Subculture Street Culture - Essay Example

? In engaging with subculture street culture, do girls simply mimic the practices of their male counterparts or exhibit their own specifi Introduction The engagement of young people with a cultural style is a common social phenomenon worldwide. The criteria on which the relevant decision is based seem to be similar: tend to mimic the behaviour of social environment, especially friends, the willingness to follow social patterns provided through the media and so on. Often, adopting a cultural style can be based only on the personal perceptions of a young person; the example of be engaged with a cultural style simply because it reflects the willingness of the person to be isolated from his environment is an example of such case. Current paper focuses on a particular cultural style: subculture street culture. Particular reference is made to the engagement of girls with subculture street culture and the points at which this engagement is differentiated from that of boys. The literature developed in regard to this issue has been reviewed; a relevant interview has been also employed so that all aspects of this study’s subject are fully explored. The key finding of the study seems to be the following: girls tend to mimic boys in engaging with subculture street culture but they may introduce elements of behaviour or dressing aiming to show their willingness for expressing own specificity. 2. Subculture and street culture 2.1 Characteristics and aspects of subculture and street culture In order to understand the modes of engagement used by girls in regard to subculture and street culture it would be necessary to explore primarily the context of culture and subculture. Then the criteria and the methods used by girls to be engaged with subculture could be fully understood. According to Hebdige (1979) culture is a term that can be described as ‘tending’. In practice, it has been proved that culture is likely to express two different issues: ‘a standard of excellence’ (Hebdige 1979, p.5) and ‘a whole way of life’ (Hebdige 1975, p.5). A strong conflict has been developed between theorists in regard to the proximity of the term culture to the above two descriptions: for example, Hoggart (1958) and Williams (1965) emphasized on the importance of culture as an indication of moral values (Hoggart and Williams in Hebdige 1979, p.5) while Barthes (1972) considered that culture should be considered more as related to everyday life (Barthes in Hebdige 1979, p.6). At this point, the following question should appear: which of the above approaches in regard to culture should be taken as the basis for evaluating the content and the popularity of subculture street culture among young people? If the first view, that of Hoggart and Williams is rejected this means that subculture in general is opposed to moral and ethics, an assumption that could not be accepted. On the other hand, the second view seems to be closer to the actual role of subculture street culture: to establish a community of ideas/ trends for its supporters, i.e. to become a style of life for those who believe that these trends reflect their personal beliefs and thoughts. In other words, subculture, as part of culture, could be regarded as being a style of life in the context of which specific behavioural and dressing codes apply and which is not necessarily opposed to morals. However, it is possible for a mode of subculture to challenge morals and ethics, an intention that it is usually expressed clearly by the creators of the relevant movement/ mode of subculture. When referring specifically to subculture, the following issue should be highlighted: in most cases, subculture is considered as opposed to social order (Hebdige 1979). For example, ‘teddy boys, punks and skinheads’ (Hebdige 1979, p.3) have been often treated as a threat for social order. Of course, it cannot be denied that these forms of subculture have been developed in order to express ‘the resistance to the existing political and social system’ (Hebdige 1979, p.3). Still, characterizing any such attempt as opposed to the social order cannot be justified, at least at the level there is no involvement of these groups in activities that violate existing laws. Even in the last case, they should be the members themselves that should be punished and not the whole movement. Such approach would set the expression of ideas in restriction, a practice that could not be accepted. 2.2 How girls tend to engage with subculture and street culture – similarities and differences with the ways used by their male counterparts for engaging with subculture and street culture The nature and the development of subculture and street culture could be understood through the interview that Don Letts gave to Grundy, in August 2010. In that interview emphasis is given to the Notting Hill Carnival, as an event that highly represents subculture and street culture. The Notting Hill Carnival can be considered as a critical meeting point for the supporters of subculture street culture. Thus, the identification of its current characteristics and role is important for understanding the changes that subculture street culture had to face through the decades. According to Don Letts, today subculture has been differentiated from the past. Indeed, as a young boy, Don Letts used to follow the cultural style of his friends; this style was inspired from reggae, a style of music highly popular among young people in 1960s-1970s. Don Letts refer to his ‘meeting with Malcolm McLaren in 1972’ (Grundy 2010). After this meeting Don Letts decided to change his existed cultural style and adopt a cultural style similar to ‘Malcolm McLaren who was dressed, then, as a teddy boy’ (Grundy 2010). Soon after that meeting, Don Letts opened a shop, Acme Attractions