Susan Lucas, better known as Soo Catwoman (often written incorrectly as Sue Catwoman), was associated with the London

punk subculture The punk subculture includes a diverse and widely known array of ideologies, fashion, and other forms of expression, visual art, dance, literature, and film. Largely characterised by anti-establishment views, the promotion of individual freedo ...

that sprang up around the mid-1970s.

History

In ''

The Filth and the Fury ''The Filth and the Fury'' is a 2000 British rockumentary film directed by Julien Temple. It follows the story of punk rock pioneers the Sex Pistols from their humble beginnings in London's Shepherd's Bush to their fall at the Winterland Ballr ...

'',

Johnny Rotten John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and aga ...

singles her out among the early London punks, citing her "skill, style, and bravery". Soo created her trademark Catwoman haircut in an

Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was his ...

barber shop in 1976. The hair around the sides and back was severely

cropped Cropping is the removal of unwanted outer areas from a photographic or illustrated image. The process usually consists of the removal of some of the peripheral areas of an image to remove extraneous trash from the picture, to improve its framing ...

close to the head with the two sides flared up to suggest the ears of a cat. Portions of the hairstyle were dyed different colours – the flared "ears" being black and the cropped parts being bleached. Soo was pictured by Ray Stevenson posing with members of the original fans of the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

known as the

Bromley Contingent The Bromley Contingent were a group of followers of the Sex Pistols. The name was coined by ''Melody Maker'' journalist Caroline Coon, after the town of Bromley where some of them lived. They helped popularise the fashion of the early UK punk move ...

such as Siouxsie Sioux, Steven Severin and

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...

. While she was also associated with the Bromley Contingent by all the journalists, she later claimed not to have been a member.''Oh, and I also need to say this: I never was a member of the so-called Bromley Contingent, I just knew them, I have never claimed, nor do I have any connections whatsoever with Bromley – either of them...'
Soo Catwoman on Myspace
/ref> Photos and likenesses of Soo Catwoman were, and remain, popular in punk rock media. She appeared in several punk documentaries and concert films. She declined to appear in

Julien Temple Julien Temple (born 26 November 1953) is a British film, documentary and music video director. He began his career with short films featuring the Sex Pistols, and has continued with various off-beat projects, including '' The Great Rock 'n' Rol ...

's ''

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'' is a 1980 British mockumentary film directed by Julien Temple and produced by Don Boyd and Jeremy Thomas. It centres on the British punk rock band Sex Pistols and, most prominently, their manager Malcolm Mc ...

'' and was portrayed by actress Judy Croll. She now lives in London with her son and daughter.

Filmography

*''

The Punk Rock Movie ''The Punk Rock Movie'' (also known as ''The Punk Rock Movie from England'') is a British 1978 film that was assembled from Super 8 camera footage shot by Don Letts, the disc jockey at The Roxy club during the early days of the UK punk rock ...

'' (1979, dir.

Don Letts Donovan "Don" Letts (born 10 January 1956) is a British film director, disc jockey (DJ) and musician. Letts first came to prominence as the videographer for the Clash, directing several of their music videos. In 1984, Letts co-founded the band B ...

) *''

'' (2000, dir.

, VHS/

NTSC The first American standard for analog television broadcast was developed by National Television System Committee (NTSC)National Television System Committee (1951–1953), Report and Reports of Panel No. 11, 11-A, 12–19, with Some supplement ...

)

References

External links

Early English punkOfficial Soo Catwoman website
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 1970s fashion Punk fashion Women in punk Bromley Contingent 20th-century English women 20th-century English people {{England-bio-stub