Subculture- this is a special sphere of the dominant culture, which is distinguished by its internal organization, customs, norms.

youth subculture- this is the culture of the younger generation, which is distinguished by a special language, lifestyle, behavioral traits, group norms, values, means of self-expression .

Youth subculture is a phenomenon characteristic of the industrial and post-industrial stages of development of any type of culture. It performs the functions of socialization of young people, solves the problems of generational conflict and obeys the unified laws of development. Being a subculture woven into the structural fabric of a particular type of culture, it has the properties and characteristics of the latter.

The youth subculture for any society at all stages of development is characterized by the so-called contradiction of "fathers" and "children". It can be safely attributed to eternal problems: “Today's youth is accustomed to luxury, they are distinguished by bad manners, despises authorities, and does not respect elders. Children argue with their parents, greedily swallow food and harass teachers,” Socrates complained back in 470 BC. e.

However, unfolding in time, culture not only renews itself, but also preserves itself through the action of succession mechanisms that pass on to each new generation the cultural heritage of previous eras (family, traditions, general education system, media, cultural institutions).

According to the stages of the life cycle, official (traditional) and innovative-avant-garde youth cultures are distinguished. An example of official youth subcultures in the Soviet Union was the pioneer organization and the Komsomol, in modern Russia - the movement "Walking Together".

By areas of interest, youth subcultures are also divided into musical, intellectual, religious and philosophical, sports, computer, countercultural, etc.

The emergence of youth subcultures is caused by several reasons..

Firstly, it is the rapid and constant acceleration of the modern life of industrial societies. The phenomenon of youth culture is a sign of predominantly dynamic societies (technogenic civilization). If earlier culture was not divided into “adult” and “youth”, now “fathers” and “children” have serious differences in value orientations, in fashion, in communication methods, and even in lifestyle in general.

In modern culture, there are innovations that constantly break and rebuild the cultural tradition, sometimes hindering the processes of socialization and adaptation of a person to the constantly changing conditions and requirements of life. Fragility and novelty form a "dangerous mixture", since a person striving for self-identification, establishing social ties, searches in a changing environment, that is, all objects with which he comes into contact and which he could join are in constant accelerating motion.

Secondly , lengthens the period of socialization of the younger generation. This is due to the need to increase the time for education and vocational training that meets the requirements of the modern era. Today, a young man (or girl) ceases to be a child early (according to his psychophysiological development), but according to his social status, he (she) does not belong to the world of adults for a long time. Adolescence is a time when economic activity and independence have not yet been fully achieved. "Youth" as a phenomenon and a sociological category, born of an industrial society, is characterized by psychological maturity in the absence of significant participation in adult institutions.

Thirdly, in the individual psychological aspect, young people are characterized by a not always conscious desire to free themselves from external control, increased emotionality, excitability, idealization of certain life ideas, maximalism, as well as instability of moral positions, often based on the perception of negative phenomena of society.

Socialization occurs under the influence of various conditions and circumstances, including uncontrollable factors, such as the informal environment of communication with peers, the views and moods that exist in society.

There are some specific features that distinguish the youth subculture from the dominant culture in society. In other words, youth subcultures are a kind of socio-cultural formations.

youth subculture does not have a clearly defined social status a. The norms and symbols adopted in it are different from those prescribed by society. However, there are remnants of former myths, legends, sprouts of new phenomena. Information penetrating from foreign cultures, which does not fit into the main culture, settles in youth subcultures.

Internal the values ​​of youth subcultures are opposed to the so-called "generally accepted" values. Youth cultures are characterized by a rebellious spirit, non-acceptance or even complete rejection of the official ideology, apoliticality. Members of various youth subcultures insist on their independence from society. Independence is one of the main features of self-consciousness.

The youth environment often forms countercultural value orientation, the highest principle of which is the principle of pleasure, enjoyment, which acts as an incentive motive and purpose of behavior. Hence, the morality of permissiveness can become an integral and organic element of the counterculture.

Most youth subcultures have its symbolism. For example, hippies, punks have shaggy hair, shabby clothes, handmade bags. There are graphic symbols on clothes and bags: embroidered flowers, anti-war slogans. Skinheads are characterized by the absence of hair on their heads, leather clothing, heavy, rough shoes, etc. These symbols are the first to catch the eye, so the presence of special symbols is a sign of the existence of a communication field in which you are recognized as “one of your own”.

Every youth subculture tries to stand out in your own language(slang) that makes it difficult to communicate with "strangers". By language, “one’s own” is already subconsciously recognized. Here is a special folklore, sayings, anecdotes, ditties, legends and traditions.

The current situation in Russia can be defined as a stage between the old system of values, which is giving significant failures, and the new one, which is just being born.

For a long time in our country the only youth organization was the Komsomol, officially authorized and supported. However, already in the 70s. informal youth groups began to take shape, which, due to the general socio-political situation in the country, were in the "underground", producing in some cases their own counterculture. Glasnost and perestroika allowed these groups to legalize their activities, to declare themselves loudly, thereby significantly increasing their numbers.

A certain place among them was occupied by groups that formed around different musical tastes and styles (metalheads, rollers, breakers, Beatles, etc.).

Informal youth organizations also arose, the value orientations of which had some political and ideological connotation (nostalgists, anarchists, pacifists, deviants, greens).

Groups of an apolitical, es-capist character (hippies, punks, people of the system) stood out.

Among the intellectual youth, the aesthetic group "Mitki" was popular, distinguished by self-irony and grotesquely emphasized style "a la Rus".

Groups were formed that professed the "cult of muscles" and the physical strength of "rolling". Criminogenic groups also appeared, uniting on the basis of aggressiveness, rigid organization and illegal activities (dudes, gopniks, lyubers, etc.). Some of them were inspired by the slogans of restoring socialist justice or fighting the "bad" in the face of hippies, punks and others.

The non-conformism of this youth environment was manifested in everything: in manners, in clothes, in hobbies, in jargon, sometimes reaching openly extremist forms. The currents of the Western youth subculture on our soil often transformed into rather ridiculous forms, acquiring only an external character: they were “copied” from their Western peers by inept “artists”, so not copies were obtained, but caricatures.

After the defeat of the August "putsch" in 1991, a wave of democratic euphoria sharply increased the socio-political activity, including that of the youth. Having reached a maximum, this activity began to subside, which was accompanied by the disappearance of many informal youth groups, a significant decrease in the number of those who remained.

Currently, there are several negative trends in the development of youth subculture.

Subculture entertainment and recreational orientation. Along with the communicative (communication with friends), youth leisure mainly performs a recreational function, most often in the form of passive recreation (“doing nothing”). Young people are forming attitudes not towards creative self-realization, but towards passive consumption of education, culture, and labor. This trend is even more present in the cultural self-realization of young students, which is indirectly due to the very flow of the prevailing values ​​of mass culture, which contributes to the background perception and superficial consolidation of it in the mind.

"Westernization" (Americanization) of cultural needs and interests displaces the values ​​of national culture, both classical and folk, with samples of mass culture focused on the introduction of values, the "American way of life" in its primitive and lightweight version. Favorite heroes and, to a certain extent, role models are the idols of show business or sports, for girls - the heroine of "soap operas" and tabloid love stories, and for boys - invincible superheroes of thrillers.

Pragmatism, cruelty, immoderate desire for material well-being. So, in the student environment, mutual payment for educational services becomes a “normal” phenomenon - writing essays, term papers, assistance in preparing for exams, etc. Many young people recognize the “equivalence of mutual retribution” as the most important value for evil).

These trends are also present in the cultural self-realization of young people: there is a reckless contempt for such "obsolete" values ​​as politeness, meekness and respect for others for the sake of fashion. Young people differ significantly from the older generations in that they are practically devoid of illusions that someone can solve their own problems for them.

Weak individualization and selectivity of culture. The choice of certain values ​​is most often associated with group stereotypes (“the principle of a herring in a barrel”) of a rather rigid nature - those who disagree are at great risk of joining the ranks of “suckers” - “outcast”, “not interesting”, “non-prestigious” people from the point of view of the “crowd” ”, usually equal to a certain ideal - “cool” (sometimes in the person of the leader of this group).

Group stereotypes and a prestigious hierarchy of values ​​are determined by gender, level of education, and, to a certain extent, place of residence and nationality of the recipient. The extreme direction of this trend of the youth subculture is the so-called "teams" with strict regulation of the roles and statuses of their members.

Cultural self-realization outside cultural institutions. Leisure self-realization of young people is carried out, as a rule, outside cultural institutions and is relatively noticeably conditioned by the influence of mainly screen art (film and television) - the most influential institutional source of not only aesthetic, but also socializing impact in general.

