Punk princesses did not dress to please the male gaze – they dressed to repulse it

Although punk is often portrayed as a singularly macho phenomenon, it was an equally exciting and liberating experience for young women. When recalling female punks, too much focus has rested on the tragic figure of Nancy Spungen (allegedly murdered by her boyfriend, Sid Vicious) and not enough on the other radical women of the punk crusade who wrote, performed and created the visual template for the movement.  Middle-class suburbia Vivienne Westwood was the godmother of...