Astrid Kirchherr Quotes

I always thought that there was something in hip-hop culture that was the misfit of all the musical styles, where they didn't really belong. They're kind of like, 'No, we're a real culture! We're not going anywhere, you can't get rid of us!' I really liked that there was a rebelliousness about it. I connected with that.

There's a thing in the U.K., particularly in London, where it's kind of the idea of subculture and counterculture and the outside and the idea that it's great to be a freak, and the freak always wins. So I think English girls are a lot less scared of being the freak or looking like an idiot.

All my friends started getting boyfriends, but I didn't want a boyfriend, I wanted a thirteen-colour biro.

I turned to punk because I didn't fit in anywhere else.

It's like our little thing: you can take the girl out of the punk, but you can't take the punk out of the girl.

I can show up at a Goldman Sachs conference wearing a Judas Priest T-shirt - and I have - while everyone else is wearing the same dress.

To me, punk is about being an individual and going against the grain and standing up and saying 'This is who I am'.

When I was fourteen, I was one of those kids who wore all black because it matched everything. Seriously.

In the Seventies and Eighties we all had our fun, and now and then we went really too far. But, ultimately, it required a certain amount of clear thinking, a lot of hard work and good make-up to be accepted as a freak.

The first things I did when I got out of school in '65 was to buy a pair of Levis and pierce my ears.

I've always balked at anything that feels like a clique, even if it's not always in my best interest to do so. I like each individual, fedora-wearing hipster - it's just the greater gestalt that rubs me the wrong way.

I always say that I don't like it when people follow trends too much, just because it is on the runway. I think what you wear really does need to reflect what your own personal style is.

And whenever I'm in a situation where I'm wearing the same as 600 other people and doing the same thing as 600 other people, looking back, I always found ways to make myself different, whether it be having a red lining inside of my jacket, having red shoes, it hasn't changed.

People always had something to say about the fact I was odd looking, bigger than other people, that I was awkward. When I discovered punk, I bought into it. That look, combined with being fat, made me even less of what people thought a young woman should be.

To be with the others, you have to have your hair short and wear ties. So we're trying to make a third world happen, you know what I mean?

Growing up in Seattle, I was always that kid who didn't subscribe to what everyone else was wearing.

Punk has always been about doing things your own way. What it represents for me is ultimate freedom and a sense of individuality.

I always get the 'goth girl' thing because I wear black. But I don't worship death.

I grew up in the Bible Belt and I made my own clothes and dyed my hair purple. Nobody ever knew what to do with me.

Fashion embraces the weirdos. They're into that. There are always young people that people in fashion are interested in. You know, youth and vitality and energy - it brings something different.

They are called 'Emos' now, and before that they were 'Goths.' They didn't have a name for it when I was one, but I was that black-wearing teenager and yes, I wore a little eyeliner.

I will always consider myself a punk because of those experiences in high school. It will always be a part of me.

I had no boundaries at home, so I had nothing to push against. I only rebelled with clothing when I was 14. I would wear purple Doc Martens and had purple streaks in my hair, dirty jeans, and baggy tops. Very Britpop. Anything that wasn't girly or feminine. My mother hated it.

I went through a rebellious phase, and was super into doing crazy hair things. I did only wear black for my junior year of high school. I was one of those kids.

We all started calling ourselves 'Ramones' because it was just a fun thing to do.