In these types of art (as, indeed, in the content of art in general), there is a tendency towards dehumanization and demoralization, which manifests itself, first of all, in the humiliation, deformation and destruction of the image of a person. In particular, this is recorded in the escalation of scenes and episodes of violence and sex, in increasing their cruelty, naturalism, which is contrary to the laws of human morality and has a negative impact on the youth audience.

Lack of ethnocultural self-identification. In modern Russia, there is a severe identity crisis in many groups of society, especially in terms of self-identification with cultural, political and social values. Some groups of young people accept new values ​​and norms to a greater or lesser extent, while others try to preserve and strengthen traditional values.

Attempts to introduce ethno-cultural content into the process of socialization are in most cases limited to the propaganda of ancient Russian customs and Orthodoxy. And ethno-cultural self-identification consists, first of all, in the formation of positive feelings for the history, traditions of one's people, that is, what is commonly called "love for the Fatherland."

Belonging to youth culture, being a phase of development, a transitional stage in the formation of a personality that loses its significance as a young man (girl) adapts to the world of adults, Youth does not produce any culture by itself, without having previously mastered the traditional culture. In the course of this assimilation, she can reproduce ready-made forms offered to her, which, in turn, will be replenished in accordance with her consumer abilities.

Many young people note that their inclusion in subcultures is manifested not only at the level of external attributes, but also on the state of mind. What famous subcultures exist?

Hippies are one of the most famous youth subcultures, whose history began in the United States in the distant 1960s. The movement flourished in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Initially, hippies tried to protest against the puritanical morality of Protestantism, trying to attract people to nature, love, pacifism. In the 21st century, real hippies are almost impossible to find.

The grunge subculture appeared thanks to a unique stylistic direction in rock music. At the same time, the peak of prosperity came in the late 1980s - mid-1990s. The birthplace of grunge was the American city of Seattle (Washington).

Representatives of this subculture are true admirers of the following musical groups:

• Pearl Jam;
• Alice in Chains;
• Nirvana;
• soundgarden.

These musical groups are the "Seattle Four", and they perform high-quality heavy music.

The emo subculture is the latest new style that is reminiscent of Goth and Glam Rock. Girls and boys try to visually relate themselves to the subculture. In this case, the following elements become traditional style attributes:

• hair that is combed to one side;
• neck scarves;
• black eyeliner;
• very tight jeans.

Emo from the first minutes can be distinguished from the crowd, but it is extremely important to understand what drives them. In most cases, representatives of the emo subculture try to show their true attitude to the world, using various visual attributes and an original style of clothing, unusual dark makeup.

Punk

This youth subculture appeared in the mid-1970s. At the same time, it began its development in several countries at once:

• Great Britain;
• Australia;
• USA;
• Canada.

Punks are distinguished by the presence of a special opinion towards society and politicians. At the same time, they received support from the American artist and producer Andy Warhol, who successfully interacted with the Velvet Underground. The band's lead singer, Lou Reed, is a founding member of alternative rock that is closely associated with punk rock.

Chik is one of the most unusual styles, gaining its peak of development every few years. Johnny Depp and Justin Timberlake are considered one of the most worthy representatives. Both celebrities have a special style of clothing that proves a direct relationship to the chik subculture: plaid trousers, a tucked-in T-shirt, classic sneakers.

Chik

Chik is one of the most unusual styles, gaining its peak of development every few years. Johnny Depp and Justin Timberlake are considered one of the most worthy representatives. Both celebrities have a special style of clothing that proves a direct relationship to the chik subculture: plaid trousers, a tucked-in T-shirt, classic sneakers.

The rocker subculture began to develop actively in the mid-60s. The peak was in the late 60s - early 70s. At the time, the rockers came from working-class families, so they were an uneducated and troubled society. Recently, the image of rockers is perceived in a completely different way, attracting more and more positive attention.

The main differences between rocker clothing:

• Leather Jacket. In most cases, jackets are decorated with badges and inscriptions;
• big boots;
• worn jeans;
• long hair. In this case, combing back is allowed.

The main attribute of rockers is a motorcycle, which can also be decorated with various inscriptions and symbols. In most cases, a motorcycle is perceived as an attribute of freedom, power, and the desire for emotional intensity.

Gansta Rap is a subculture that began its development in the late 1980s. The subculture is directly related to hardcore rap, which is a hard and noisy rap genre. In many situations, the lyrics of the song reflected reality with 100% accuracy, but sometimes they turned out to be exaggerated versions of the comics. Hardcore rap, despite its original performance, has remained one of the most successful areas of hip-hop.

Glam Rock is the romantic direction of the rock subculture. A musical movement originated in the UK in the early 1980s, which managed to have a major impact on the pop and rock scene in England. Glam Rock is a kind of alternative to punk culture, as it glorified the glamorous side of life and ignored social protest.

The butter dish is an outgrowth of British Teddy Boy culture. This subculture, first of all, is directly related to the guys. In most cases, guys dress like this:

• tight jeans;
• T-shirts made of dense materials;
• hair that should be combed back.

In each case, the British Teddy Boy tries to fill his life with jukeboxes, car travel, cocktail bars.

Dandy Flapper is a subculture that has been dominated by girls. The fair sex tried to look appropriate:

• Red lipstick;
• colorful dresses;
• sleek hair;
• hairstyles with sequins.

Dandy Flapper also attracted men, who were limited to a tweed suit and a bowler hat.

Each subculture deserves special attention, because it reflects the characteristics of the cultural life of young people in a certain period of history.

Video: 10 most famous youth subcultures

Sun, 04/10/2015 - 13:36

Punks with colorful mohawks and earrings everywhere, brutal long-haired metalheads hung with chains, gloomy children of the night who call themselves Goths, as well as good-natured hippies sending rays of good to everyone - all these are representatives of well-known subcultures that everyone has seen at least once in their life on the street or at least on the Internet. But there are many interesting and little-known trends that you probably didn’t even know about, and they will be discussed in the continuation of the article.

Japan: gyaru

Style: fake tan, long bleached or dyed hair, miniskirt with boots, bright clothes, heavy makeup, false eyelashes - for girls; tight-fitting clothes with a V-neck and lush chestnut hair to the shoulders - for young men (gyaruo).

Lifestyle: clubs, shopping, a beautiful life at someone else's expense, uninhibited behavior, hanging out in the Shibuya area.

The gyaru subculture challenges traditional Japanese values ​​and the image of a woman. It is believed that it appeared in the 1970s, developed thanks to magazines that promote Western values ​​and women's sexuality, and the name itself comes from the Gals jeans brand, which means "I can not live without men." This slogan reflects the behavior of many gyaru: girls use their sexuality to get certain benefits from men - including money for fashion items. Teenage girls who imitate gyaru style are called kogyaru. Society treats the subculture negatively: gyaru girls are considered a generation of bad mothers, calling them "degenerate schoolgirls" and "making parents cry." The need to contain the attacks of society over time turned the gyaru into even more extremists. Representatives of the subculture began to behave rudely and apart. New trends appeared: for example, ganguro, which is characterized by a strong tan down to black, bleached hair from white to silver, an abundance of jewelry, bright colors. The most radical movement is mamba: compared to them, ganguro is a light version. Gyaru have a special slang, they deliberately distort the language by adding suffixes contrary to the rules of Japanese syntax.

USA: juggalo

Style: clown makeup, cast-offs, nudity, pigtails for women.

Lifestyle: play behavior, clowning, looseness.

In the 1990s, the Insane Clown Poss ("Crazy Clown Gang") formed in Detroit. Its leaders came from poor families, had behind them a poor school education and problems with the law. The gloomy, depressing lyrics of their songs resonated with the inhabitants of the city, which is going through hard times. The group developed a fan following who began to call themselves juggalos (from the word juggler - "juggler") after an accidental pun during the performance of the song The Juggla. Dressing up in imitation of the Crazy Clown Gang, they come to the group's concerts and hang out at the annual The Gathering of the Juggalos festival. The style of behavior b[ is more than free: at the festival you can strip naked, get drunk and overeat, pour beer on each other and copulate. The leaders of the group talk about juggalos as evangelical Christians, while not all American society is loyal to them, and the FBI suspects them of drug addiction and crimes.

Venezuela: barbies

Style: missing.

Lifestyle: beauty contests, fashion, design.

In Venezuela, home of many beauty queens, the cult of the Barbie doll flourishes. Moreover, even men are involved in games with her. They compete to design outfits, hairstyles and jewelry for Barbie, and then accompany their model to the Miss Barbie Venezuela puppet beauty contest, which takes place in the country every year. At the competition, everything is grown-up: the participants are entitled to make-up, styling, shoes, accessories, defile. For his doll, the owner comes up with a name and a profession, answers the questions of the judges for her. Oddly enough, the subculture attracts exactly adults, men are especially serious about this, and in competitions they are set up only to win.

