SKINHEADS

What were their ideologies, attitudes and beliefs?

The 1960’s Subculture, Pop Culture and Counter Culture

Firstly...

Skinhead is not about colour, race, religion, national origin, or anything of the sort. It is a brotherhood of individuals who share the same passions...

In the late 1960s, some skinheads in the United Kingdom (including black skinheads) had

engaged in violence against South Asian immigrants (an act known as Paki bashing in common slang). There had, however, also been

anti-racist and leftist skinheads since the beginning of the subculture, especially in Scotland and northern England.

Football teams were made up of the “lower class” skin heads and the upper class kids whereby fighting kicked off and gave skin heads their reputation.

In the beginning...Skinheads were seen as a non-racist group of people who were

known for their interest in fashion, music and the “rude boy” lifestyle that came from Jamaica.

Although they were seen as “rowdy and violent” by nature most of their aggression was directed at the upper class.

Although ORIGINALLY they were seen as non-racists they were later only recognised

and portrayed in the media as violent racists as the subculture grew within Britain. Paki Bashing began and this minority of “skin heads” who were involved created this negative view of skin heads because they were the most vocal and noticeable to the public.

They are labelled as Neo-Nazis and some skin heads joined the National Front Political party; a “whites only” party...Which has now given skinheads a stereotypical view of being violent racists.

Skinheads are maybe the easiest group of the past to identify. Not only do they have the haircut of a ‘skin head’ they also dress the same too, bomber jackets jeans and high boots.

In the style of a skin head these are the things you can do to prove you are one.. Cut or shave your hair (optional).

Find appropriate pants or skirts. Wear knit shirts.

Add suspenders, or braces (optional).Wear a coat or a hoodieFind skinhead footwear.

Add shoelaces.Wear socks.Wear a hat.

In the 1960s, many female skinheads had mod-style haircuts. During the 1980s skinhead revival, many female skinheads had feather cuts (known as a Chelsea in North America). A feather cut is short on the crown, with fringes at the front, back and sides. Some female skinheads have a shorter punk-style version of the hairstyle; almost entirely shaved, leaving only bangs and fringes at the front.

Same as men, with addition of dress suits—composed of a ¾-length jacket and matching short skirt.

Same as men, with the addition of monkey boots.

Tattoos have been popular among many skinheads since at least the 1970s revival. In 1980s Britain, some skinheads had tattoos on their faces or foreheads, although the practice has since fallen out of favour. Some skinheads get tattoos with images or text related to the skinhead subculture in general, bands, affiliations or their beliefs.

How were they identified?

What brands were identified with them?

Skinheads have been known to wear long-sleeve or short-sleeve button-up shirts or polo shirts by brands such as Ben Sherman, Fred Perry, Brutus, Warrior or Jaytex; Lonsdale or Everlast shirts or sweatshirts; collarless granddad shirts; V-neck sweaters; sleeveless sweaters; cardigan sweaters or T-shirts (plain or with text or designs related to the skinhead subculture). Some Oi! and hard-core-oriented skinheads wear plain white tank top undershirts, especially in North America. They have also worn fitted blazers; Harrington jackets; bomber jackets; denim jackets (usually blue, sometimes splattered with bleach); donkey jackets; Crombie-style overcoats; sheepskin 3/4-length coats; short macs; monkey jackets; parkas. Traditional skinheads sometimes wear suits, often made out of two-tone tonic fabric (shiny mohair-like material that changes colour in different light and angles)Many skinheads wear Sta-Prest flat-fronted slacks or other dress trousers; jeans (normally Levi's, Lee or Wrangler); or combat trousers (plain or camouflage).

Most skins are politically or socially motivated and the music they listen to is a subculture amongst their beliefs.

A LOT of people believe skin head are racist however.. Being a skinhead does not make you a racist, its a subculture. There are

skinhead groups like S.H.A.R.P and R.A.S.H that are both skinhead groups against racism and fascism. Just putting that out there.

Hard-core, punk rock and black metal are some genres that skinheads listen to.

The skinhead subculture was originally associated with black popular music genres such as soul, rocksteady and early reggae. The link

between skinheads and Jamaican music led to the development of the skinhead reggae genre, performed by artists such as: Desmond Dekker,

Derrick Morgan, Laurel Aitken, Symaripand The Pioneers.

The most popular music style for late-1970s skinheads was 2 Tone, which was a fusion of ska, rocksteady, reggae, pop and punk rock.

What music do they listen to?