For many young creators, obscenity is a tool to signal belonging to a subculture. As 17-year-old poet Marlo van den Berg explains, “In a world where being ‘clean-cut’ is seen as fake, we use words like ‘kletsvak’ (junk) to say, ‘Here me as I am.’” Psychologists like Van Dijk caution that this can sometimes mask deeper issues, such as anxiety or alienation, behind a bravado of defiance.