Congo: dandy

Style: deliberately pretentious.

Lifestyle: to seem, not to be.

Remember Pushkin's "like a London dandy dressed"? The style of Eugene Onegin and European dandies of the 19th century is still alive and well in the Congo. Since gaining independence from France, the SAPE subculture has arisen in this African country - the “society of elegant people” (Societe des ambianceurs et des personnes elegantes). Its ancestor was the illiterate handyman Christian Lubaki, who served with the French aristocrats in Paris: the owners gave him old clothes, and he flaunted them to the envy of other blacks. In 1978, Lubaki returned to the Congo and opened a fashion store in Brazzaville, capturing the imagination of his compatriots with tailcoats and colored jackets. Soon, smartly dressed clients of Lubaka flooded the Bakongo area in the capital, and then other areas of the Congo. Today, in a country where most people live below the poverty line, dandies create the illusion of prosperity with their appearance, building for themselves and the audience a parallel reality with a touch of retro.

Japan: lolitas

Style: baroque and rococo - knee-length skirt or dress, blouse, headdress, high-heeled shoes or platform boots, accessories (lace and ribbons). The main colors are black, white, red, purple, pink, blue.

Lifestyle: Japanese lolita listens to visual kei music, seeks to express herself, in life and behavior she is characterized by romance, rebelliousness and original behavior.

The subculture comes from the 90s. Her adherents are usually young girls from 20 to 30 years old. The name of the subculture is not directly related to the novel of the same name by Vladimir Nabokov, but there are some parallels with the image of the main character: girls often emphasize their childishness and infantilism.

Within the subculture there are separate areas with their own characteristics. For example, sweet lolita plays with the theme of childhood with cheerful clothes, bright colors and girlish accessories. Gothic prefers black colors and dark witch makeup. The classic one sticks to the elegant style and natural make-up, while the punk Lolita combines retro style with aggressive punk style, and here it was not without the influence of British designer Vivienne Westwood. Lolitas have less mass varieties: an innocent victim or a broken doll (bandages, wounds, blood, etc.), a hime princess (bows, frills, a riot of pink), etc. Oddly enough, the subculture is also open to Japanese men: they wear Victorian era outfits are called oji, which means "prince".

Mexico: Guarachero

Style: male. Boots with a long pointed toe, tight jeans, a shirt.

Lifestyle: clubs, dances, rehearsals, performances, competitions.

More recently, men's shoes with absurdly long toes appeared in Mexico, sometimes called guaracheros. The shoes were first worn by nightclub goers in the city of Matehuala, in the state of San Luis Potosi, in 2009. At first, the toes of the shoes were only slightly longer than usual, then they became longer and more elaborate, gaining fans in other parts of Mexico and even overseas - in US immigrant families. Guaracheros are put on for a reason, but to perform a group male dance to trival electronic music (a mix of Mexican folklore, African motifs and American Indian rhythms). Guarachero is translated as "joker", "merry fellow". Pointed shoes are worn for comic effect and irony. There are even competitions among lovers of guarachero boots. Prizes are different: from a bottle of whiskey to $100-500.

South Africa: Ijikotan (African dudes)

Style: expensive branded clothes in bright colors, sometimes gold teeth, banknotes as accessories.

Lifestyle: shopping, dancing, showing off your wealth and your extravagant style.

Izhikotan is a subculture of black youth in the poor towns of South Africa. These are boys and men between the ages of 12 and 25 who live ostentatiously and clearly beyond their means: they buy expensive designer clothes, high-end alcohol and gadgets, and then arrange dance duels, competing with competitors in wealth and coolness. In battles, it is not forbidden to break phones, burn banknotes and spoil food, thereby showing that you can afford more. Izhikotan dances take place in crowded places, and the audience decides which of the teams has better demonstrated their viability and chic. At the same time, Izhikotan, as a rule, do not work and earn money illegally or live on the money of their parents, who often do not understand them and condemn them. The subculture originated quite recently - in the 2000s in the Johannesburg area - and became popular only in the last five years, spreading to other areas of South Africa. The African dandy community has their own Facebook group where they show off their shopping and lifestyle. It is considered a special chic among Ijikotans to buy two pairs of the same shoes of different colors and put on one shoe from each so that everyone can see how much he spent.

A subculture is a community of people whose beliefs, views on life and behavior are different from those generally accepted or simply hidden from the general public, which distinguishes them from the broader concept of the culture of which they are an offshoot. The youth subculture appeared in science in the mid-1950s. Since traditional societies develop gradually, at a slow pace, relying mainly on the experience of older generations, insofar as the phenomenon of youth culture refers mainly to dynamic societies, and was seen in connection with "technogenic civilization". If earlier culture was not so clearly divided into "adult" and "youth" (regardless of age, everyone sang the same songs, listened to the same music, danced the same dances, etc.), now the "fathers" and "children" have serious differences in value orientations, and in fashion, and in the methods of communication, and even in the way of life in general. As a specific phenomenon, youth culture also arises due to the fact that the physiological acceleration of young people is accompanied by a sharp increase in the duration of their socialization period (sometimes up to 30 years), which is caused by the need to increase the time for education and professional training that meets the requirements of the era. Today, a young man ceases to be a child early (according to his psychophysiological development), but according to his social status, he does not belong to the world of adults for a long time. Adolescence is the time when economic activity and independence have not yet been fully achieved. Psychologically, youth belongs to the world of adults, and sociologically, to the world of adolescence. If in terms of saturation with knowledge a person matures much earlier, then in terms of position in society, the opportunity to say one's word - his maturity is pushed back. "Youth" as a phenomenon and sociological category, born of industrial society, is characterized by psychological maturity in the absence of significant participation in the institutions of adults.

The emergence of youth culture is associated with the uncertainty of the social roles of young people, uncertainty about their own social status. In the ontogenetic aspect, the youth subculture is presented as a phase of development through which everyone must go. Its essence is the search for social status. Through it, the young man "exercises" in the performance of the roles that he will later have to play in the world of adults. The most accessible social platforms for specific activities of young people are leisure, where you can show your own independence: the ability to make decisions and lead, organize and organize. Leisure is not only communication, but also a kind of social game, the lack of skills in such games in youth leads to the fact that a person considers himself free from obligations even in adulthood. In dynamic societies, the family partially or completely loses its function as an instance of socialization of the individual, since the pace of changes in social life gives rise to a historical discrepancy between the older generation and the changed tasks of the new time. With the entry into adolescence, the young man turns away from the family, looking for those social ties that should protect him from a society that is still alien. Between a lost family and a society not yet found, a young man strives to join his own kind. The informal groups formed in this way provide the young person with a certain social status. The price for this, often, is the rejection of individuality and complete submission to the norms, values ​​and interests of the group. These informal groups produce their own subculture, which differs from the culture of adults. It is characterized by internal uniformity and external protest against generally accepted institutions. Due to the presence of their own culture, these groups are marginal in relation to society, and therefore always contain elements of social disorganization, potentially tend to deviate from generally accepted norms of behavior.

Quite often, everything is limited only by the eccentricity of behavior and the violation of the norms of generally accepted morality, interests around sex, "hanging out", music and drugs. However, the same environment forms a countercultural value orientation, the highest principle of which is the principle of pleasure, enjoyment, which acts as an incentive motive and the goal of all behavior. The entire value network of the youth counterculture is connected with irrationalism, which is dictated by the recognition of the actual human only in the natural, that is, the dissociation of the "human" from the "social" that arose as a result of the "monopoly of the head." The consistent implementation of irrationalism defines hedonism as the leading value orientation of the youth counterculture. Hence the morality of permissiveness, which is the most important and organic element of the counterculture. Since the existence of the counterculture is concentrated on "today", "now", then the hedonistic aspiration is a direct consequence of this.

Subcultures may differ in age, race, ethnicity and/or class, gender. The traits that define a subculture can be aesthetic, religious, political, sexual, or any other, or a combination of them. Subcultures usually arise as an opposition to the values ​​of the broader cultural direction to which they belong, but theorists do not always agree with such an opinion. Fans of a subculture can demonstrate their unity through the use of a different style of clothing or behavior, as well as specific symbols. That is why the study of subcultures usually understands as one of the stages the study of symbolism, regarding clothing, music and other external preferences of fans of the subculture, as well as ways of interpreting the same symbols, only in the dominant culture. If a subculture is characterized by systematic opposition to the dominant culture, then it is defined as a counterculture. Currently, in the youth environment of our country, three leading categories of subculture can be distinguished, the first of which is formed by young people engaged in small business (majors). They are focused on "easy" money making and "beautiful life". They are characterized by business acumen, a fairly well-developed sense of corporatism. They are characterized by moral relativism, as a result of which the activities of such groups are often associated with illegal business and offenses.

