Table of Contents
- Punk Legend Gone Too Soon
- The Birth of Soo Catwoman
- Defining the Punk Aesthetic
- Beyond the Haircut: Activism and Motherhood
- Legacy in Fashion and Music
- A Quiet Revolutionary
- Sources
Punk Legend Gone Too Soon
Soo Catwoman, the woman widely hailed as “the female face of punk,” has died at age 70. Known for her razor-sharp cat-ear hairstyle, smudged eyeliner, and fearless attitude, she became a symbol of British punk’s raw, rebellious energy in the mid-1970s. She passed away on September 30 in a London hospital due to complications from meningitis.
Her death marks the end of an era—but her influence on fashion, music, and counterculture remains deeply embedded in global pop history.
The Birth of Soo Catwoman
Born Susan Helene Lucas in London on October 24, 1954, she was the 10th of 15 children in a working-class family. Inspired by glam rockers like David Bowie, she began experimenting with her look as a teen—dyeing pink streaks into her bangs and crafting jewelry from razor blades and safety pins.
In 1976, at age 21, she walked into a barber shop in Ealing and asked for something radical: shave the center of her head, leave two tufts on the sides, and shape them like cat ears. The stunned barber complied. She dyed them black, slicked them with Vicks VapoRub, and christened herself Soo Catwoman.
Defining the Punk Aesthetic
Almost overnight, Soo became a fixture in London’s underground scene. She hung out with Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten, shared a flat with the former, and earned the nickname “Auntie Sue” for her maternal care toward the chaotic bassist.
Her image exploded when she appeared—unbeknownst to her—on the cover of the Sex Pistols fanzine Anarchy in the U.K. With heavy eyeliner, a black star on her cheek, and that iconic haircut, she embodied punk’s anti-establishment ethos. Photographer Bob Gruen once said, “For me, rock ’n’ roll is all about haircut and attitude—and she had both.”
Though she never sought fame, her face was plastered on T-shirts, posters, and album covers worldwide—often without credit or compensation. “My face and image… has been hijacked,” she later lamented.
Beyond the Haircut: Activism and Motherhood
As punk commercialized in the 1980s, Soo retreated from the spotlight. She home-schooled her two children, Dion and Shem, and led a local campaign to save a tree outside their school. Friends described her not as a provocateur, but as a gentle soul who loved Romantic poetry, Neil Young, and Motown.
“Although she was the epitome of punk as far as her image,” her daughter Dion Lucas told The Times of London, “she was a hippie underneath it all.”
Legacy in Fashion and Music
Soo Catwoman’s impact stretched far beyond music. Designers like Vivienne Westwood, Thierry Mugler, and Junya Watanabe drew inspiration from her DIY style. Keith Flint of The Prodigy famously mimicked her cat ears in neon green.
She also dabbled in music herself—singing backing vocals for the Invaders in 1979 and recording a cover of “Back Stabbers” in 1989 with members of Generation X and The Damned.
A Quiet Revolutionary
In her later years, Soo and her daughter launched a campaign to reclaim her image, selling ethically printed T-shirts and totes that reflected her true beliefs: “a mental revolution—about people learning to think for themselves.”
Reflecting on her legacy, she once wrote on Myspace: “It seems quite funny that what started out as anti-fashion became fashion in itself.”
Today, Soo Catwoman is remembered not just for how she looked—but for what she stood for: authenticity, defiance, and the courage to be visibly different in a world that demands conformity.
