With her unforgettable warrior voice, Poly Styrene became the anti-hero for punk women in the late 70’s with her distinctive style of braces, wild surreal clothes and military hats. Her lyrics talked about the plasticity of city life and consumerism, and the shallow, toxic and mindless nature of modern life, a good 20 years before anybody else started talking about it.
Poet, singer, maverick and mother. Sadly taken from the world too soon.
“I once said I would shave my head if anyone tried to turn me into a sex symbol, and I did it. It was more for emotional reasons, too, but I really felt strongly about not prostituting myself in order to be heard.” – Poly Styrene
I’m a poser
And I don’t care
I like to make people stare
– Poly Styrene
My mind is like a switchboard
With crossed and tangled lines
contented with confusion
That is plugged into my head
I don’t know what’s going on
It’s the operators job
Not mine, I said.
Poly Styrene
Is dark and eerie
It’s really late
Come on kids don’t hesitate
We’re going down to the underground
The subterrain is a bottomless pit
The vinyl vultures are after it
Molten lava
Sulphur vapours
Smoulder on to obliterate us
If you’ve got the urge
Come on
Let’s emerge
Poly Styrene
My mind is like a plastic bag
That corresponds to all those ads
It sucks up all the rubbish
That is fed in through my ear
I eat kleenex for breakfast
and use soft hygienic weetabix to dry my tears.
Poly Styrene
Content Catnip 
Ought to check out her band X-Ray Spex one of these days, she sounds like quite a character!
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She wasn’t long in the public eye I think but left her mark briefly through the punk scene in the late 70s. I have a fascination for misfits, rebels and people who dare to challenge the mainstream, she was all of that. Also it’s uplifting to know that back then, you could be a famous celebrity and yet look like she did, it simply would never happen today and you would need to have a plastic face and plastic body and leave nothing to the imagination in order to get famous.
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