Hello, it’s me Bad to the Blonde. The contemporary combat boot is experiencing its own anti-conformity within the latest self expression of style: gothcore. In other words, Barbie pink goes punk and there’s nothing more authentic than this combo. A feminine take on the goth trend with tights and a trendy color, tells us just how punk it is to wear pink. The latest craze in colorful neon sweaters to ditsy dresses and trendy graphic tees, are dressing up Doc Martens on the streets.
Being someone who also hails from the Midwest [Barbie], I have learned more about culture and society through the hundreds of Barbie doll outfits and fashion, than the history books.
Gothcore will a pop of girlie girl
Growing up in my little small town and graduating in a class of 200+, the goth kids still stand out clear as day in my mind. They are Facebook friends who might still be rocking colored hair (now socially accepted) and black eyeliner, and lately my style obsession. I admired those kids in high school who weren’t scared to stand out like an icon. Even though parents, teachers, and students alike questioned “why” they dressed like that, I didn’t. They actually weren’t troubled or scary – they were trendsetters before we could even get on board.
My Barbie-like persona with blonde hair and blue eyes was colorful enough to dress up jeans and a t-shirt, but all I wanted was to have my own pair of Docs to show people who I really was…cute but daring, a rule-breaker, and rebellious. Gothcore: like school girl but bad to the blonde.
Combat boots are cool
Chunky boots are synonymous with punk. The latest punk-meets-rock style that is five decades in the making isn’t just for the kids. (And 1990 was thirty years ago not to date myself or anything.) When I think of punk, I think of wearing black tights with shorts and combat boots. One of my first style blogs right here was about transitioning into fall in pattern tights and though feminine, I felt like a total badass creating that look. Check it out. Tights are a $10 wardrobe necessity with the versatility to take a look from feminine to fashion-forward.
Chaos to Couture
Punk is all about defining personal style. Even haute couture has added a bright pop of color to a dark theme. The Chaos to Couture punk theme of the 2013 Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute (MET) Gala perfectly portrayed the eccentric trend and I couldn’t stop clicking through the gallery on Elle. There were so many edgy ensembles mixing colors like orange and hot pink with textures from sheer to spike, yet every look stayed true to the rebellious roots of punk.
Badass babes Pink, Gaga, Rhianna, and Cara Delevingne rock the classic garb and we turn our heads at the combo. I don’t have the guts to chop my hair again but since anti-conformity knows no rules…pink is punk enough. Pink (like black) is colorful and powerful, and full of stereotypes. It’s been said to have a transgressive role and an “erotic connotation”. How fitting that it looks so great with black. I hope you are inspired to rebel your wardrobe into convention with “attitude and identity” just like Dr. Martens.
If you can learn one thing from punk – it’s if you like it, wear it. Barbie after all is the most diverse doll; fitting for the variety of pieces in my closet.

Photography credit: @arayaphotography Phoenix
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