The second category is made up of "lubers", "gopniks", etc. They are distinguished by strict discipline and organization, aggressiveness, professing a "cult of physical force", a pronounced criminal orientation, and in many cases - a connection with the criminal world. Their "ideology" is based on primitive socialist ideals tinged with "criminal romance". The basis of the activities of such groups is petty racketeering and speculation. Groups of this kind, as a rule, are well armed, and not only with chains, knives, brass knuckles, but also with firearms. The youth criminogenic associations described above in conditions of political instability pose a significant danger, since they are quite plastic material, and at any moment can become an instrument of activity of political organizations of radical and extremist orientation.

Modern youth, however, consists not only of informals. The third category is made up of the so-called "yuppies" and "non-oyuppies". They come from middle- and low-income families, distinguished by purposefulness, seriousness, pragmatism, independent judgments, assessments and activities. They are focused on ensuring material prosperity in the future and moving up the social and career ladder. Their interests are concentrated in the field of education, as a necessary springboard for successful advancement in life. In the manner of dressing, they are distinguished by a business classic style and accentuated neatness. "Yuppies", as a rule, do not have bad habits, take care of their health, doing prestigious sports. They are characterized by the desire to "make money" and successful careers as businessmen, bank employees, lawyers.

Hippies are a specific subgroup of a subculture that arose in the United States in the early sixties of the twentieth century, which quickly spread throughout the world, and practically disappeared by the mid-seventies. In the original, the hippies were part of a youth movement made up almost entirely of white teenagers and fairly young adults between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five, who inherited the cultural rebellion from the bohemians and beatniks. The hippies scorned established notions, criticized middle-class values, and acted as a radical opposition to the use of nuclear weapons, the Vietnam War. They made popular and illuminated aspects of religions other than Judaism and Christianity that were practically unknown at that time. Hippies literally pushed through the sexual revolution; they encouraged the use of psychedelic drugs to expand human consciousness. Hippies created original communes where their values ​​were cultivated.

Punk is a subculture based on the musical passion for punk rock. Since breaking away from the wider rock and roll movement in the mid to late seventies, the punk movement has spread across the globe and developed into a great variety of forms. Any subculture arises only on the ruins of the previous trend, as happened in the seventies with the hippie-punk shift change. The touching, almost airy, hippie ideals were swept away by the unbridled energy of destruction represented by punk. Punk culture is distinguished by its own style of music, ideology and fashion. It has found its reflection in the visual arts, dance, literature and cinema. Punk itself is made up of many smaller subcultures such as street punk, heavy punk, and others. Punk maintains a close relationship with other subcultures such as goth and psychbility; supporters of this movement oppose commercialization, which is one of the main mechanisms of capitalism.

Pakulenko Anastasia Yurievna, 11th grade

Essay on social studies. The material can be used in the study of the topic "Culture and spiritual life of society".

Download:

Preview:

MUNICIPAL BUDGET GENERAL EDUCATIONAL

INSTITUTION OF LYCEUM "RITM"

Social Studies Section

ESSAY

« Youth subculture and its role in modern society»

Completed by: student of grade 11A

Pakulenko Anastasia Yurievna

Head: teacher of history and social studies

Kuryakina Natalya Leonidovna

Khabarovsk

2012

Plan

1. Introduction

2. History of the term, meanings of the concept

3. The main characteristics of the youth subculture

4. Fandom and the emergence of youth subcultures

5. Examples of subcultures (musical subcultures)

5.1.Hippies

5.2. Rustmans

5.3 Metalworkers

5.4 Punks

5.5.Gothic fashion

5.6.Emo

6.Japanese subcultures

6.1 Akihabada-kei and anime culture

6.2.Cosplay

6.3.Visual kei

6.4. Gyaru (ganguro)

6.5 Fruits

7.Conclusion

Literature and sources

1. Introduction

Modern society is not homogeneous. Each person is a special microcosm, with his own interests, problems, worries. But at the same time, many of us have similar interests and requests. Sometimes, in order to satisfy them, it is necessary to unite with other people, because together it is easier to achieve the goal. This is the social mechanism for the formation of subcultures - associations of people with interests that do not contradict the values ​​of traditional culture, but complement it. And youth subcultures (which are often based on hobbies for various genres of music, sports, literature, etc.) are no exception.

Adolescents at all times constituted a special socio-demographic group, but in our time a specific teenage culture has developed, which, along with other social factors, plays an important role in the development of a modern teenager. For the first time, sociologists addressed this issue in the 60s of the XX century. In Russia, since the late 80s, the attention of researchers to youth subcultures has become more noticeable. In recent years, much more attention has been paid to youth subculture.

The purpose of my work: to consider the main characteristics and aspects of youth subcultures, highlight their features, show their relationship and influence on the formation of fashion, tastes and mentality of the younger generation. While working on the topic, I came across a variety of positions and points of view of the authors.

It was very interesting to work with Internet sources, the works of domestic and foreign sociologists and psychologists. I devoted a whole chapter in my work to Japanese musical subcultures, because they are very peculiar and unusual.

In my work, I mainly used articles from the Theory of Fashion magazine (No. 10, 2008-2009) by Dick Hebdidge, Dmitry Gromov, Joe Turn, Ann Pearson-Smith. I also found the lecture by sociology professor Dugin interesting. To prepare a presentation on this topic, I used the resources of the Internet.

2. History of the term, meanings of the concept

In 1950, the American sociologist David Reisman, in his research, developed the concept of a subculture as a group of people who deliberately choose the style and values ​​​​preferred by a minority. A more thorough analysis of the phenomenon and concept of subculture was carried out byDick Habdigein his book Subculture: The Meaning of Style. In his opinion, subcultures attract people with similar tastes who are not satisfied with generally accepted standards and values.

Frenchman Michelle Mafessoliin his writings he used the concept of "urban tribes" to refer to youth subcultures.Victor Dolnik in the book " Naughty child of the biosphere” used the concept of “clubs”.

In the USSR, the term “Informal youth associations” was used to refer to members of youth subcultures, hence the slang word “informals". The slang word "tusovka" is sometimes used to refer to a subcultural community.

Youth subculture is a system of values ​​and norms of behavior, tastes, forms of communication that is different from the culture of adults and characterizes the life of adolescents, youth from about 10 to 20 years old.

The youth subculture developed noticeably in the 1960s and 1980s for a number of reasons: extension of the terms of study, forced non-employment, acceleration. The subculture of youth, being one of the institutions, a factor in the socialization of schoolchildren, plays a controversial role and has an ambiguous effect on adolescents. On the one hand, it alienates, separates young people from the general culture of society, on the other hand, it contributes to the development of values, norms, and social roles.

The subcultural activity of young people depends on a number of factors:

1. From the level of education. For people with a lower level of education, for example, vocational school students, it is significantly higher than for university students.
2. From age. The peak of activity is 16-17 years old, by the age of 21-22 it drops noticeably.
3. From place of residence. The informal movement is more typical for the city than for the countryside, since it is the city with its abundance of social ties that provides a real opportunity to choose values ​​and forms of behavior.

The problem is that the values ​​and orientations of young people are limited mainly to the sphere of leisure: fashion, music, entertainment, and often low-content communication. The youth subculture is entertaining - recreational and consumer in nature, and not cognitive, creative and creative.

In Russia, as elsewhere in the world, it focuses on Western values: the American way of life in its light version, mass culture, and not on the values ​​of national culture. Aesthetic tastes and preferences of schoolchildren are often rather primitive and are formed mainly by means of TV, music, etc. These tastes and values ​​are supported by periodicals, modern mass art, which has a demoralizing and dehumanizing effect.

The growth of amateur youth groups is associated with the peculiarities of the mental development of the individual in adolescence and youth, when the active desire of young people to recognize their role in society is manifested in an insufficiently formed social position, which is reflected in the craving for spontaneous group communication.

We are talking about the desire for self-organization, for the assertion of one's independence, which is characteristic of social maturation at the teenage and youthful stages. This trend manifests itself in the fashion for clothes, music, and so on. Moreover, often these minor moments acquire special significance, reinforcing, on the one hand, the feeling of imaginary independence of the teenager, on the other hand, the desire to protest, sometimes even unconsciously.

3. The main characteristics of the youth subculture

For today's youth, rest and leisure is the leading form of life. Satisfaction with life in general now depends on satisfaction with leisure. There is no selectivity in cultural behavior in the youth subculture, stereotypes and group conformism (agreement) prevail. The youth subculture has its own language, special fashion, art and style of behavior. More and more it is becoming an informal culture, the carriers of which are informal teenage groups. The youth subculture is largely surrogate in nature - it is full of artificial substitutes for real values. One of the ways to escape from reality, as well as the realization of the desire to be like adults, is the use of drugs.

