Pretty in Punk: Girl's Gender Resistance in a Boy's Subculture [Paperback]

Lauraine Leblanc (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[LeBlanc] draws on her insider experiences and insights and on the field research and interviews she carried out..." -- Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association

Pretty in Punk is cutting-edge feminist and cultural studies research....The stories [Leblanc] relates offer inspirational evidence of rebellion against stereotypical gender arrangements--of girls empowering themselves in unique ways. -- Wendy Simonds, author of Abortion at Work: Ideology and Practice in a Feminist Clinic and Women and Self-Help Culture

The author's first-person accounts of her life as a punk girl are particularly effective at bringing her analysis of punk girls to life... Original and very insightful. -- Kathleen Blee, professor of sociology and director of women's studies, University of Pittsburgh, and author of Women of the Klan

The girls and women that Leblanc portrays in Pretty in Punk are very nearly as original, spirited, and delightful as Leblanc's prose itself....A happy conjunction author, topic, and methodology. -- Carol Brooks Gardner, professor of sociology and women's studies, Indiana University-Indianapolis

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813526515
• ISBN-13: 978-0813526515
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #476,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Punk Meets Academia, January 12, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pretty in Punk: Girl's Gender Resistance in a Boy's Subculture (Hardcover)

"Pretty in Punk" has really interesting subject matter, but the fact that the book was written for an academic audience, apparently, makes reading it rather slow work. The tone is earnest and pedantic, and ideas tend to be repeated frequently. It's kind of like: this is my thesis, this is how I will support my thesis, here are the supporting facts and examples, now I will restate my thesis. The main thesis is that punk rock guys are pretty much as sexist as other guys, and that punk rock girls get double the negative response, first from society at large, then from punk guys. The individual experiences and comments of the girls she interviewed are the most interesting thing about the book. Not a fun read, but interesting if you can get through it.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Critical Punk Ethnography, July 12, 2004

By 

Andrew F. Herrmann (Granite City, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pretty in Punk: Girl's Gender Resistance in a Boy's Subculture (Paperback)

Many of the other reviews tend to give Leblanc a difficult time, but I found it quite refreshing over the punk movement oral history stuff and the like (which are half lies, half legend and half truth - yes...3 halves!). This book did exactly what it set out to do: develop and explicate local understandings of girl's resistance in the punk subculture. (I hate that word subculture...).

An ethnographer attempts to find visceral understandings of people's lived experiences. Her research, both as an ethnographer, a full participant in the scene, and via her interviews and guided conversations, is thorough. Leblanc does an exemplary job, by examining the scene with a critial and feminist eye. Although all ethnographic research is situated in a localized place and time, it does present the essence of being a female punk in the late 90's.

As a member of the punk scene since the early 1980's, and as a member of academia since the late 1990's this work rings true from both standpoints. Is it perfect? No, but no ethnographic research is perfect. This is pretty close...

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars a disappointment, July 9, 2002

By 

Dogrrrl (Leucadia, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pretty in Punk: Girl's Gender Resistance in a Boy's Subculture (Paperback)

Basically this book was the author's dissertation. And that's about it. The writing isn't that good, and the "study" as a whole is very limited. In particular she ignores the previous punk generation, and doesn't address the changes in the scene over 20 years. This ignores the fact that as punk became more common, the common problems of the general culture seeped back in - especially sexism. It could be used as a starting point for young people to enter the discussion, but certainly can't be seen as any kind of definitive text because there are too many holes. I was disappointed because I was so looking forward to someone finally opening up this topic, and had expected something better.