Youth subcultures and social class

Question 1

What was Clarkes study ?

Answer 1

• looked at skinheads
• wore an extreme form of manual labour clothes
• For example, boots with steel caps, rolled up jeans
• had an aggressive personality
• felt the working class was under threat
• were exaggerating there working class style to resist

Question 2

What was Jefferson’s study ?

Answer 2

• Teddy boys
• Emerged in the 50’s
• Excluded from affluence
• These boys hadn’t done that well in school
• hung around in large groups
• Edwardian style
• Trying to be like middle class superiors

Question 3

What was hebdige’s study about mods ?

Answer 3

• mods
• more affluent working class
• money created style
• Italian suits and scooters
• resistance against the middle class

Question 4

What was hebdige’s study about punks ?

Answer 4

• used ‘bricolage’ as resistance
• reused ordinary objects
• bin-liner = top, ripped jeans
• hair was styled colourfully and extremely
• resistance from the dominance of mainstream media + fashion
• political element = liked bands talking about poverty and ‘smashing the system’

Question 5

What was Hebdige’s theory ?

Answer 5

• ‘incorporation’
• rebellious styles taken by the media and fashion industries
• then incorporated into the mainstream
• therefore they lost their distinctiveness and started to fade

Could be used as an evaluation of why spectacular subcultures are less relevant

Question 6

What did Thornton say regarding youth cultures and class ?

Answer 6

• challenges the CCCS
• youth don’t have the financial commitments that adults have
• youth enjoy disposable income
• accepts poverty and youth unemployment
• says all but the poorest can partake in club culture