Sociologists are now sounding the alarm: the first place among young people's authoritative sources of information is the computer, and the second is television. And only then - the school, moreover, as a habitat, and not a place of communication. At the end of the list is family.

Youth culture is also distinguished by the presence of a youth language- slang , which also plays an ambiguous role in the upbringing of adolescents, creates a barrier between them and adults.

One of the manifestations of youth culture isinformal youth associations, a peculiar form of communication and life of adolescents, society, a group of peers united by interests, values, sympathies. Informal groups usually arise not in the classroom, not in business relations, but along with them and outside the school. They play an important role in the lives of adolescents, satisfy their informational, emotional and social needs: they provide an opportunity to learn what is not so easy to talk about with adults, provide psychological comfort, and teach them how to fulfill social roles.

For many adolescents, association in informal groups and an asocial lifestyle are one of the forms of protest against the usual way of life, guardianship by elders. The teenage group is a new specific type of emotional contacts that are impossible in the family.

Informal groups are, for the most part, few in number, unite teenagers of different ages, genders, and social affiliations, and function, as a rule, outside the control of adults. Their structure depends on many factors, but mainly on sustainability (stability), functional orientation and relationships between members.

With age, adolescent conformity decreases, the authoritarian influence of the group decreases, and then the choice of a life path already depends on the personal qualities of the young man and the social environment outside the group.

Relations in a subculture are built not on the basis of likes or dislikes, but on the basis of a certain position occupied by its members in the system. It should be emphasized that the need for a positive assessment by others is the leading need in adolescence. That is why a teenager is in dire need of a positive assessment of his personality. This explains the acute need to recognize the worthy position of a teenager in a peer group. In this regard, the facts of deviant and even illegal behavior of outwardly quite prosperous teenagers from “good” families become clear.

4. Fandom and the emergence of youth subcultures

Fandom (eng. fandom - fanaticism) - a community of fans, as a rule, of a certain subject (writer, performer, style). A fandom may share certain cultural characteristics, such as party humor and slang, similar interests outside of the fandom, and its own publications and websites. According to some signs, fanaticism and varioushobbiesmay take on the characteristics of a subculture. For example, this happened withpunk-rock, gothic music and many other interests. However, mostfandoms and hobbydo not form subcultures, being concentrated only around the subject of their interest.

If fanaticism is most often associated with individuals (musical groups, musical performers, famous artists), whom fans consider their idols, then the subculture does not depend on explicit or symbolic leaders, and one ideologue is replaced by another. Communities of people with a common hobby (gamers, hackers, etc.) can form a stable fandom, but at the same time not have signs of a subculture (common image, worldview, common tastes in many areas).

Most often, subcultures are closed and tend to isolate themselves from mass culture. This is due to both the origin of subcultures (closed communities of interest) and the desire to separate from the main culture, to oppose it to the subculture. Entering into conflict with the main culture, subcultures can be aggressive and sometimes even extremist. Such movements that come into conflict with the values ​​of traditional culture are called counterculture. Youth subcultures are characterized by both protest and escapism (escape from reality), which is one of the phases of self-determination.

Developing, subcultures develop a single style of clothing (image), language (jargon, slang), paraphernalia (symbols), as well as a common worldview for their members. A characteristic image and demeanor is a marker separating "friends" (representatives of the subculture) from strangers. This shows the similarity of the new subcultures of the 20th century and traditional folk cultures. Therefore, the methods of studying subcultures are similar to the methods of studying traditional cultures. Namely, this is a historical-linguistic analysis, an analysis of cultural objects and a mytho-poetic analysis.

Representatives of subcultures develop their own language over time. It is partly inherited from the subculture of the progenitor, partly produced independently. Many elements of slang are neologisms.

From a cultural point of view, the symbol and symbolism are decisive in the description of a particular culture and cultural work. Symbols of subcultures are, on the one hand, the self-determination of a subculture among many other cultures, on the other hand, a connection with the cultural heritage of the past. For example, the ankh sign in the subculture is ready - on the one hand, it is a symbol of eternal life, like the heritage of Egypt, on the other hand, it is a symbol that self-defines culture at the present time.

5. Examples of subcultures (musical subcultures)

5.1.Hippies

One of the brightest and most famous subcultural communities are youth movements associated with certain genres of music. The image of musical subcultures is formed largely in imitation of the stage image of performers popular in this subculture.

Hippies were one of the first musical and youth subcultures of our time.

Hippie is a philosophy and subculture that originated in the 1960s in the United States. The movement flourished in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Initially, the hippies protested against the puritanical morality of some Protestant churches, and also promoted the desire to return to natural purity through love and pacifism. One of the most famous hippie slogans is "Make lo ve, not war!", which means "Make love, not war!".

Hippie believes:

1. that man should be free;
2. that freedom can be achieved only by changing the inner structure of the soul;
3. that the actions of an internally uninhibited person are determined by the desire to protect their freedom as the greatest treasure;
4. that beauty and freedom are identical to each other and that the realization of both is a purely spiritual problem;
5. that all who share the foregoing form a spiritual community;
6. that a spiritual community is an ideal form of community life;
7. that everyone who thinks otherwise is wrong.

Symbolism of the hippie

The hippie culture has its own symbolism, signs of belonging and attributes. Representatives of the hippie movement, in accordance with their worldview, are characterized by the introduction of ethnic elements into the costume: beads woven from beads or threads, bracelets ("baubles") and so on, as well as the use of textiles dyed using the tie-dye technique (or otherwise - "shibori»).

An example is the so-calledbaubles. These ornaments have complex symbolism. Baubles of different colors and different patterns denote different wishes, expressions of one's own musical preferences, position in life, etc. So, a black and yellow striped baubles means a wish for a good hitchhiking, and a red and yellow one means a declaration of love. It should be noted, however, that this symbolism is interpreted in different places and hangouts arbitrarily and completely differently, and "experienced hippies" do not attach any importance to it.

Hippie slogans of the 60s:

1. "Make love, not war" ("Make love, not war")
2. "Off The Pig!" (“Turn off the pig!”) (a pun - the “pig” was the name of the M60 machine gun, an important attribute and symbol of the Vietnam War)
3. "Give Peace A Chance" (title of a John Lennon song)
4. "Hell No, We Won't Go!" ("We're not fucking leaving!")
5. "All You Need Is Love!" ("All you need is love!") (title of The Beatles song)

5.2. Rustmans

Rastafarians in the world are traditionally called followers of Rastafarianism.

In the early 1990s, a special youth subculture formed in the post-Soviet space, whose representatives also call themselves Rastafans. At the same time, they are often not true adherents of the original religious and political doctrine of African supremacy, but identify themselves with this group primarily on the basis of the use of marijuana and hashish.

Some of this is enough to consider themselves Rastas, some are closer to the Rastafarian concept - many listen to Bob Marley and reggae music in general, use the green-yellow-red color combination (for example, in clothes) to identify themselves, some wear dreadlocks. However, few people sincerely advocate the idea of ​​returning American blacks to Africa, observe the Rastafarian fast "aytal", etc. However, many truly believing Russian Rastas believe that repatriation and Pan-Africanism are simply meaningless, due to the fact that Russian Rastas have nothing to do with blacks and Africa, in fact, do not have. In the CIS countries, Pan-Africanism was replaced by the idea of ​​“Zion within itself”, which sounds like this: “Zion is not a place in the physical, material world. Not in Africa or Israel or anywhere else. Zion is in the soul of every person. And you need to strive for it not with your feet, but with deeds, thoughts, kindness and love.

Be that as it may, in the Russian-speaking environment the word "rastaman" is firmly associated with this group (but not completely identical to it). The word can be used in a similar way in other languages ​​to simply refer to marijuana lovers without religious overtones. So, in Spanish-speaking countries, the word "rastas" can be called dreadlocks.

5.3 Metalworkers

Metalheads are a youth subculture inspired by metal music that emerged in the 1970s.

The subculture is widespread in Northern Europe, quite widely - in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, North America, there are a significant number of its representatives in South America, Southern Europe and Japan. In the Middle East, with the exception of Turkey and Israel, metalworkers (like many other "informals") are few in number and subject to persecution.

The word "metallist" is Russian, derived from the word "metal" with the addition of a borrowed Latin suffix "-ist". Initially, it meant "tinsmiths", workers in metallurgy. Metalist in the sense of "fan of heavy metal" came into use in the late 1980s.

In English, the analogue of the Russian "metal worker" is metalhead - "metalhead", "obsessed with metal". The metalheads are also referred to by the slang words headbanger - "head banger" and mosher - "pushing", in accordance with the behavior of fans at concerts.

