Youth culture

• What are deviant subcultures?

  Groups with norms and values that go against those held by the rest of society
• Can you provide an example of a deviant subculture in the UK?

  Anti-school subcultures who reject school rules
• What characterizes deviant subcultures?

  • Norms and values that oppose mainstream society
  • Examples include anti-school subcultures
• What are the 3 main types of youth culture?

  Spectacular Youth Culture (SYC), Deviant Youth Culture (DYC), Neo tribes
• What are the 4 characteristics of Spectacular Youth Culture (SYC)?

  • Significantly different norms and values from mainstream society
  • Large numbers of people identify with them
  • Distinctive style and fashion
  • Short-lived, responding to unique social, economic, and political circumstances
• In which decade were the teddy boys around and who studied them?

  The 1950s, Jefferson
• Who were the Teddy boys violent to? Why?


  Immigrants who they blamed for their low status- due to their communal spaces being destroyed for housing and feeling threatend
• How were the Teddy boys influenced by the media?

  • They wore bootlace ties often worn by cowboys in American Western films where they would engage in fights
  • Blue suede shoes popularised by Elvis
• How did the Teddy boys buy status?

  • Used disposable income from blue collar jobs to buy Edwardian suit jackets traditionally worn by the upper class to 'buy status'
• Who studied the late skinheads? What decade were they around in?

  Cohen and Clarke, 1970's
• How was the late skinheads style distinctive?


  They wore grandad shirts, boots, braces and has shaved heads because this is what was often worn by factory workers, demonstrating the impact the decline in these jobs had on their working class identity
• Who were the late skinheads violent to and why?


  They showed extreme violence to Asians and homosexuals, Cohen and Clarke say this was a reaction to them breaking up their exclusivly white working class neighborhoods
• Who studied the early skinheads and what decade?

  Letts, 1960's
• What is the relationship between Skinhead culture and Jamaican music?

  Skinheads embraced reggae music, which has Jamaican roots
• Which two cultures contributed to the formation of early Skinheads?

  Jamaican and white working class
• What generation of children contributed to the early Skinhead culture?

  Children of Jamaican generation
• What are the key fashion elements of cartel Skinheads?

  • Shaved heads
  • Braces
  • Shirts
  • Doc Martins
• What are the key music genres associated with cartel Skinheads?

  • Reggae
  • Scar
• How did the Jamaican and white working-class cultures influence early Skinheads?

  • Jamaican culture introduced reggae music
  • White working-class culture influenced fashion and social identity
• Who studied the Hippies and what decade?


  Brake, 1960's
• How did the hippies resist middle class norms and values?

  They rejected consumer capitalist society culture
• What was a distinct norm of hippies regarding sexual behavior?

  They engaged in sex before marriage
• What values did hippies promote instead of violence?

  They promoted peace and love
• What was a common style of clothing among hippies?

  They wore brightly coloured loose clothing with sandals
• What are the key characteristics of hippie culture in relation to middle class norms?

  • Rejection of consumer capitalist society
  • Buying new clothes only when necessary
  • Engaging in sex before marriage
  • Practicing various religions (e.g., Buddhism)
  • Promoting peace and love over violence
  • Participating in large public gatherings
  • Regular drug use
  • Wearing brightly coloured loose clothing with sandals
• What are the four characteristics of Spectacular Youth Cultures (SYC)?

  Significantly different norms and values to mainstream society, large numbers of people identifying with them, distinctive style, and short-lived.
• Why are Spectacular Youth Cultures considered short-lived?

  They are a response to a unique set of social, economic, and political circumstances during a particular time period.
• What are the three main types of youth culture?

  • Spectacular Youth Culture (SYC)
  • Deviant Youth Culture (DYC)
  • Neo tribes
• Who studied Punks and what decade?


  Hebdige, 1970's
• How was Punks fashion distinctive?

  They styled their hair in dramatic styles and colours to get their message across. They also engaged in DIY culture, such as safety pin earrings, known as bricolage to resist consumer culture
• Why was Punks short lived?


  Their style became commercialised and sold in mainstream retail
• Who studied Goths? What decade?

  Hodkinson, 1980's
• How were Goths norms and values different to mainstream society?


  Dark style, androgynous, individualism, tolerant of diversity and self made culture
• Who studied grime? What decade

  Charles (she), 2000's
• What is gentrification and how was Grime a response to this?

  • Gentrification refers to when middle class people move into traditional working class areas increasing prices and forcing them to move away
  • Grime provides a space for individuals to find meaning and purpose and sometimes income
• How is Grime linked to gender and masculinity?


  Sense of identity and belonging, exclusion of others often women and homosexuals
• Who studied straight edge and what decade?


  Haenfler, 2000's
• How do straight edge have distinct norms and values?


  Clean and sober life, vegan/vegatarian
• 4 reasons someone may join a youth culture?

  • Significantly different norms and vales to mainstream society
  • Large in number
  • Distinctive fashion and style
  • Short-lived
• 5 features/ characteristics of deviant youth cultures

  • Clear hierarchy- Venkatesh
  • Loyalty and respect- Harding
  • Sense of belonging like family- Batchelor
  • Associate with particular territory- Cloward and Olin
  • Resist norms and values of education system- Willis