Skinhead
Skinheads are members of a subculture that originated in Jamaica in the 1960s. Skinheads were closely tied to the Rude Boy culture in Jamaica, and have their origins in this culture.
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2 Sects 3 Style 4 Music 5 Glossary of Terms 6 External links |
With a large migration of immigrant workers from Jamaica to Great Britain in the 1960’s, the white working class youth began adopting the style of their Jamaican counterparts - short, cropped hair, straight-leg denim jeans with the cuffs rolled up, black military style boots, braces (suspenders) - and embraced the musical genre of ska. Among the first group to adopt skinhead style were the Mod’s, a subculture of youth noted for their affection for scooters. Early followers were mainly interested in and influenced by Jamaican Reggae and Ska music (aka, The Spirit of 69), and a dislike of those perceived as the 'ruling classes'. They had an extreme dislike for the government and many larger businesses as both appeared to misrepresent the working class and their wishes.
During the 1970’s in the UK, the skinhead movement grew and grabbed the attention of the media as a result repeated incidents of violence during football (soccer), often to the point of rioting, between skinheads and members of the so-called ruling class. The skins also gained a great deal of media attention after they were recruited by the anti-immigration political group, the National Front who used the skinhead reputation for violence to intimidate opposition. Most skinheads deny that their group was recruited to engage in racist and criminal activity by this organization, claiming that the National Front recruited street youth, shaved their heads to give them the appearance of skinheads, and paid them to bully, threaten and even enact violence upon immigrant workers.
The negative press generated concerning skinheads caused a demise in their numbers. American skinheads received the same spin as their British counterparts. Fueled by sensationalist television, skinheads were inaccurately stereotyped a mindless, violent, and racist.
The Third Wave of ska brought a resurgence in skinhead subculture in the early 1990’s, and the popularity of the group continues to grow. Today, skinheads can be found in all of North America and Europe as well as in places such as Japan and Mexico.
There are a number of different "types" of skinhead, who divide themselves and their allegiances across political and racial lines.
Traditional (or Trads) – This group closely identifies itself with the original skinhead movement, maintaining working class pride and a dislike for the “ruling class”. Non-racist and largely apolitical. This group is the largest sect of the subculture.
SHARP (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice) – Political, and aggressively anti-racist. Considered to be the response to mass media’s racial stereotyping of skinheads.
Neo-Nazi Skins (sometimes called White Power and derogatorily referred to as "Boneheads" by Trads and SHARPs) – The most vocal and well recognized sect of the subculture. Racist and highly political.
There are a number of other sects of skin worth mentioning, the Reds (or Anarchists), Mods, white pride, and gay skins among them.
Skinheads are highly visible in public to both allies and enemies, due to their style. In terms of clothing:
Tops:
Braces: No more than ¾ inch in width
Hair:
Much emphasis has been placed upon the color of boot laces and braces as part of the skinhead culture as a means of identifying yourself to other skinheads. These identifiers were largely regional and could mean different things in different areas. The list below should be considered "generic". While there was significance placed upon this once upon a time, the "braces and laces game" has fallen largely into disuse ("laces and braces don’t make you racist").
White – White power, white pride, neo-Nazi
Red – White power, white pride, neo-Nazi, National Front, communist
Yellow/black/blue – SHARP
Blue – cop killer
Yellow – Asian basher
Pink – gay basher
Green – gay skin
Black – you just bought new boots
Music plays an important roll in any subculture and skinheads are no exception. Originally, the group was closely associated with the ska and reggae music of Desmond Dekker and Laurel Aiken before forming their own flavors of the style with bands like Simaryp, Joe the Boss, and Judge Dread. History
Sects
Style
Bottoms:
Footwear:
Hats: Bowlers, pork pie, and sculliesLaces & Braces
Music
