Just Another Form of Conformity

I was a little early to a show a few weeks ago, and one of the bands that was playing were hanging around and when they saw me walk in they nearly broke their necks about it. I quote:
"A GIRL!?","Are you here for the show??","How did YOU hear about the show??"
As I turned to walk out and grab some food they were already making comments about my looks before I had even left.
This isn't the first time that I've been treated like this at a show. Ever since being around shows in PA back in 2008, I have been treated differently for not 'Looking the part' and more recently targeted towards my being a girl.

So when did the Hardcore scene become so centered around being tattooed, pierced, having dyed edgy hair, and being styled head to toe in perfectly distressed clothing.
What was once used as a way of breaking the mold, has become just another form of conformity.
People are so desperate to be different and unique that they've all ended up copying each other and looking the same.
While Hardcore/Punk rock is characterized by its style of dress, the mindset is about getting rid of the bullshit and having a DIY attitude. It's supposed to be about community and it's a place for people who have decided that what everyone else was doing wasn't interesting to them.
When you question someones authenticity at a show because of their sex or because they're clean cut, then you're essentially taking a shit on everything you "stand for".

I do want to mention that I HAVE met some really great kids this past semester which has made me want to go out to shows again. For a long time, I haven't gone to shows or even pursued a friendship with people who listened to the same music as me because I was so discouraged by the way people had treated me in PA/MD. It's cool to see that there are people who actually hold the values that I thought were lost for a long time.

andd for Everyone who has ever been a dick to me at a show:

I don't know you, don't try and protect me when the crowd gets rough- I'd get out if I wanted to.
No, I'm not someones girlfriend.
No, I'm not looking to sleep with you because you're in a band.
I can convey that I am an individual without changing my appearance.
I am myself in a dress and cardigan, I am myself in a flannel and vans.
My appearance does not define me.
If you don't respect me, I won't respect you.