Visible Girls: London's lost female subcultures
Photographer Anita Corbin documents the “informal uniforms” of young women
by Lucy Garwood
From rude girls, rastas and rockabillies to mods, skinheads and punks, photographer Anita Corbin spent the early 1980s documenting the “informal uniforms” of young women’s subcultures across London.
Capturing the less defined and now forgotten female groups, this series showcases the diversity of identification in London. Corbin fixates on visual detail, exploring how we use the way we dress as a means of communication. Intimate portraits of friends, sisters and lovers capture how women embraced these movements. Corbin discovered that for these young women belonging to a subculture was not just a weekend hobby but a way of life.
More than 33 years later, Anita Corbin is reaching out to the girls, to recreate her project, wanting to discover how far these women have come. If you recognise any of these women or if you are one of them you can contact info@1stwomenuk.co.uk to see how to participate.
Kath and Em, at home in Putney, October 1980
Left: Titch and Sylvia at home in Sudbury, March 1981. Right: Debbie and Mandy, McDonalds, Crystal Palace, November 1980
Laura and Janet, South London Rosettes, April 1981
Rosalee and Deborah, at the Tabernacle, Notting Hill Gate, April 1981.
Charmaine and Janice, at the Orchard Youth Club, Slough, March 1981
Rockabilly girls, at Shades, Manor House, February 1981
Carrie and Jill, outside the ladies’ in Crystal Palace, November 1980
Jill and friend, the Blitz Nightclub, Covent Garden, December 1980
Shelley and DI, The White Swan, Crystal Palace, November 1980
Left: Quasi and Squasher, at the Royalty, Southgate, March 1981. Right: Nicole and Carol, at the Tabernacle, Notting Hill Gate, April 1981
