Estonian women in punk scenes during three decades from the 1970s to the 2000s
What is it about?
It is a common belief that the golden era of Estonian punk was during the Perestroika – the second half of the 80s when the Soviet Union collapsed, and punk was its unofficial soundtrack. However, punk arrived in Estonia already a decade earlier, during Brezhnev's stagnation, through capitalist Finnish television, and quickly afflicted Estonian school girls. It also did not disappear during the cowboy capitalist era after Estonia had become independent in 1991 and later when society stabilized in the 2000s. In this article, I will analyze the experiences of girls from three generations about what drove them to punk and what it meant to them.
Why is it important?
The article's importance lies in the knowledge of how girls – who were often considered marginal in pre-internet subcultures, participated in the punk movement in the harsh conditions of Soviet communism. Also, it offers a unique comparison of the punk experience in different decades and political regimes and shows how pre-gentrified Tallinn offered a safe haven for subcultures.