SUBCULTURES: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SKINHEADS

'This is England' (2006) by Shane Meadows. Image tsken from http://media.warp.net/images/this_is_england1.jpg

So following on from our research into the subcultures out there, we are now required to select a particular subculture that we're interested in investigated in much more detail. As a big fan of the 'Levis and Docs' look, I have chosen to look at the Skinhead movement. Of course we're all familiar with the 2006 film 'This is England', which gives a credibly accurate insight into 1983 England life and the trials and tribulations following the pressures of the recession. The Skinheads are retrospectively looked at as a negative trend due to the general understanding of their culture being of the Neo-Nazi Skinheads who, as most will know, were quite shockingly racist and created a lot of controversial press at the time. However, it is my aim to highlight the qualities and colourful culture of the non-racist Skinheads who were, in some cases, quite an inspirational group of people in that they had very strong views and were never afraid to voice those views to get justice for what was right. I will be investigating the subculture in as much detail as possible; looking at where the Skinhead movement originally came from. What were their motivations? What influenced their fashion choices? I hope to answer all of these questions with as much primary information as possible, ideally through interviewing or somehow contacting an original Skinhead who can tell me first hand what their culture was like.