Pop-Punk is Forever
From the early 2000s to today, Avril Lavigne has inspired an entire generation with her grunge, rocker-chick aesthetic that defied the music industry’s standards for female pop artists, and her influence continues to shape the fashion of today’s industry darlings.
Avril Lavigne at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards sporting a white tank top and low-rise camo cargo pants accessorized with a striped tie and wrists full of spiked bracelets. Photographed by Evan Agostini, August 2002. Available via gettyimages. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Drawing inspiration from the punk rock era of the 70s and the grunge movement of the 80s, Avril is known for her heavy dark eyeliner, black clothing pieces, plaid and tartan prints, edgy statement jewelry, and tomboyish elements that are staples in both her everyday style and red carpet looks. One look that finds its way onto every punk rock lover’s moodboard is her outfit from the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. To accept an award for her previously mentioned hit song “Complicated,” Avril featured a white tank top and low-rise camo cargo pants accessorized with a striped tie and wrists full of spiked bracelets. The heir of “cool without even trying” is what made that outfit so impactful as Avril’s counterparts like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera were featured in more feminine ensembles according to industry standards, and Avril was unafraid to be herself and go against the grain with her style like she did in her music.
Although Avril has maneuvered her way through the industry as she’s grown up by altering her sound and featuring contemporary artists like Travis Barker and Machine Gun Kelly, her aesthetic has not shifted. For example, at the 2021 MTV VMAs, Avril hit the carpet in a hot pink plaid suit with black and silver accents, calling back to her iconic pink dipped hair and previous plaid looks of hers. To remain authentic to oneself is not a small feat in the entertainment industry due to the nature of shifting trends and what’s popular amongst executives and fans alike. However, it is this authenticity that created a reference point for up and coming pop-punk artists like Willow Smith and Olivia Rodrigo to pull from.
Avril’s commitment to disseminating from the pop “formula” throughout her long winded career provided a stepping stone for the modern renaissance of the pop-punk genre and aesthetic. The music industry tends to view young women as an outlet to a certain type of femininity that capitalizes on an exemplified sex appeal, but Avril flipped that standard upside down and managed to look effortlessly “cool” while doing so.
