A movement that started originally in 1960's England, the Skinhead culture is still alive and well. I want to share a history of the culture and look into how and why the culture is still and thriving over 50 years later.
The Skinhead movement would not have been able to exist without the arrival into England of the Windrush Generation. This was the arrival of Jamacian individuals, who brought with them, Ska music and a new sharp Rudeboy image.
Soon enough the working class youth of Britain and the new Jamacian arrivals were mixing in dancehalls and on the streets, this created a mix of music, style and culture.
The Skinhead culture, also, can be seen to be like a little brother to the Mod culture. Derived from the word Modernist, Mods were English working class youths who were focused on dressing sharp. Focused on wearing suits and looking as pristine as possible, this culture also had it's own music associated with it such as Soul, R&B and Jazz.
The 60's brought a harder look to the Mod style, the Skinheads still maintained a sharp and pristine look however possibly due to areas in which they worked they adopted boots. Their hair became shorter also as opposed so the longer hair of the Mods. They were sometimes called Hard Mods.
The Skinhead culture was developing at a time when the Hippie culture was emerging also. These two cultures could not have been more opposite. The Skinhead culture was all about being pristine, clean and neat in all aspects of appearance and clothing, the working class youths had worked hard for their money so of course they wanted to purchase expensive clothing and keep them looking sharp. However the middle class Hippie culture was opposite to this, they often didn't care if they were dirty or their hair was untamed and a mess, I believe this was part of their message to the Government about their being bigger issues at the time in society than wearing deodorant but personally I believe personal hygiene to be a number one issue in society.. anyway..
And so, with the mix of the Working Class Mod culture and the Jamaican Rudeboy culture, the Skinhead was born. However the second wave of Skinheads in the 1980's brought a more sinister tone with it.
The 1980's was a hard time within British society, mass unemployment and a bleak government fronted by Margaret Thatcher brought with it tough times for the working class youth of Britain. Around this time the second wave of Skinheads were being recruited into far right groups such as National Front and the British Movement. This group of Skinheads can be associated less with the original Skinheads, as their far right beliefs are completely against the roots of the culture. As the roots of the culture comes from the mixing of black and white working class, English and Jamaican youths. In the 80's and 90's the Skinhead look was also appropriated by racist American gangs also, tarnishing the iconic image.
It is a shame a subsculture with such a rich identity, that is literally rooted in the mixing of black and white has it's association with racism and far right beliefs because everyone, who is a true Skinhead, knows that that is not what the culture is about at all.
In to the 21st century and the Skinhead culture is still alive and well. The 2006 cult classic film This Is England shone a light on the culture in the modern day.
Overall, many Skinheads today in the third and fourth wave have parents or older relatives who were Skinheads, the Ska music, Rudeboy fashion and ideology being passed down.
As long as people are still listening and dancing to Ska, Skinheads will always be around.
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