i have a silly take about yellowjackets that i've been afraid to say ever since i watched like. the first episode. because i know it's gonna sound really dumb to some people, especially if not many fans know a lot about alternative culture, but whatever. just don't confuse me saying something is against punk values with me saying it's morally wrong cuz i'm not saying that, those don't automatically equate.
natalie and shauna are both kind of fake punk in a way, which is not exactly an insult to either of them but i do think it's a really funny and interesting part of their characterization LOL
like natalie is canonically into the riot grrrl scene but she literally only hangs out with men pre-crash and even post-crash when she's surrounded by girls, the people she gets closest to are travis and ben, and she gives travis so much space and leniency to treat her badly (initially- but even then, her behavior never changed, only his did). she's characteristically very complicit, when the riot grrrl scene is very explicitly meant to allow space for women to be loud, blunt, and stand up for what's right. for natalie, it's really more of a mask that she puts up, we see her make attempts (breaking the bottle against the cat caller's car, calling tai a fucking asshole over the allie plan) but the mask falls fairly easily (she makes no actual attempt to stop tai from executing the allie plan when it's in motion, she's easily stopped from pulling javi out of the lake, and literally all of season 3 ðŸ˜). also she dates a fucking cop in adulthood LOL
i also feel similarly about shauna but there's not as much i can say on it because i don't think she's ever shown to be into a particular part of the scene so it's hard to be specific, but it does still apply in only a slightly lesser way- she's characteristically very timid and complicit as well, and significantly meeker than natalie. she actually DOES make an attempt to stop tai during the allie plan but she does it INCREDIBLY meekly, it's an extremely weak attempt and she easily gives up after. she has a terribly hard time standing up for what she thinks is right and lets others influence her easily. (her initial response to the allie plan being to not protest and even subtly encourage tai, other than a "jackie's not gonna like it"- she's clearly playing for both teams and either doesn't even have an opinion of her own, or she hides behind jackie as her excuse so she doesn't have to tell tai SHE disagrees with her and that's why she tries to stop tai later on, also when they vote on going to the lake and she's terrified of disagreeing with jackie, which is probably how it always is)
i just think it's an interesting way of presenting them both as two characters who wear masks and are very "fake it til you make it"- they both have alternative culture as a very distinct part of their identities- their rooms, their fashion, and their music all show that, but their actions don't reflect it at all.