Fashion style

1. A typical fashion among metalheads can be described as follows:
2. Long hair for men (loose or gathered in a ponytail)
3. Predominantly black color in clothes
4. Leather motorcycle jacket "leather jacket", leather vest.
5. Bandanas
6. Black T-shirts or hoodies with the logo of your favorite metal band.
7. Wristbands - leather bracelets with rivets and / or spikes (spanking), spiked, riveted belts, chains on jeans. Also on the belt can be a buckle with the logo of a metal band.
8. Embroidered patches with the logos of your favorite metal bands.
9. Short or high boots with chains - "Cossacks". Heavy shoes - "camelots", "curses", "grinders", "martins", "steels", "bastards", ordinary high boots. Shoes (as a rule, pointed, "Gothic" boots).
10. Leather pants, army pants, jeans
11. Studs and spikes on clothing and accessories
12. Often - long-sleeved black clothes (cloaks, coats)
13. Motorcycle leather gloves without fingers (Appendix 1).

outlook

Unlike some other subcultures, the metal subculture lacks a pronounced ideology and is centered only around music. However, there are some features of the worldview that can be called typical for a significant part of metalheads.

The texts of metal bands promote independence, self-reliance and self-confidence, the cult of a "strong personality". For many metalheads, subculture serves as a means of escapism, alienation from the "gray reality", a form of youth protest.

Studies have appeared in the press stating that the intellectual level of metalworkers is often quite high, on the basis of which it is concluded that a passion for metal can be a sign of intelligence. In a 2007 survey of 1,000 gifted teenagers, many of them said they listen to metal and other heavy rock music to relieve stress.

Some researchers argue that listeners of hard rock and metal have a higher craving for aggression and depression. However, psychologists agree that this is not a consequence, but the reason for the passion for heavy music. Moreover, respondents who showed negative trends felt better and more confident after listening to their favorite music. According to them, heavy aggressive music helps them to splash out negative emotions, not to accumulate them in themselves. Thus, some metalheads consciously or unconsciously use metal as a means of psychotherapy.

5.4 Punks

Punks (English punk - transl. colloquial bad, trashy) - a youth subculture that arose in the late 60s and early 70s in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia.

Origins and influences

Punk takes offin the 60swhen, under the influence of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, many youth bands performing rock and roll began to appear.

A relatively raw and raw (raw) sound based on just a few chords can be found in such classics of the time as "You Really Got Me" by the bandThe Kinks. By the end of the 1960s, a defiantly primitive sound, combined with a vulgar demeanor on stage, began to be cultivated by the American band The Stooges. Her leaderIggy Poprejected musical sophistication, appreciated the unbridled drive in rock and roll, performed at concerts smeared in his own blood and ended the atrocities on stage by “diving” into the crowd of spectators.

Ideology

Punks adhere to various political views, but for the most part they are adherents of socially oriented ideologies and progressivism. Common views are the desire for personal freedom and complete independence (individualism), nonconformism, the principles of "not for sale", "rely on yourself" (DIY) and the principle of "direct action" (direct action). Other strands of punk politics include nihilism, anarchism, socialism, anti-authoritarianism, anti-militarism, anti-capitalism, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-nationalism.

Literature

Punk culture has spawned a significant amount of poetry and prose.

Among the famous punk poets, it should be notedPatti Smith, Richard Hell, John C. Clarke, The Medway Poets, and Jim Carroll, whose autobiographical writings are considered the first examples of punk prose.

Quite a number have been publishedfanzines(so-called punk-zines), among which it is worth mentioning Maximum Rock-n-Roll, Punk Planet, CometBus, Flipside, Search and Destroy. The first of this kind of publications was the actual magazinePunk based in Mr. Legs MacNeil, John Holstrom and Ged Dunn.

Numerous fiction and documentary books have been written about punk. Also closely related to the concept of "punk" are such literary genres ascyberpunk, dieselpunk and steampunk.

The appearance of punks

Many punks dye their hair in bright unnatural colors, comb it and fix it with hairspray, gel or beer to make it stand up. In the 80s, the mohawk hairstyle became fashionable among punks. They wear torn jeans tucked into heavy boots or tucked under short heavy boots (cans) and sneakers. Some people pre-soak their jeans in a bleach solution to make them red. The Ramones began to wear sneakers, and they adopted this style from the Mexican punks (also referred to as "Latinos").

The biker jacket was adopted as a rock 'n' roll staple from the 50's when motorcycle and rock 'n' roll were inseparable components. The punks of the first wave sought to restore to rock music the same deliberate badass and drive that the mass commercialization of music had eventually taken away.

Punks also wear various attributes of rocker subcultures - collars, bracelets (mostly leather with spikes), etc. (Appendix 1).

5.5.Gothic fashion

Goths are representatives of a youth subculture that originated in the late 70s of the XX century on the wave of post-punk. The gothic subculture is quite diverse and heterogeneous, however, it is characterized by common features to one degree or another: a specific gloomy image, as well as an interest in gothic music, horror literature and mysticism.

For two decades, the Goths have developed a fairly recognizable image. Although there are numerous trends within Gothic fashion, they are united by common features.

The main elements of the gothic image are the predominance of black in clothes, the use of metal jewelry with symbols of the gothic subculture, and distinctive makeup.

Typical paraphernalia used by the Goths is the ankh (an ancient Egyptian symbol of immortality, actively used after the movie Hunger), skulls, crosses, straight and inverted pentagrams, bats.

Makeup is used by both men and women. It is not an everyday attribute, and is usually applied before visiting concerts and gothic clubs. Makeup usually consists of two elements: white face powder and dark eyeliner.

Hairstyles in Gothic fashion are quite diverse. In the post-punk era, the main type of hairstyle was medium length tousled hair. But in today's subculture, many wear long hair, or even mohawks.. It is typical for ready to dye their hair black or - less often - red.

Some Goths prefer clothes stylized in the fashion of the XVIII-XIX centuries. with appropriate attributes: lace, long gloves and long dresses for women, tailcoats and top hats for men. There are also common attributes with the fashion of metalworkers - the frequent use of leather clothing, chains and metal accessories. Sometimes sado-masochistic paraphernalia is used, such as collars and spiked bracelets. The "vamp" style is especially characteristic of the Goths.

Gothic is directly related to the image of death, and even the very look of the Goths reminds of it. The perception of death is one of the characteristic features of the Gothic worldview and one of the signs of belonging to the Goths. The image of death is extremely important in Gothic aesthetics and runs through many layers of Gothic culture. The normal state for the Goths is angst, "longing" - a fairly comprehensive term that describes the usual Gothic state. The humor of the Goths is quite specific - it is purely black humor).

gothic music

Gothic music comes from English punk of the 70s. I will not describe how this birth took place - kilometer-long FAQ web pages on gothic.ru, shadowplay.ru and similar sites are devoted to this. Let me just say that all the variety of gothic music crystallized out of gothic-rock.

In Tula, HIM, 69 eyes are considered gothic, and meanwhile gothic music is very diverse - gothic rock, gothic metal, gothic industrial, dark electro, dark ambient, synth gothic, electro goth, cyber gothic, ethereal, dream pop, gothic folk, apocalyptic folk, ethno goth, tribal, medieval, neo classic.

What unites this diversity? Dark atmospheric sound; pronounced decadent, depressive, romantic and gloomy nature of the lyrics. Many bands use horror aesthetics, female vocals and drum machines instead of live drums - this is a kind of hallmark of gothic music.

At an early stage in the development of the gothic subculture, goths and music were inextricably linked - then only fans of gothic groups were called goths, and this situation continued for quite a long time. At present, the connection is ready with the music has weakened somewhat. You can be goth without listening to goth music.

The Gothic subculture covers all religions and their varieties, it has no direct connection to religion. Despite this fact, goth culture has a reputation as a culture of satanists, perverts, people who, with their unacceptable freedom, bring death and destruction - this is how the narrow-minded layman thinks of them. The Goths actively use religious images in songs, religious decorations in clothes, but all this is a satirical mockery or just fashion and has nothing to do with religion.

Cybergoths are a youth subculture formed in the early 90s in connection with the beginning of the mass spread of the Internet.

Of all the existing subcultures, Cyber ​​Goths are the youngest and most developing. Tentatively, the origins of the birth fall on the 1990th year. It is worth noting that the exact classification and definition of this informal direction does not yet exist, of course, there are some features that distinguish this direction from others, but due to the deep delusion of many, they have nothing to do with the usual subculture of Gotha.

