Punks and the Yes Men

Both the Yes Men and punks take advantage of appearance to affect the images they present to people. However, while the Yes Men use appearance to achieve what they call “image correction,” punks style uses images to set the group apart from social norms and force others to notice things about their own lifestyles. Both groups are similar in their sense of rebellion. The Yes Men, for instance, make use of pranks to bring attention to consumerism and the misdeeds of major conglomerates. Their appearance is largely a result of this, as they attempt to appear as legitimate business men in order to be associate with the groups they are fighting, and then use more obnoxious images (such as the golden suit and the hamburgers) to point out the problems of these groups. Punks are equally rebellious, but are associated to a much larger degree with degeneracy. They present hostile, shocking images through their use of hairstyle, clothing, and piercing. These shocking images poke fun at social norms, at point out issues of gender roles, stereotypes, and consumerism. The punk movement is far less organized than the Yes Men, and doesn’t have as focused of a goal. While this allows the Yes Men to focus their efforts more on the success of their projects and the attacks on specific people and organizations, the open minded sense of punk culture allows individuals to make it their own, and use it to express themselves through punk style in original, creative ways.