| FULL METAL PRIDE: HEADBANGERS VERSUS THE FASHION POLICE!!! |
Hails \m/ FULL METAL PRIDE. What does it mean? To me, it means a number of things. Firstly, it means being *proud* of who you are, where you come from and what you like (in my case, Heavy Metal). Secondly, it means 'wearing my pride on my sleeve'; that is, going to gigs, listening to metal, wearing black t-shirts with band logos on them, talking 'metal', talking to those who 'talk metal' and generally telling the world you are proud of being a headbanger. And thirdly, it means asserting yourself against those who try to undermine your pride in being a metalhead. The first two tasks are easily accomplished - to be proud, and to support metal as much as you can. But without being able to accomplish the third task (standing up to those who undermine your self-respect, whether they are headbangers or not), the first two become much harder. And it is GODDAMMED DIFFICULT to be a headbanger and respect yourself if you are not respected by others: if you are made fun of, denied access to life's (society's) 'goodies' and treated as a second-class citizen (especially in the name of metal). I wish I had a dollar for each and every time I was made fun of for liking Metal. The worst of what is to CUM (oops - I meant 'come' <g>) from people's mouths was *not* from the Bible Bashers or 'moral majority', *nor* was it from the authorities, or *even* my parents - but from what I like to call 'The Fashion Police'. Fashion police come in four types: 1. The Home Boys ('homies'), who are fond of wearing very baggy Kepper jeans or trackie duds and baseball caps; and listening to *ultra loud* rap/techno music, played from their *ultra loud* stereos in their *ultra noisy* cars - often driven at about 2am; and scream abuse at any passer by who is young and female!!! 2. Stallion Stable Hair Bears ('hairbears'), a 'species' most prevalent in the mid to late eighties. Tend to sport curly 'mullet' hairdos - which are usually black and greasy; one step up from the homies; 3. Waxheads (surfies, beach bums, 'skegs'*), the worst of whom are in their early to mid teens, and reside in either Sydney's Southern Suburbs or Northern Beaches; the worst ones were also more prevelent in the Eighties and early-Nineties and made fun of anyone they percieved as 'westies' ('bogans' if they were from Melbourne) or 'dags'; * Don't ask me why they got called 'skegs' - it was a term coined by many of my classmates when I was in high school. 4. Yuppies who ride on crowded public transport @ peak hour, and push what they see as 'lesser mortals' out of the way when they are in a hurry; they also whinge if you play your metal to loud (even though they do the same with their dance music). What is wrong with the fashion police? Surely, there is nothing wrong with being trendy in itself, but what I object to is being mocked, abused and excluded - just because I like metal. Here are some examples. It began in the Eighties. Firstly, I was made fun of by ignorumus maximusses for writing AC/DC and Rose Tattoo on my knapsack. Secondly, there were lots of kids at school who (for some reason) could not cope with the fact that I preferred Krokus and Judas Priest to Duran Duran and Culture Club. Their 'way' to feel better about themselves was to put me down. And thirdly, alot of my ex-school mates wouldn't stick around at my 21st for (I think) the same reason (How slack is that!!!). It continued into the Nineties. I remember I was waiting to see a Western Australian band (called Infected), who were making an instore appearance at Utopia. Some 13 y/o homie twats with Kepper jeans and more hair than brains asked me (rather stupidly imo), 'Are you a headbanger?' (Hey boys, if you still exist, and you are looking at this page, then I think you know the answer :-]). Another time (and in another, non-metal music store), I (and another customer) were kept waiting on the queue unnecessarily when we were trying to buy (metal) LPs (in the days before CDs). I was also shoved and pushed by 'ultra feminine' yuppie sheilas and treated with contempt by yuppie blokes on the trains at peak hour (more often than not whilst sporting a 'punk type' hairdo and wearing a Metallica or Morbid Angel t-shirt). Anyway, these are just a few examples of how I, as a 'Metal Head' recieved 'second rate', shoddy treatment at the hands of the fashion police and there are 'plenty more' where they came from. I don't know how headbangers have come to be stigmatized so badly. There are several reasons for this: When I was just a girl in the 1970s, I remember when there was nothing wrong with liking Heavy Metal. People were free to write their fave bands on their pencil cases or school bags, or to wear t-shirts and badges of their fave bands. All of a sudden, it was 'uncool' to like metal. Anyhow, I'm hoping to write a book (or at least do a study) on it. Please feel free to contribute your stories. If you are a 'Metal Head', tell me about your experiences with the 'non metal' fashion police. Alternatively, if you are a non-metaller and you dislike Heavy Metal (or simply prefer other types of music), tell me what it is you dislike about it - is it the music itself, the lyrics, or is it the people (the way they look, dress or act)? Please email me with your thoughts; you can include photos (they must be JPEGS though), or you can give me a non-de-plume or nickname (if you don't wish to reveal your true identity) Remember, it is a free country and I want to keep it that way. I'm sure you do too. BACK TO LOGSNAPPER'S SOAPBOX |