The origins themselves were taken precisely from the Gothic movement, but in a short time they were completely reoriented. The original direction was narrowly fixated, and the new followers, who tried with all their might to develop their movement, did not like it. It is here that lies the answer to the question of why such a radical difference is now visible, even with the naked eye.
Like most subcultures, Cyber ​​Goths originated from musical styles such as Noise and Industrial, which were radically different from other existing styles of that time period. As a musical basis, preference is given to him. If we briefly touch upon the description of this style, it will be clear that in addition to the sounds of the guitar and standard songs in the rock style, samples are actively used in it (sounds created with the help of electronic instruments, i.e. computer and other special equipment oriented for musicians).
You can not ignore the appearance of the subculture. In general, it has nothing to do with other existing species. The main hairstyles used are: dreadlocks, hair dyed in different colors, often found among representatives of this movement and Iroquois, but they have nothing in common with the punk subculture. The color scheme ranges from green to black, but bright ones are predominantly used. The word Cyber ​​is used for a reason. If you take a closer look at their appearance, you can see the microcircuits involved as an element of clothing design, i.e. own style. The clothing is mostly made up of leather or synthetic material.
Since this is the most modern subculture, the passion for computers is considered here by default. 90% of representatives of this informal direction are well versed in today's computer technologies. The only thing left of the ideology of the Goths is the belief in the apocalypse (judgment day), which is approaching every day and will affect at least the whole world. The new Cyber ​​Ready movement simply does not have more in common with its original direction (Appendix 2).

5.6.Emo

Emo (English emo: from emotional - emotional) is a youth subculture formed on the basis of fans of the musical style of the same name. Its representatives are called emo-kids (emo + eng. kid - young man; child) or, depending on gender: emo-boy (eng. boy - boy, guy), emo-girl (eng. girl - girl, girl) .

attitude

Expression of emotions is the main rule for emo kids. They are distinguished by: self-expression, opposition to injustice, a special, sensual attitude. Often, an emo kid is a vulnerable and depressed person. There is a stereotype of emo as whiny boys and girls. Despite the fact that emo-core appeared and developed as a subspecies of punk rock, the value orientations of these subcultures are completely different. Unlike classic punks, emo is distinguished by romanticism and an emphasis on sublime love. Emo attention is more often drawn to deep personal experiences than to social events. Emo culture is completely devoid of aggression, characteristic of hardcore - the direct ancestor of emo.

Emo is often compared to the goth subculture, which is usually objected to by both Goths and emo kids, although some agree that there is a certain kinship between these subcultures. Some subculture researchers have suggested that emos are at even greater risk of suicide than goths. According to Graham Martin, editor of the Australian Mental Health Journal: “For example, one emo culture website described the key difference between the categories as emo hate themselves, goths hate everyone. If this self-hatred is true, then it can be assumed that emos are at greater risk of harming themselves than their goth peers. Thus, there is a certain risk in identifying with emo culture. It is safe to say (although no formal studies have been conducted on this topic) that self-destructive behavior is common in this group and is a key feature of emo culture.

emo image

The traditional emo hairstyle is considered to be a slanting, torn bang to the tip of the nose, covering one eye, and short hair sticking out in different directions at the back. Preference is given to hard straight black hair. Girls can have children's, funny hairstyles - two "little tails", bright "hairpins" - "hearts" on the sides, bows. To create these emo hairstyles, a large amount of fixing hairspray is used.

Often emo kids pierce their ears or make tunnels. On the face and other parts of the body of an emo kid, there may be piercings (for example, in the lips and left nostril, eyebrows, bridge of the nose).

Both boys and girls can paint their lips to match their skin color, use a light foundation. The eyes are thickly summed up with a pencil or mascara. Nails are covered with black varnish.

clothing

Emo is characterized by clothes in pink and black colors with two-tone patterns and stylized icons. The main colors in clothes are black and pink (purple), although other shockingly bright combinations are considered acceptable (Appendix 1).

There are combinations in wide stripes. Often the clothes show the names of emo bands, funny drawings or broken hearts. There are features of the sports style of clothing for skateboarders and BMXers.

The most typical clothes:

1. Skinny, tight-fitting T-shirt.
2. Skinny jeans in black or ash blue, possibly with holes or patches.
3. Black or pink belt with studs, loose chains and a large badge with symbols.
4. Sneakers with bright or black laces, laced in a special way.
5. Checkered kerchief around the neck.
6. There are headbands with a bow. Striped leggings on the arms. Unisex clothing is less common.

paraphernalia

Emo is characterized by the following attributes:

1. Shoulder bag covered with patches and badges.
2. Badges attached to clothes and sometimes shoes.
3. Big Glasses in bright or black colors.
4. Bright multi-colored (usually silicone) bracelets on the arms, snaps or punk paraphernalia (studded wristbands) are especially popular.
5. Large beads of bright colors on the neck.
6. Soft toys in the form of bears, with which emo-kids rip open their stomachs and sew them up with thick threads. Such toys play the role of original talismans. They are taken with them for walks, to classes, they stay at home and sleep with them.
7. Wristbands on the hands.

characteristic gestures

1. Tilt your head so that the bangs hang down, and put two fingers to the temple in the manner of a pistol.
2. Put your hands together in the shape of a heart.
3. Curl your legs with your feet inward and slightly bend your knees.
4. Photograph your reflection in the mirror.

6.Japanese subcultures

Japanese youth subcultures - a number of subcultures among Japanese youth, distinguished by their own philosophy, clothing style and musical preferences. Inextricably linked with street fashion, therefore, the term "Japanese street fashion" is also often associated with subcultures, sometimes these terms replace each other. Most of the subcultures appeared as a protest against traditional Japanese ideals of beauty and social norms.

The center of Japanese youth subcultures is the Harajuku quarter in the Shibuya region, where the lolita style and the mixed fruit style appeared. Shibuya is also the birthplace of gyaru, and the Akihabara quarter in the Chiyoda district is a mecca for fans of Japanese animation (anime) and comics (manga). At the moment, there are several main areas of typically Japanese subcultures.

6.1 Akihabara-kei and anime culture

"Otaku" in Japan is called a person who is fond of something, but outside the country, including in Russia, this concept is usually used in relation to fans of anime and manga. In Japan, the slang term "akihabara-kei" is used for anime and manga otaku, referring to young people who spend all their time in the Akihabara area and are fascinated by the world of anime and its elements. The Akihabara area is an important center of Japanese contemporary culture. In the 2000s, he became strongly associated with the Japanese game industry and major anime and manga publishers.

One of the central elements of otaku culture is the concept of moe, which means fetishization or attraction to fictional characters.

6.2.Cosplay

Cosplay (abbreviated from the English costume play - “costume game”) is a form of embodiment of the action performed on the screen. Modern cosplay originated in Japan among Japanese anime and manga fans, so usually the main prototype of the action is manga, anime, video games or a historical film about samurai. Other prototypes can be j-rock/j-pop bands, Visual Kei representatives and the like.

Cosplay participants identify themselves with some character, are called by his name, wear similar clothes, use similar speech turns. Often during cosplay, role-playing is played out. Costumes are usually sewn on their own, but they can also be ordered from an atelier or bought ready-made (in Japan, for example, the business of producing costumes and accessories for cosplay is quite widespread) (Appendix 2).

6.3.Visual kei

The musical genre Visual kei originated from Japanese rock as a result of mixing it with glam rock, metal and punk rock in the 1980s. "Visual kei" literally means "visual style". It is characterized by the use of make-up, elaborate hairstyles, flamboyant costumes, and its followers often resort to an androgynous aesthetic.

Thanks to fans, visual kei, as a subculture, was able to acquire a fashion component, while simultaneously absorbing elements of lolita, fruit, and more traditional Japanese ideas about male beauty. Metalheads can also be found among visual kei fans.

In the external appearance of the musicians of visual kei groups, the features of "gothic lolitas" appeared (Appendix 2). In turn, the second wave of visual kei, with representatives such as Malice Mizer, enriched the Gothic & Lolita subculture, influencing its development and popularizing this fashion among visual kei fans with its appearance. It has become common for visual kei musicians to use Lolita attire as well. Many visual kei musicians have spoken about their interest in this trend in fashion.

Lolita fashion is a subculture based on the style of the Victorian era, as well as on the costumes of the Rococo era.and partly on elements of gothic fashion. Lolita is one of the most massive subcultures in Japan, leaving a mark on fashion, music and fine arts. A Lolita costume typically consists of a knee-length skirt or dress, headpiece, blouse, and high heeled shoes (or platform boots).

The prototypes of the future Lolita fashion can already be seen in the fashion of the Rococo era, for example, in the fashion of Europe at that time. Combining elements of the Victorian era and Rococo, Lolita also borrowed Western traditions and elements of Japanese street fashion itself. Despite the fact that Lolita fashion imitates typical European looks, it has become a purely Japanese fashion and cultural trend. The ancestor of the style was the Gothic Lolita subculture.

