A Glitch in the Fabric
Decoding the Cyberpunk Archetype
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.”
William Gibson, Neuromancer
Cyberpunk: A response to the high-tech, low-life future we’ve been told to be thankful for.
The core stylistic elements of Cyberpunk are the following: Rebellion, Androgyny, Juxtaposition, Digital Accessories and a touch of Neon.
Cyberpunk culture was born in the 1980’s, a literary movement that explored the moral consequences of technology on humanity. William Gibson’s 1984 literary treasure, Neuromancer is credited with the development and inspiration of this genre— his dystopian visions gave birth to the neon realms where films like Blade Runner (1982) and Akira (1988) flourished. Cyberpunk is a reaction to the paradox that the more technology we create, the less value our own lives seem to hold. The blurred boundaries between man and machine that aims to terrorize our conscious into answering: Are you happy with what you’ve created? How very, very, human.
To embody this archetype, you must view yourself as a player in the game. Find the parallels between these dystopian stories, and our own modern existence. We have enslaved ourselves, our existence dedicated to technological advancement. The harsh reality of a tech-dominated future is reason enough to rebel— to grip tightly to our humanity and make our resilience glow brighter than the neon lights. Revolt against the establishment that desires clones over humans, binary action over emotion, microchips over our beating, bleeding hearts.
"Man invented the nuclear bomb, but no mouse would make a mousetrap."
Albert Einstein
The most iconic living embodiment of Cyberpunk is Grace Jones.
Her presence electrocutes; with a piercing gaze that’s as impossible to hold as it is to look away from. A fusion of raw power and unsettling beauty, she blurs the lines of human and machine with her sharp, angular features, avant-garde style and supernatural presence. Jones appears both elegant and menacing, embodying the duality of Cyberpunk’s sleek sophistication and dangerous undercurrent. Her life, much like her art, is a brilliant spectacle of mystery and synthesis of high-tech and high drama. She is impossible to ignore, no matter what timeline she desires to travel.
However, if Cyberpunk had a single, undisputed icon, the title would belong solely to Trinity from The Matrix.
Etched into our collective memory, Trinity has accomplished what technology never could: perfection. She has no use for evolution, no iteration would ever prove as powerful, as she is the final form.
We all feel her mystic: those who haven’t seen the movie still know her face, while those of have will forever carry a spark of reverence, perhaps even love, for The, Our, Cyberpunk Goddess. She is controlled chaos in a black leather trench coat with agility that defies gravity. She is invincible yet vulnerable, emotional yet machine-like. Her clipped tongue and piercing gaze have given her influence that transcends beyond the screen. She embodies the Cyberpunk archetype through the ultimate, human task: surviving this world through self-mastery and defiance. When we ask what it means to be human in a fractured, mechanized world, it’s her voice that calls back from the void.
In summary, lets review the five elements of the Cyberpunk Archetype once more:
Rebellion – This style itself is a manifesto: to stand against conformity, daring the world to challenge the individual within. Rebellion is stitched into every garment with purpose, each accessory a rejection to the status quo. Sweeping leather and angular silhouettes are used as armor, to protect the beating heart within.
Androgyny – Gender boundaries and stereotypes have no role to play within this archetype. This is not a style that relies on the differences between us, rather, it rejoices in the fluidity in style and identity. Blending masculinity and femininity, androgyny instills the power of the collective, of the people. It’s a shield that provides protection from categorization, the computer’s most fundamental function.
Juxtaposition – On an emotional level, this is perhaps the most important element of the Cyberpunk Archetype. Human yet mechanical, emotional yet detached. Your wardrobe must reflect this unbalanced reality; elements that seem at odds yet coexist seamlessly. Structured, utilitarian pieces softened by fluid, organic shapes, or stark, monochrome tones disrupted by vibrant pops of neon.
Digital Accessories – Digital accessories, now, are more than toys. They are an extension of one’s self. They are the beginning of the integration of technology and humanity that makes us both organic and synthetic. Programmable LED necklaces, smart watches that measure calorie intake, AR headsets for non-earthly travel, motion-detecting lights and shoes that light up the dark, these pieces blur the lines of our perceivable reality.
A Touch of Neon – The most quintessential visual element of this style is neon. Glowing accents in your wardrobe such as LED-lined jackets, gloves with reactive lighting, illuminated chokers, fiber-optic scarves, the brilliant pop of an orange beanie that illuminates the gray city streets. The neon glow is the promise upheld by this archetype, that even in the bleakest of times, light will always outrun the shadows.
Finally, to achieve the Cyberpunk archetype is to confront our fragile humanity at the heart of it all. It’s a defiant rebellion against our erasure, the fight for our very essence as humans. Against the whir of the machines, it’s a primal scream into the bombastic pressure of the steel and screens that we will not be overtaken, we will never be erased. It’s the answer to the question that only flesh and blood can answer: What does it take to be human? It will not be technology that defines us in the end, but how fiercely we fight to stay out of the looming shadows of our own creations.
"All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain…"
Roy Batty, Blade Runner
With great personal aesthetic,
Alexandra Diana, The A List
If you enjoyed this article, explore more about the different style archetypes here!
So happy to read about Cyberpunk as I‘ve watched The Peripheral lately! I‘m new to science fiction in literature (loved movies like Arrival, 3 body problem, Interstellar, Inception, Transcendece though) however I was always interested in themes like concepts of time, hypothesis of the human future, and the deep philosophical questions that come with it. Is it worth living if we stare into VR/AR 24/7? Can we even call it a living if AI dictates our steps? Are our bodies even capable to adapt as fast as technology evolves? Sooo many questions