In engaging with subculture street culture, do girls simply mimic the Essay

In engaging with subculture street culture, do girls simply mimic the practices of their male counterparts or exhibit their own - Essay Example Current paper focuses on a particular cultural style: subculture street culture. Particular reference is made to the engagement of girls with subculture street culture and the points at which this engagement is differentiated from that of boys. The literature developed in regard to this issue has been reviewed; a relevant interview has been also employed so that all aspects of this study’s subject are fully explored. The key finding of the study seems to be the following: girls tend to mimic boys in engaging with subculture street culture but they may introduce elements of behaviour or dressing aiming to show their willingness for expressing own specificity. 2. Subculture and street culture 2.1 Characteristics and aspects of subculture and street culture In order to understand the modes of engagement used by girls in regard to subculture and street culture it would be necessary to explore primarily the context of culture and subculture. Then the criteria and the methods used b y girls to be engaged with subculture could be fully understood. According to Hebdige (1979) culture is a term that can be described as ‘tending’. ... rtance of culture as an indication of moral values (Hoggart and Williams in Hebdige 1979, p.5) while Barthes (1972) considered that culture should be considered more as related to everyday life (Barthes in Hebdige 1979, p.6). At this point, the following question should appear: which of the above approaches in regard to culture should be taken as the basis for evaluating the content and the popularity of subculture street culture among young people? If the first view, that of Hoggart and Williams is rejected this means that subculture in general is opposed to moral and ethics, an assumption that could not be accepted. On the other hand, the second view seems to be closer to the actual role of subculture street culture: to establish a community of ideas/ trends for its supporters, i.e. to become a style of life for those who believe that these trends reflect their personal beliefs and thoughts. In other words, subculture, as part of culture, could be regarded as being a style of life in the context of which specific behavioural and dressing codes apply and which is not necessarily opposed to morals. However, it is possible for a mode of subculture to challenge morals and ethics, an intention that it is usually expressed clearly by the creators of the relevant movement/ mode of subculture. When referring specifically to subculture, the following issue should be highlighted: in most cases, subculture is considered as opposed to social order (Hebdige 1979). For example, ‘teddy boys, punks and skinheads’ (Hebdige 1979, p.3) have been often treated as a threat for social order. Of course, it cannot be denied that these forms of subculture have been developed in order to express ‘the resistance to the existing political and social system’ (Hebdige 1979, p.3). Still,