Nevertheless, the DIY (Do It Yourself) approach remained a central element of punk aesthetics, promoting individuality and creativity.
But self-expression wasn’t just through fashion; music also played a crucial role. Punk marked a clear break from the dominant bourgeois as evident in songs like “Innen Stadt Front” by Mittagspause. The lyrics include:
“Civil war in Benrath Because the street wasn’t paved Small war at the airport Because a Turk likes to take his own taxi (…) Panic in Grafenberg A madman stole the green garden gnome”
The Portrayal of Women in Punk
Fanzines
There are various kinds of fanzines. Most fanzines consist of satirical texts. Often, it’s evident that they were written by teenagers. It should not be forgotten that many punks at that time were not even 18 years old. Annette also reports that the boys in her band were still in school and often had to somehow get to school early in the morning after performances.
In the fanzines I looked at, there are not many contributions about women or interviews with them. The concert reports, an important part of fanzines, mostly cover male bands. However, I found a mention of a performance by the all-female band “Östro 430.” And a report on a concert by the partly female bands Hans-a-Plast and Jingo de Lunch.
In another fanzine, I found a piece about a punk band’s performance being rejected because the lyrics were “allegedly misogynistic.” The author does not seem to share the opinion of the venue (for him, it’s fun-punk), but it shows that discrimination apparently played a role, at least in certain punk circles.
However, there are also contributions where women are clearly depicted as sex objects, as seen in the fanzine “Ungewollt” from 1981.

In the fanzine “Ich und mein Staubsauger” (1987), an author writes in a band review: “My only criticism of their whole performance was that the young lady with her tambourine was very unnecessary. If Rubbermind Revenge really thinks she’s needed, she should bring a friend, both wear polka dot bikinis, and dance in cages on either side!”
Experiences as a Woman in Punk
Mex says about her experiences in the punk scene in the East: “It was an absolute macho crowd (…) Punk is white and macho, and the guys there were like that too (…) The punk guys were no different from the other men in the rest of society. Of course, there are always exceptions. But that’s not because of the system, but because of the person’s personality.”
Annette also reflects that the guys “from today’s perspective were still macho.” But she adds: “Compared to the other men around, they were more conscious in dealing with women.”
Mex came to the west in 1985, when she was 20 years old. She talks about the West: “That was also my first experience in the West, that you weren´t seen as ´Freiwild´ (a German word for in that case a woman who someone feels free to hit on). In the East, I always had the impression that it was about taking a woman home.” [2]
Especially when it comes to the music scene, it is interesting that both tell similar things. Both say that the men in their circles did everything to “keep the upper hand.” Mex says:
“The largest record collections always had to belong to the men. The musical dominance had to remain in male hands. That was an unwritten law, but I am sure a few other women would confirm that. Which bands were allowed to be listened to and which not. (…) Women were allowed to sit in the rehearsal room and admire.”
And how did a woman who was actively a musician see it?
Annette reports, on the one hand, support from the men. On the other hand, she says:
“I have to say that on one hand, they supported us a lot, of course, they did help us. They also offered to carry the heavy stuff. We were too proud and said, no, we can handle the 80kg pack ourselves. But they also made sure that we did not gain too much significance. In my band, it was like this: I had three fellow musicians who played their music, and then they said, that’s great, write some lyrics to it. Or come up with something to it. It wasn’t on equal footing.”
When she reads the interviews of her husband, a member of a male punk band, she also realizes that men were much more mobile back then. This was “simply because they were men.” Many trips and actions she would not have dared to undertake “as a young woman.” For Annette, punk music nevertheless created an emancipatory space because you didn’t need to know much and could, as a woman, just say and do what you felt like. When asked if punk was feminist from her point of view, Annette replies: “I thought it was a very brief moment when everything was very open and free and also open to women. Then it was redefined. And then it became harder and more male. And unfortunately, no women jumped on the bandwagon. I think it was because it was taken over and dominated by men again.” Mex, on the other hand, replies: “No, it might look like that from the outside, but the group’s rules were the same as in any other clique, and we (my friend and I) may have created a space within this group, but for me, I can say it’s a clear no.” From her point of view, women in the group were more “competitors than fellow fighters.” Annette, however, reports more female solidarity among themselves: “I also lived with women. Women were always important points of reference for me. Living with women, making music with women, that was always very important to me.” The song lyrics of bands like Hans-a-Plast or Östro 430 often deal with the topic of sexism and gender roles, making music perhaps not directly an emancipatory space, but definitely a space for processing.
Hans-a-Plast sings:
“You are so good at having children. You are so good at carrying bags. You are so good at shaking your butt. You can walk in high heels. How did you manage that? Man, you have a lot of strength. (…) Good for a woman.”
They address the objectification of women in songs like “Lederhosentyp” or “Hau ab du stinkst” by reversing roles and singing: “Hey little one, show me what you got. If I grab your ass, don’t get mad right away.” Östro 430, on the other hand, deals with themes like sexual freedom and mansplaining in many songs[3].
Outlook
Both interviewees tell me about the lack of reflection by male ex-punks and the continued invisibility of women in punk. Annette says that the questions her husband, a member of the band “Der Moderne Mann” is asked in today’s interviews do not address how he views gender roles in retrospect. She says: “And women are not mentioned in the interview requests at all, even though they appear in the men’s songs. The only woman mentioned in the entire interview is the driver. So there were women, but the guys are never asked what significance women had for them – back then, in punk. It must have meant something to them.” Mex, who made a film about the punk scene in the East in 1997, also reports that some statements showed no reflection on the image of women at the time, which shocked her.
In the 1990s, the Pussy Riot movement formed. A feminist sub-movement in punk. Perhaps as a response to the previously prevailing patriarchal structures in punk, especially in punk music. The fanzines of this movement mainly focus on feminist content. When I compared them with earlier fanzines, I noticed two very different intentions and feelings. Previously, it was more of a funny lightness. From the fanzines of the Riot Grrrls, I read (justified) anger. There was a fanzine that dealt only with tips and tricks for “safe touring.” Women exchanged information about safe hotels, locations, or even restaurants. Apparently a necessity, because, as Annette reports, women in the music scene were previously affected by immobility. Annette views today’s developments positively: “Now I think it´s great that there is a new movement. So with the Flinta* movement reclaiming that space, thematizing it, and reclaiming and re-conquering it. Lyrically, but also musically.”
Conclusion
From the song lyrics of women, the interviews, and the images of women in fanzines, it can be inferred that punk did not really create an emancipatory space. Patriarchal structures persisted even within this subculture. However, the active female musician I interviewed views punk as a space for emancipation. For her, the ability to express oneself, even though “not much skill was required,” constituted this space. Thus, one might conclude that there wasn’t truly a liberated space free from macho culture, and women faced the same issues as in the broader society. Punk, however, provided an opportunity to express anger and served as a channel for communication and to shed light on injustice and feminist issues.
[1] Florian Lipp: Punk und New Wave im letzten Jahrzehnt der DDR. Akteure-Konfliktfelder-musikalische Praxis. Münster 2021.S.55-61.
[2] Since I have only interviewed two women so far, it is difficult to make general statements. These are two statements that complement each other, but from them, it cannot be concluded: in the West, men were like this, in the East, they were like that.
[3] For example: ,,sexueller Notstand“, ,,Normal“ and ,,S-Bahn”.