Amy Taylor and the Politics of Punk Fashion
By Audrey Treon
If my memory serves me right, I first heard Amyl and the Sniffers in 2023. I was a senior in high school and, finally, God-willing, tapping into my punk self. But isn’t it a poser move to label yourself as punk…? Whatever. I know Amy Taylor, singer and songwriter of the aforementioned band, wouldn’t live her life by such arbitrary rules.
After hearing the song “Knifey” for the first time, I remember saying, “Fuck yeah.” End of sentence — that sentiment sums it all up. The song describes a narrator’s attitude towards a potential male assailant, one that requires a lone woman, just trying to walk in the park for her enjoyment, to pull out her “knifey”: “All I ever wanted was to walk by the park / All I wanted was to walk by the river, see the stars / Please, stop fucking me up / Nothing more important to me than just living / I’d rather be alive and well, and locked up in prison / I turn around and backtrack / Because I ain’t that tough.” If those few lyrics got you fired up and ready to punch the patriarchy, just listen to their whole discography. It’ll make you want to do a hell of a lot more than just punch an oppressive system.
Amy Taylor, Photographed by Dakota Gordon for To Be Magazine
After that first listening, I couldn’t help but be pulled into the band’s electric lyrics, dynamic sound, and their authentic punk-rock attitude — the one that doesn’t succumb to capitalist motivations and the refusal to speak on important issues — anything but, in fact. The band has been outspoken about social justice issues such as the freedom of Palestine and an end to the ongoing genocide, women’s rights and safety, decolonization of Australia, and much more. Amy Taylor (singer/songwriter), Dec Martens (guitar), Gus Romer (bass), and Bryce Wilson (drums) all contribute to the band’s artistic genius and political vigor.
The world fosters a lot of anger in people, and rightfully so. But artists, especially artists who are attending awards shows like the Grammys, Emmys, Tonys, and/or the Oscars, rarely speak out and acknowledge this anger. At the 2026 Grammy Awards, the group, nominated for Best Rock Performance, was interviewed by Rolling Stone regarding their American tour. Taylor mentioned how because America is in such political turmoil, their concerts have been a good space for “people to come and thrash out,” then, she shouted out the bravery and resilience of the people of Minneapolis, who were and are fighting against the ICE militia.
Photo by Ashley Mar, Courtesy of Rolling Stone
And Taylor’s fashion speaks just as loudly as her voice. She embodies everything I love about fashion — Taylor goes beyond simply recognizing the power of fashion; she grabs it by the reins and steers it in her own direction. Her style is bold, campy, political, and proudly herself. Often seen sporting bleach blonde Farrah Fawcett-esque hair, eyes framed in thick black eyeshadow, sparkly and studded thigh-high boots, and two-piece sets patterned with everything from raw meat, teeth, zebra print, or made out of whoopee cushions, Taylor makes a statement at every appearance. And isn’t that the power of fashion? Wielding it for your own self and impacting others with it.
Fashion in the punk and subculture scenes is widely recognized to be inherently intertwined with political identities. Take Riot Grrrl, for example, a music genre created and popularized in the 90s by women-led bands who felt angered by the rampant misogyny in the world and in the music scene. Their fashion choices often subverted misogynistic and patriarchal norms in the same manner as Taylor. It is important to note that Riot Grrrl, as a movement, was far from flawless, with the main demographic being middle-upper-class white women. But the feminist movement in punk as a whole was not specific to white women. Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex was a true pioneer of the feminist pink movement, and she stood for intersectional feminism (an ideology coined by Civil Rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw) in the punk movement.
Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex and Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill
From Poly Styrene to Kathleen Hanna to Amy Taylor, each woman has a unique, powerful grasp on the power of fashion. Misogyny exists in every facet of the world, and seemingly progressive movements are no exception. But thanks to these women and many more, we are beating down patriarchy every single day.
