The article “Subculture: The Meaning of Style” by Dick Hebdige discusses the mechanisms for which subculture is defined and reasons for its formation. The fascination with the development of subcultures stems from the fact that it separates itself from the natural culture which most of us have become accustom.
In order for Hebdige to deconstruct the meaning of subcultures and what contributes to their identification he employs numerous examples that help readers to understand the idea. He explains that subcultures break our expectancies and use symbols to challenge our society. Subcultures become made public through the press and media. Throughout the article Hebdige makes specific references to the punk, skinhead and hippy subcultures that have been thoroughly developed. He explains that in order for a subculture to be made known as its own part of a greater society, it must be unique among a specific group of people. Style is one way a subculture defines itself. It is either celebrated or ridiculed. It is distributed to its subculture through the media and the process of consumption. “Each new subculture establishes new trends, generates new looks and sounds which feed back into the appropriate industries.”(Hebdige,95) Sense of style among a group of people is a method of communication, when this concept is applied to a subculture, style often is used to communicate a distinct difference. Hebridge used the example of punks and skinheads who use their style as a way to portray a secret identity and forbidden meanings. The example of punks and skinheads was investigated further to say it was not only a wardrobe but from that emerged a new set of dance moves, music, language, rituals and other symbolic objects that are used to identify themselves. It was used to reflect their core values and develop unity. Some subcultures use more specific symbols from which they associate their indentity. For example, the article cites the use of the swastika among subcultures.
Subcultures can serve to represent a new indentity in ones life, a system of distinction from others. It can also be a means of escapism, a distraction from the monotony of life- it all depends on the level of commitment within the individual. However, it is noted that despite whatever differences between individuals, all members of the subculture area strongly linked by a common language, and linguistic style that remains constant.
I really enjoyed this article and how, despite the complexity of some of the author’s ideas, he sums up his main thought processes in the conclusion. Each subculture becomes defined by its style, symbols and commonality of their language usage. However, reasons for emergance of the subcultures vary. “Individual subcultures can be more or less ‘conservative’ or ‘progressive’, integrated into the community, continuous with the values of that community, or extrapolated from it, defining themselves against the parent culture” (Hebdige 127) Each subculture, despite its specific intent, has managed to convey meaning to the public through their own stylistic means.
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I find true subcultures to be a very interesting topic. Initially it was a way to rebel against something, to get a message out there in a creative and unique way. Now they serve as a great way to express yourself, to break away from the conventions of everyday society, and to bend the envelope of conformitive thought. If you look youll find new subcultures emerging all the time, but I find that true followers now and days can be rare. I think that alot of people really strive to be associated with one subculture or the other, relative to your upbringing, it may have influenced you to maybe take up the "hippy" ways of your parents, or rebel and delve into the grungy violent punk scene. But most of the time only one part of the subculture is represented, the clothing. People dressed up in the fashions of a certain subculture feel almost connected, they relate to each other, and enjoy the feeling of being a part of something much larger than themselves. I do believe that over-publicised, 'sold out' subcultures lack the "aura" they once had. For example, 'Hot Topic' is for the most part trying to convey some sort of goth/punk version of subculture which now appeals largely to suburban rebellious pre-teens. By no means does it have the signifigance it once retained. Or another example, the "Vintage" subculture, supposedly donning worn out clothing from the past when in actuality its articles are rather pricey and new. I saw a girl wearing a shirt yesterday that said "F*ck vintage, this shirt is from the Future" sort of mocking that whole scenario, and I thought that was pretty amusing. And on an ending note, I really enjoyed this article too, it concerns something we dont think too much into, but get caught up in ourselves.
I completely agree with Hebdige’s statement that style helps define a subculture. Consider the B-boys and girls of the 70s and 80s. They are rockers that are reinvented in the style of the ghetto. And they are developed further in the process. Big sunglasses and earrings, breakdancing and leggings with oversized shirts, they are committed to hip-hop culture. B-boys accepted and welcomed the violence of the streets. But in order to understand why, one must look at both external and internal explanations. What's more is that the b-boy and girl subculture is a response to the certain conditions of racism and poverty in the ghetto. It is nothing like anything the punk or hippie could imagine. And b-boys would never understand a punk either. Punks use/d tattoos and body piercings in order to shock the rest of us out of traditionalism. Punks hate rules. They despise conformity. They break rules in order to reveal their own.
As a twenty year old, it’s interesting to note that even I am part of a subculture. The youth subculture is one that has so many components in itself. It’s like a bad reminder of the clicks in high school, only slightly more mature and slightly less annoying. The subculture of twenty something year olds though does have huge differences compared to those in the “teen” years. As people grow and evolve, so do their subcultures. And thank God for that.
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