that aimed to become popular among young people who were dissatisfied with the political and social system of that period (Grundy 2010). Don Letts noted that at that period British black youth was trying to find a social identity; their effort to mimic the behaviour/ culture of black youth in America and Jamaica was not successful due to the following reason: in Britain youth tend to be more conservative than in other countries (Grundy 2010). This fact influenced the historical development of cultural styles, including the street culture (Grundy 2010). Indeed, in Britain subculture street culture was not able to keep its initial strength and was gradually limited, being almost disappeared today (Grundy 2010). For Don Letts this phenomenon was the result of the lack of angry, meaning the aggressiveness, in young people (Grundy 2010). It was the angry against the system that led to the appearance of subculture styles like punk; but the number of young people who were willing to keep this aggressiveness was low, a fact that resulted to the significant reduction of the power of subculture street culture (Grundy 2010). Don Letts did not make any reference to other factors as being able to influence subculture street culture: social background or gender seemed that had no influence on the development of subculture street culture. Rather, the aggressiveness, as a behavioural characteristic, had a critical role in the failure of subculture street culture to keep its power within modern society. When having to be engaged with subculture street culture girls, as boys also, are likely to observe the trends of the particular cultural style. Media and the Internet are the most common tools for such observation (Osbergy). These tools have been always considered as having a radical impact on young people, not only in terms of behaviour but in regard to the style of life in general (Osbergy 2004). Preferring the same tools for being informed on the cultural style that attracts them, girls are likely to be exposed to the same messages with boys. The term messages in the above case refers to the views incorporated in different cultural objects, such as films, music, online forums, news reports and so on (Osbergy 2004). Thornton (1995) offers another explanation for showing that girls tend to mimic boys in being engaged with subculture street culture: girls, like boys, are highly like to visit clubs for entertainment. These clubs can vary, as of their cultural characteristics (Thornton 1995). There may be clubs that are aligned with the most popular cultural trends of a time period or of a region, such as clubs that promote local music, or clubs that promote subculture (Thornton 1995). Young people who visit the clubs of the second category are supporters of subculture, no matter if they have fully adopted the rules (such as the dressing code) involved. Of course, it is possible for these clubs to impose a specific dressing code to their visitors. Still, no differentiation seems to exist in such clubs in regard to the treatment of boys and girls (Thornton 1995). Gender is not a criterion for adopting a specific style of life; other criteria, like style of dressing, places of entertainment and so on seem to be of critical importance for evaluating if a young person has adopted or not a style of life that it is aligned with subculture (Thornton 1995). Jenks (2005) also seems to accept a similar explanation, in regard to the engagement of girls with subculture. Indeed, Jenks (2005) claims that subculture street culture is based on a theoretical framework that incorporates specific behavioural and dressing rules. Girls, or boys, cannot add their own rules; if they would act in this way then their intervention should be so limited that the change on the subculture’s rules would not be attainable (Jenks 2005). So, practically, girls cannot mimic boys but they have just to follow the rules of the type of subculture chosen. 3. Conclusion The behaviour of girls, as that of boys, has been proved to be influenced by a critical factor: the social environment of the girls is likely to have significant role on the decisions that girls take in regard to their style of life. Social environment cannot, alone, impose a specific style of life without the involvement of cultural means, such as media and the Internet. Indeed, media and Internet are believed to be of primary importance among adolescents for the adoption of a specific style of life. Being still not fully aware of the potential risks involved, young people may be engaged with cultural styles that do not, really, express their personal perceptions. However, in the context of the willingness to resist to the existing political and social system (Hebdige 1979, Don Letts in Grundy 2010), young people are likely to adopt a cultural style that serves such need. In case that the engagement with a cultural style, such as subculture street culture, is decided then the assistance of the social environment would be required. No differentiation seems to exist between genders in regard to the approaches used for being engaged in subculture street culture; as for girls, specifically, these are expected to mimic boys in their engagement with subculture street culture even if they may intervene in certain elements of the rules involved, such as the dressing code or the behavioural practices used in regard to certain events. References Grundy, G. (2010) This much I know: Don Letts. The Guardian. Available at . [Accessed at 12 October 2013] Hebdige, D.(1979) Subculture: the meaning of style. London: Routledge Jenks, C. (2005) Subculture: the fragmentation of the social. London: Sage Osbergy, B. (2004) Youth Media. London: Routledge. Thornton, S. (1995) Club Cultures: music, media and subcultural capital. Cambridge: Polity Press Read More