6.4. Gyaru

Gyaru is a Japanese transcription of gal from a distorted English girl (eng. Girl). The term can mean both the Japanese subculture popular among girls, which peaked in the 1990s, and the lifestyle itself. The name comes from the advertising slogan of the 1970s jeans brand "GALS" - "I can not live without men", which became the motto of young girls. The current gyaru, like their varieties of kogyaru and ganguro, have earned the nicknames "oya o nakaseru" (make parents cry) and "daraku jokusei" (degenerate schoolgirls) for breaking traditional taboos for Japanese women and being fascinated by Western values. Kogyaru's motto is Biba jibun! (“Hail me!”). They are distinguished by frivolous behavior, positive thinking, love for bright fashionable clothes, special ideas about the ideals of beauty. Men can also belong to the gyaru subculture, the so-called "gyaruo". Since their inception, gyaru have become one of the most important elements of Japanese street fashion.

Ganguro is a gyaru fashion trend. The appearance of the ganguro may be the most extreme and flamboyant among the gyaru when the manbu is considered as part of them. Given the widespread confusion between ganguro and gyaru in general on the Russian-speaking Internet, it should be noted that Ganguro is only a trend among gyaru, such as himegyaru or kogyaru, and not the main subculture.

Ganguro appeared in the 1990s and immediately began to strongly distance themselves from the traditional views of the Japanese woman. Their main features are deep tan, bleached hair (from just light to silver) and bright clothes. Like most Japanese subcultures, large-soled shoes are popular with ganguro. One of the biggest reasons for the emergence of ganguro is the huge popularity of j-pop singer Namie Amuro. She introduced the fashion for tan, bleached hair and the skirt + boots style, which largely determined the foundations of ganguro.

According to researchers of Japanese pop culture, ganguro is a protest against traditional Japanese ideas about female beauty. This is a response to Japan's long social isolation and conservative rules in Japanese schools.. At the same time, many young Japanese women wanted to look like tanned girls fromCalifornia they saw in American movies or hip-hop music videos. For these reasons, the media perceives ganguro negatively, as well as all gyaru fashion in general (Appendix 2).

First of all, ganguros are known for their deep tan, so strong that they can often be confused with mulattos. For this, they often become the object of criticism from Japanese hip-hop musicians, who nicknamed ganguro "black wannabes" (Russian. I want to be black, close in meaning to the Russian "poseur"). For example, the Japanese rapper Banana Ice noted that the hip-hop culture of Japan is original and does not seek to copy the African-American. He devoted several songs to this topic, where he ridicules and criticizes ganguro and that part of the Japanese hip-hop scene, which he considers "black wannabie".

6.5.Fruits (Harajuku style)

The Harajuku area is a cult place for adherents of Japanese street fashion. First of all, this area is known for the youth subculture Harajuku garuzu, with its characteristic bright costumes, an abundance of accessories and a “combination of incongruous” The costume can include both gothic and cyberpunk, as well as club neon colors. Separately, one can single out the “punk direction”, for which plaid and leather pants, the use of chains and other rock attributes.

The subculture "harajuku garuzu" arose in the mid-1990s, along with the appearance on the streets of Harajuku of young people in costumes, consisting of a huge variety of items of clothing and accessories. The variety of elements of outfits of representatives of this subculture is huge, and the number of their possible combinations is almost limitless: on a person dressed in this way, one could see elements of European costumes mixed with Japanese ones, expensive clothes along with needlework or second-hand clothes.

This has not gone unnoticed by the fashion industry. In 1997, photographer Shoichi Aoki released the first issue of the monthly "FRUITS", named after the emerging subculture, the first issue of which was photographs of teenagers from the streets of Harajuku. In the same issue of the magazine, Aoki expressed his view of the movement, declaring the appearance of "fruits" as a cultural revolution and a rebellion against the stereotyped appearance. The author considered the most important property of the movement to be democratic, the ability of any person to join fashion, regardless of financial capabilities. Here, Aoki saw a chance to confront the big brands that dictate the trends in the fashion industry... At the same time, fashion "fruits" are noticed by famous Japanese designers such as Yoji Yamamoto and Mihara Yasuhiro. Thanks to them, Harajuku fashion gets even more impetus for further development.

The essence of the Fruits ideology lies in the ability of each person to create their own ideal of modern beauty, accessible to people with any financial capabilities, and in the rejection of stamps and patterns imposed from above. The main role in creating a costume is played by the imagination and the almost unlimited choice. So, one day a teenager or young person may appear on the street dressed in military style - in a foreign military uniform, taking a gas mask with him as an accessory - and the next day dress up in a Pokemon costume and put on boots with very high soles. Subsequently, the fruit style was integrated into Japanese street fashion in general, glorifying Tokyo fashion.

Gradually, fruit fashion has become a global trend. Thanks to Aoki and several fashion brands, fashion shows and fruit festivals have been held in the US and Australia. This subculture also penetrated into Russia.

Russian fruits differ from the Japanese in some ways. For example, in Russia they can borrow some tendencies from gyaru, although traditionally Harajuku youth ignores gyaru, and some - gothic lolitas - are their staunch opponents.

Fruits, along with fashion from Harajuku, found themselves in Japanese music, in the visual kei subgenre - oshare kei. Initially, some osyare groups were also called "decora-kei" (one of the names for fruits) due to their demonstrative adherence to Harajuku fashion.

7.Conclusion

In the last two decades, irreversible changes have taken place in society, which have a significant impact on the younger generation. The current young generation is brought up in fundamentally different conditions than the previous one. The social stratification of society, the lack of clear moral guidelines, the growing role of religion - all this is a reality to which one must adapt. Teenagers do this in a very mobile way - for example, they are included in market relations. The dynamism of the change in consciousness is a feature of this social group.

According to the statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, approximately 25% of young people from 12 to 30 years old suffer from drug addiction. In addition, the curve of not only teenage but also child alcoholism is creeping up. According to the latest data, minors and young people make up 70-80% of drug addicts, more and more cases of the disease are observed in 7-8 year old children. Colombia, Brazil and Russia have the highest levels of violence among young people, according to UNESCO.

Adolescents in the current situation seemed to be in the most difficult position, because their need for inclusion, involvement in society, the desire for self-affirmation, self-improvement, on the one hand, is stimulated by the processes taking place now; on the other hand, it is severely confronted, firstly, with a lack of understanding, respect on the part of the adult community, which does not emphasize, does not fix, the attribution of a growing person; secondly, with the lack of conditions for a real exit of a teenager to the serious affairs of society. This contradiction leads to an acute conflict and an artificial delay in the personal development of adolescents, depriving them of the opportunity to take an active social position.

…Forbid? This will not destroy subcultures, but will only drive you underground and change you beyond recognition, and for the worse (after all, when you are told a hundred times a day that you are bad, this can not only seriously offend you, but also change your character, worldview) .
Now there is a discussion in the media about positive and destructive subcultures, about their "harm" and "usefulness".

But, perhaps, we should not talk about the destructiveness of a particular subculture, but about its individual representatives. As in any social group, in the subculture you can also meet both criminals and drug addicts ... No association is immune from this, these are the features of society. But dividing a subculture into "dangerous" and "safe" can be a trap.

Let's remember how in Soviet times punks, hippies and metalworkers were classified as socially dangerous movements! But time passed, and it turned out that these were not bandits at all, but just guys with their hobbies. Therefore, I am categorically against labeling, they say, this subculture is good, but this one is bad. By banning supposedly "harmful" movements, we drive them underground and force them to rebel - this is a natural psychological reaction, especially for young people and adolescents.

A subculture is a part of a social organism; it does not contradict the basic culture, but complements it. Therefore, let's first study subcultures, and only then try to ban them. Let's talk about it: let the adults hear the young, and the young hear the adults. After all, we all have much more in common than differences, and we can always agree.

Literature and sources

1.fsselectrton.forumbook.ru/t44-topic

3. Lecture №11 Post-society (Structural sociology) prof. Dugin. www.konservatizm.org/konservatizm/sociology/

4.molodezhnye-extrimizm-rossii.com/2011/05/molodezhnye-subculture/

5. Youth hangouts and subcultures/ coolreferat.com/

6.stud24.ru/sociology/molodjozhnaya

7.turbopro.ru/itk/web/istoria.html

8. "Theory of fashion." No. 10, winter 2008-2009. Dick Hebdige. Chapters from the book "Subculture: the meaning of style."

9. "Theory of fashion." No. 10, winter 2008-2009. Dmitry Gromov. Lubera: how they became boys.

10. "Theory of fashion." No. 10, winter 2008-2009. Joe Turney. A look through the security camera: anti-social knitwear and "those creepy hooded types."
11. "Theory of fashion." No. 10, winter 2008-2009. Ann Pearson-Smith. Goths, Lolitas, Darth Vaders and the Fancy Dress Box: An Exploration of the Southeast Asian Cosplay Phenomenon.