During adolescent years, looking back, I may have been seen to have been part of, what was more commonly and contemporarily known as, the Emo/Scene subculture. ‘Commonly known as’ due to the fact that a lot of people that fitted into that subculture and followed some of the practices, did not want to be known as being an ‘Emo’ or a ‘Scene kid’. This may be due to the media portrayal or the negative personal connotations stigmatised to the name and therefore attached to any associated. An example of the controversial media portrayal is Daily Mail labelling it as a “suicide cult” (SoEmo, 2008) and blaming a band of the genre for a girl’s suicide. Bentley also discusses this when reflecting on the representation of British youth subcultures in the 1950s and the media’s production of a “simplified dichotomy of the demonization of youth alongside counterclaims of the ordinary and commendable qualities of ‘most’ young people” (Bentley, 2010) and how clearly an unequal dichotomy this was.
Personally, I participated in some ways but not others, for example by the music listened to in the subculture, attending small gigs of those genres, buying lots of band merchandise, or of brands associated with the subculture (e.g. comic books). However, for example, I didn’t dye my hair black or unconventional colours or have facial piercings etc, so may have been seen as a more ‘mild’ member of the Emo/Scene subculture.
I, personally, find a lot of interest in learning about past subcultures, as, in comparison to the few possible remaining subcultures of today, participants seemed much more deeply invested in the past. Examples being Mods vs Rockers, Teddy Boys, Skinheads, Rude Boys all sharing some similarities, as well as differences in their styles and practices – with Mods and Rudeboys influencing Skinheads. However, a similarity I notice between past subcultures and current subcultures is the idea of distinguishing subcultures and being firmly in just one subculture is very hard. Dick Hebdige shares this idea of shared styles within subcultures through his discussion of ‘Style as bricolage’(Hebdige, 1979) . A factor that I feel has influenced this even more since Hebdige’s work is the digital advancements in media, leading to less defined subcultures, and definitely less defined mainstream – encapsulated as “there may be in society a dominant class, but it is doubtful if there is a dominant culture” (Brake, 1980, p. 7) . This is due to new media increasing the accessibility of subculture styles, knowledge and practices, and due to youth constantly wanting to be different. (Hall & Jefferson, 1993) .
A more recent time that I have considered myself to have taken part in a subculture was attending the ‘Brighton MOD Weekender 2017’, a gathering of Mod subculture members celebrating their style and heritage 50 years on from the infamous ‘Mods vs Rockers battle at Quadrophenia’. As mentioned above, I enjoy learning about past subcultures, a lot of which have been influenced/learnt from my Dad and how he describes the cultures from his youth. At this event, I participated in the subculture practices by dressing in their certain style (eg Fred Perry polo shirts and Dr Marten boots) and attending the scooter rally, markets and ‘MOD Club Classics and Northern Soul Allnighter’. The fact that Dr Martens were originally associated with Skinheads, rather than Mods, and that the music event included a mix of genres, further links in with Hebdige’s idea of style as a bricolage.
Personally, I participated in some ways but not others, for example by the music listened to in the subculture, attending small gigs of those genres, buying lots of band merchandise, or of brands associated with the subculture (e.g. comic books). However, for example, I didn’t dye my hair black or unconventional colours or have facial piercings etc, so may have been seen as a more ‘mild’ member of the Emo/Scene subculture.
I, personally, find a lot of interest in learning about past subcultures, as, in comparison to the few possible remaining subcultures of today, participants seemed much more deeply invested in the past. Examples being Mods vs Rockers, Teddy Boys, Skinheads, Rude Boys all sharing some similarities, as well as differences in their styles and practices – with Mods and Rudeboys influencing Skinheads. However, a similarity I notice between past subcultures and current subcultures is the idea of distinguishing subcultures and being firmly in just one subculture is very hard. Dick Hebdige shares this idea of shared styles within subcultures through his discussion of ‘Style as bricolage’
A more recent time that I have considered myself to have taken part in a subculture was attending the ‘Brighton MOD Weekender 2017’, a gathering of Mod subculture members celebrating their style and heritage 50 years on from the infamous ‘Mods vs Rockers battle at Quadrophenia’. As mentioned above, I enjoy learning about past subcultures, a lot of which have been influenced/learnt from my Dad and how he describes the cultures from his youth. At this event, I participated in the subculture practices by dressing in their certain style (eg Fred Perry polo shirts and Dr Marten boots) and attending the scooter rally, markets and ‘MOD Club Classics and Northern Soul Allnighter’. The fact that Dr Martens were originally associated with Skinheads, rather than Mods, and that the music event included a mix of genres, further links in with Hebdige’s idea of style as a bricolage.
Bibliography
Bentley, N. (2010). 'New Elizabethans': The Representation of Youth Subcultures in 1950s British Fiction. Literature and History, 16-33.
Brake, M. (1980). The Sociology of Youth Culture and Youth Subcultures. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd.
Hall, S., & Jefferson, T. (1993). Resistance through Rituals: Youth subcultures in post-war Britain. Oxon: Routledge.
Hebdige, D. (1979). Style as Bricolage. In D. Hebdige, Subculture: The Meaning of Style (pp. 102-106). London: Routledge.
SoEmo. (2008, June 02). MCR Emo Fans Protest Daily Mail. Retrieved from So Emo: https://www.soemo.co.uk/my-chemical-romance-mcr-emo-protest-daily-mail-london.php
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