OUGD501: Lecture- Subculture & Style

Book to look at: Hebdige D. (1979) subculture the meaning of style

Subcultures form as a symbolic challenge to the norm of society. They formed as they do not feel as though they fit in with normal society and therefore create their own society on their own terms and rules. They are formed as they reject the normal rules of society and generally reject dominant ideology in terms of how society is whether is politically driven or visually driven (clothing/music/interests). 

Subcultures however eventually are then drawn back into society because they are exploited through capitalism and the sale of products this in turn means that subcultures then become a part of the society that they once rejected. An example of this would be skateboarding as it was once seen as a rejection to the rules of the city and would be seen as somewhat rebellious especially among young teenagers. However this has now become quite common and companies such as vans sell clothing which promotes an idea of this lifestyle/ subculture. They buy into an idea of rebellion and the vast amount of "street style/skater style" companies thrive on this. 

Incorporation:

Ideological form: shows the subculture as ridiculous such as media exploitation and mocking of the subcultures style and its irrelevance to society, it makes the teenagers seem somewhat silly and the newspapers make them appear to be rejected. 

Commodity form: is where the subculture is brought back into consumerism through selling goods which ensures participants buy into the idea of rebellion. 

As another example Punk is one of the most known subcultures because it was visual and also somewhat political. Punk questioned what it means to be masculine and much like most subcultures was driven by men. Punk rejected the dominant ideologies of masculinity and redefined what it meant to be british- particularly in London. As well as a rejection of the idea of wealth, it was a subculture for the working class and the youth so they could redefine themselves with music that was different.  

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/00/TheClashLondonCallingalbumcover.jpg

Fred Perry Subculture documentary: 

"Subculture Films is a unique project, documenting the evolution of street style, music and counter culture over the last 60 years. From the original Mods and Teds, the immense influence of Black heritage, UK punk and the worldwide impact the late 20th century's cultural revolution."

Teddy Boys- Was influenced by the upper classes who dressed smartly in suits and longer jackets. This was an opportunity for the working class to mock the upper class by matching them in style and a somewhat parody of the upperclass. This enabled the working class to question why the upperclass could only wear smart clothes which gave them power and a visual identity after the war when politically and socially the country wasn't stable. 

Rockers- They were influenced by traditional ideas of masculinity from american films however English put their own twist on it and made it a subculture for young men to enjoy themselves and was completely different to the smart aesthetics for the teddy boys. 

Mods- They were a combination of the above two but more refined, the teddy boys had long styled hair which formed on top of the head but the mod had a much smarter attire and shorter hair which was close to the head. They were known as modernists and were elite to the other subcultures of the time. 

Skinheads- Were a form of the mod which was more refined and again they had incredibly short hair, skinheads was a media term which made the subculture seem negative and somewhat mocked them. Eventually this subculture became extreme and was taken upon by people who were politically racist and used the visuals of the skinheads to their own gain as it was seen as somewhat shocking. 

This is England is an example of a great British film which questions the representations of the skinheads both through males and females. From previously writing an essay on representation in the media in college about masculinity and skinheads it was interesting to see the lecture also used this example. Within the film it explore the national front and splits some of the characters some of which that use the skinhead look as a form of being different and their own style to stand out, and others use its shocking nature to allow themselves to be racist and to scare others, in this case it is the beating of milky. 

Soul Boys- This subculture was driven by the influence of a multicultural society and types of music people would listen to. It was created so that people could dance together and have a good time, not necessarily because of style as they wore comfortable clothing. The main aims for this subculture were from imported records and enjoying music in clubs together, this wasn't pushed through the idea of bands but through who had the most individual collection of records. 

Punks- As mentioned above Punks were the subculture that were well known for the rejection of popular music because they created their own. Rock music was also known to be performed with reggae and both were accepted because they were seen as equal with the same views of the rejection of popular music. 

Acid House- Was created through the use of drugs and the idea of an atmosphere, the visual aesthetics of clothes wasn't considered at all as the clothing was casual. Acid House and youth culture are still linked today with the use of clubs and a variety of different illegal drugs, these are seen as a form of freedom and youth to allow them to have fun and reject their families/ societies views on how teenagers should behave. 

Brit Pop- Is possibly known as the last subculture to exist and was created to celebrate the mods as a form of celebrating the past. It was a form of retro enthusiasm and celebration british culture and music. 

Music was the main focus for a large amount of these youth subcultures however due to the introduction of the internet virtually any genre of music can be downloaded by just a single click. This therefore means that perhaps there aren't any more subcultures based on music but only people who gather to like the same genre. 

Representation of modern women through their hair and style:

"Saturday Girl is a series of portraits of young women in Leeds; specifically seen through their hairstyles.

It is an exploration of what hair means culturally and personally to young women and how they experience and use the power inherent in becoming visible as women.

Saturday Girl is an exhibition and a series of free events, including a film screening, talks and performance exploring the idea of beauty, power and visibility in relation to women."

This exhibition through photographs shows that women and youth still use their looks and how they can edit it to represent themselves especially through colour, although this isn't in particular a subculture it still shows the idea that teenagers and young people want to be different and at this age they question their perceptions of themselves and the world around them. 

(add other gd references)