Teddy Boys Research Paper

William H. Bonney, who was also known as Billy the Kid and also known as Henry Antrim, was born November 23, 1859. He had slim physique, blue eyes, and sandy blonde hair. These features along with his childish face are why he got the nickname “Kid”. Billy the Kid was a gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier outlaw in the Old American West. According to legend, he killed 21 men, but it is believed that he only killed between four and nine. He killed his first man at the age of 18. He was not a cold-blooded killer or a robber of trains or banks. He is one of the many who fought in the Lincoln County War and he wasn’t a leader but a follower. His wit kept him alive

Movies starring young men as the main character such as The Wild One and Rebel Without a Cause inspired young men to follow punk style fashion trends. Wearing blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a leather jacket became popular around this time, and it was causing a generation of young men to change their attitudes. This trend became “a symbol of teenage rebellion for boys everywhere.” However, not all boys were following this punk style of fashion. Many were leaning more towards the British styles and trends, including the ‘teddy boy’ style, which consisted of high waisted, narrow ‘drain pipe’ trousers, long jackets, slim ties and large, shiny, pointed shoes. (http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-14_u-189_t-506_c-1873/nsw/history/australia's-social-and-cultural-history-in-the-post-war-period/social-and-cultural-features-of-the-1950s/fashion-in-the-1950s)

Rock and roll music emerged as a part of American teen culture during the notably conservative time period in the country’s history which shortly followed the traumatic events of World War II. Being that the genre’s target audience was white teenagers, many Americans- already overwhelmed and on-edge due to the anti-communist movement inspired by the Cold War- were apprehensive about the influence that this up-and-coming style of music might have on their country’s future. America’s youth openly accepted rock and roll’s racially integrated culture of performers and embraced the relatively lewd nature of many songs and performances associated with the genre, much to the dismay of their elders.

Teen culture in the 1950’s took off with the introduction of “Rock ‘N Roll”. An estimated 13 million teens spent $7 billion in 1956.(5) Teens felt free to do whatever they wanted, but that was not totally true. There were many common rules for the teen society in the 1950’s. Some of the rules were: Obey authority, control your emotions, and don’t even think about sexual intercourse.(Silverman 6)

The period of the 1950s to the 1960s brought about drastic changes to the Australian culture and history. However, the introduction of rock n’ roll style music was most influential towards teenagers and significantly altered history within youth culture because of its relatable tone. Furthermore, Australian society would not be the same without rock n’ roll style music, it had shaped and moulded Australia and impacted our daily activities. Additionally, the introduction of the rock n’ roll genre had instigated the ‘hippie’ and other fashion movements. Ultimately, developments and changes in Australian history during the 1950’s to 1960’s such as the introduction of rock n’ roll and its emergence into the fashion industry and teenagers’ ideals

The Paxton Boys were a group of Scot-Irish men who were retaliating against the American Indians, in 1763. They were fighting against the American Indians in the residuum of the French and Indian War and the Pontiac’s Rebellion. The Paxton boys invaded a small group of Conestoga Indians in Lancaster County. During the riot fourteen indians were being taken captive, six were murdered, and all of the prisoners were killed weeks later. The American Indians had not caused any problems before. They were always peaceful among their neighbors and had never experienced such a phenomenon, until this one.

The first thing that shall be addressed is the major fads that became dominant during this time period. The definition of the word ‘fad’ is an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived and without basis in the object's qualities; in other words, a craze. The fads of the 1940’s were border-line extravagant and on some occasions considered immoral

Many people all around the world complain about having to wear face masks or their children having too. They complain that boys don’t have to wear them, that this is a coach/parents decision, or that inexperienced players don’t need to play the field. Girls should not have to wear facemasks in the infield. “If I’m meant to get hit in the face, than I’m gonna get hit in the face.” This also goes back to players with less experience shouldn’t be playing the field.

Before rock and roll hit the Great Britain, blues and jazz were the genres of the era. Singers from various nations like the US or Africa, started working solo or as bands and increased the impact of music on people’slive. Before the 50’s, various controversies arose regarding the style of Jazz and Blues, and their effect on the local residents and “The "British Invasion" also began around 1963 with the arrival of The Beatles on the music scene and the type of rabid fandom that followed them would change the way people would view and interact with me and musicians forever.”(The People History). Although rock and roll began influencing Britain in the 1950s, it wasn’t until the early Sixties and the emergence of ‘British Invasion’ groups like The Beatles, that music truly began its revolutionary changes

With the economic decline and availability of jobs with upward movement, a culture of youths formed in Britain that challenged the ideals and cultural norms of the generations that came before them. A consistent movement from traditional society through youth subcultures brings light through the eyes of the musicians that describe their generation’s feelings of homelessness in an era filled with unemployment, low wages, and violence. The insurgence of the counterculture movement, poor economic conditions, and the commercialization of previous Rock and Roll music in Britain directly led to the punk subculture because it allowed youths to speak up about their conditions and frustrations through an easily understood and accessible medium while maintaining a different stance than their predecessors.

Abstract: While much has been written on the importance of gender and class in relation to male participants of historical youth cultures, women are usually overlooked or conceptualised as occupying separate spaces and identities in relation to pre-existing understandings of “male” identity (such as Skeggs and McRobbie). In relation to Teddy Boys, Teddy Girls are rarely-mentioned and under researched. They are seen as an “add-on”, or afterthought to their male counterparts. This paper aims to contribute to the wider narrative of females as active participants in constructing cultural identity. As well as re-situate a particular female identity within cultural

In the 1930’s the American tastes level was at its peak, rivaling that of any European country. It was a time when American men took pride in the clothing they wore and the image they partake in(Trepainer,1). The men partake an image of etiquette, and elegance in their new style. Some of their inspiration or admiration for their style is Silver Screen stars such as Clark Gable, Cary Grant, and Fred Astaire.

Many young people seek to use music to help themselves be more accepted in the world, so that they can be easily categorisable in the mainstream. Many girls of ages 9 – 13 may have an interest in a popular ‘boy band' of the time. This is an example of how, though a girl's identity could be partly influenced by such a band, ultimately, their music and appeal is limited in scope because after four or five years the band is likely to have split up. The media promotes such a band because it targets girls who are seeking to find an identity and because these years

Socialist youths experienced an inspiration from global trends whilst behind the Eastern Bloc, due to its ‘phenomenal appeal’. This then evolved into their own adaptations as a way to rebel against conformity, and the pressure that was put upon them by the Soviet regime; to appear in their own ideal way. Moreover, this was further extenuated via the post-war youth not being able to identify with their older generation and their socialist ideology. Political beliefs further escalated these local adaptations of worldwide trends. There were clearly certain Western fashions that were present in these youth subcultures such as music (punk, rock etc.) and clothing. However, to a greater extent these trends were then adapted into their own interpretations;

The teddy boys in the 1950s and 60s wore Edwardian suits and cropped hair, and created violence on the streets. Next were the Mods and the Rockers of the 1960s, the former dressed up in tailored suits and desired to be the upper class whereas the latter wore leather jackets and went against the upper class principles. Britain’s declining economy and the immigration of foreigners led to the emergence of the violent Skinheads who were extreme nationalists and racists. British media theorist and sociologist Dick Hebdige wrote in his book subculture: the meaning of style that “we are interested in subculture , the teddy boys and mods and rockers, the skinheads and the punks – who are alternately dismissed, denounced, canonized; treated at different times as threats to public order and as harmless buffoons (1979,