Straight Edge Movement

Welcome back to Social Experiment.

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If you’re new here, say hello by replying to this email. 👋 

My name is Brooke LeBlanc, Founder & CEO of Edge. We’re building a product to help you cut back or quit drinking. I’m 3 years sober and I’ve been creating content online for the past 2 years.

When my first blog post went viral after 1 year of sobriety, I recognized that I had a voice in this space and dedicated my career to solving for this problem.

If you missed last week’s announcement, we opened up our waitlist. Join here.

Last summer I was browsing at Book Soup off Sunset in Los Angeles and found a copy of Let’s Get Physical by Danielle Friedman.

I brought this book with me to lunch. Over a breakfast burrito and iced matcha latte at the Dialog cafe patio, I started diving in. The book highlights the history of fitness (~last 50 years) from the lens of underrepresented women.

It goes back to the origins of jazzercise, barre, running, etc. Besides the engaging storytelling and being a fan of these fitness modalities myself, I was captivated by how all it takes is one brave person to hold a vision long enough to start a movement. 

All it takes is one person to light the match, and eventually, if you are patient and persistent, the wind will turn a flame into a wildfire.

Sometimes the person that held out long enough fades into the background of history, and doesn’t necessarily get the credit. But if they see their vision come to life and get adopted by millions of people, does credit really matter?

When I was planning what to write about this week, I received a DM.

I reshared it anonymously on IG Stories, and received another DM.

All it takes is someone brave enough, with the right message, the right distribution, at the right time, to make a difference in other peoples lives.

I’d like to share more about a movement that has deeply inspired me, and the vision for the company. The Straight Edge movement was apart of the counterculture, hardcore punk scene in the late 80’s where it was cool to be sober.

As a fan of youth culture (punk, street, and skate), I have watched this space closely. There’s nothing more rebellious and cool than choosing to be yourself.

Straight Edge, at its core, is a deeply fascinating time period that has roots that are still alive today.

Since it’s origins predate the Internet, I’ve had to get creative on how to do my research. I’ve dug into Pinterest and Are.na for source images, watched documentaries, and spoken to leaders from the original movement — some continuing to use their platform to stand for sobriety like One Life One Chance. 

I’m excited to share some image references to bring you into the universe of Edge’s brand identity and the ethos behind what we’re building.

If you’re straight edge, reply to this email. 👋 I’d love to hear from you.

Sobriety is a core pillar of your identity, and what attracts me to the Straight Edge movement and hardcore punk scene is that it gives you something bigger than yourself to be apart of.

And it flips the traditional narrative on its head — that sobriety was something to be ashamed of — and instead, it’s something to be proud of. Wear it on a tee or letterman jacket. Throw X’s on your hands. Get tattoos of Minor Threat lyrics.

Where sobriety feels isolating, Straight Edge provides a sense of belonging and nostalgia.

I like to envision sobriety as laying the foundation for a house. It is both everything and nothing to who I am as a person. It is the foundation, the leveling, the floor plan for the house of your life that you will build on top of. It’s also the “stuff you don’t see” — if there’s an increase in productivity or contribution — it’s because I’ve laid the groundwork correctly.

Sobriety is responsible for the foundation of my growth, but not the growth itself. That’s still my choice. It gave me permission to be the version of myself I always was, but wasn’t applying in one direction therefore others couldn’t see what I knew I felt inside.

Previously in life, I wasn’t going deep enough. I was renovating the house, redoing one room at a time. To build a truly exceptional life with remarkable results and hit every milestone you set out to achieve, it’s going to take more than that. You’ve got to rebuild the foundation.

Have a great week. See you next time