Subculture: The Meaning of Style

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.

Distinction

While reading the excerpt from the Distinction it became quite evident how greatly intertwined identity and consumption are with one another. This selection devlved deeply into an analysis of how cultural consumption and the homology, as well as the opposition, is apparent and varying from culture to culture. Each culture has their own identity that is reflected in their behaviors. The majority of the selection is dedicated to observing how food, culture and presentation, are three structures that are greatly influenced by a given cultures consumption. This is a complex idea that was thoroughly described throughout the section, with a specific emphasis on food. I’ve always found it fascinating how much you can learn about a specific group of people through their food practices. This is very apparent in American culture, as well. As Americans we are known for our consumption in the masses. The world we are accustomed to is one of mass consumption and food is no exception. Due to this we have many Americans who are overweight often because of our super size fast-food varieties large portion size in restaurants, and unhealthy choices in the supermarkets. However, what the article also claims is that there are identities within our culture that can be defined by what we consume from the world around us. Furthermore, the class distinction of the working class versus the elite professionals, due to the different economic backgrounds, also shows up in products we buy. For example the reading points out how the working class is more apt to buy fast-food products and low cost food items, that often retain little to no nutritional value. Whereas, the upper class can afford more high end products which shows up in what they buy as an American consumer.

The idea presented about material capital, which I view as monetary value is surely intertwined with how classes are developed, which I have discussed in the aforementioned paragraph. Another idea is to consider symbolic capital and what that says about our cultural system. Money is often viewed as a status symbol in our country and what we buy with that money is a representation of our more than just our wealth, or lack there of, but our social and cultural practices. What we buy says a great deal about what we value, cherish and enjoy. Therefore, it could be said that the things we buy are in direct relation to our economic class and our social and cultural system.