skinhead2

Skinhead History

Skinhead origins begin in Britain in the mid to late 1960's. Out of a youth
cult known as the "Mods," the rougher kids began cutting their hair close,
both to aid their fashion and prevent their hair from hindering them in
street fights. These working class kids adopted the name "Skinheads" to
separate themselves from the more dainty and less violent Mods. Huge groups
of these explosive youths would meet every Saturday at the football grounds
to support their local teams. The die hard support for a group's team often
lead to skirmishes between opposing supporters, leading to Britain's
legendary "football violence." When night swept the island, the skinheads
would dress in the finest clothes they could afford, and hit the dance
halls. It was here they danced to a new sound that was carried to Britain
by Jamaican immigrants. This music went by many names including: the ska,
jamacian blues, blue beat, rocksteady, and reggae. At these gatherings the
skinheads would dance, drink, and laugh with each other and the Jamaican
immigrants whom brought the music to Britian.

During the 1970's, there were many changes in the "typical" skinhead. For
some fashion went from looking smooth in the best clothes you could afford
with a blue-collar job, to looking like you were at home, even when you
were out. For others the disco craze of the seventies hit hard, resulting
in feathered hair, frilly pants, and those ugly seventies shoes. By the
late 70's the National Front, Britain's National Socialist party, had
invaded the skinhead movement. Kids were recruited as street soldiers for
NF. Since skinheads were already a violent breed, the NF decided that if
their young recruits adopted the skinhead appearance, the might benefit
from the reputation. It was at this point that racism permeated the
skinhead cult without the consent of its members.

Also by the mid 70's punk had put the rebellion back in rock-and-roll,
opening a new avenue for street kids to express their frustrations. The
shifting mindset brought kids into the skinhead movement as yet another
form of expression. By the late 70's punk had been invaded by the colleges,
and record labels, letting down kids who truly believed in its rebellion.
From the streets came a new kind of punk rock, a type which was meant
to be

true to the working class and the kids on the street. This new music was
called "Oi!" by Gary Bushell, and the name stuck. Oi! revived the breath of
the working class kids. Because of Oi! music's working class roots, the
media scorned its messages unlike they had done with the first wave of
punk. With the change in music came a new kinds of skinheads, and the gaps
between the different types widened. Aside from the National Front's
skinheads, the movement had been simply a working class struggle, rather
than a right-left political struggle. With skinheads forming their own
bands, political lines began to be drawn on the basis of right-left and
even non-political politics. Politically right groups were often associated
with the National Front and had distinct racial messages. Leftist groups
looked at the working class struggle through labor politics. Non-political
groups often shunned both sides simply because they chose to be political.
The Oi! movement consumed most of the 1980's and is still alive today.

Skinheads have spread to every part of the globe. Each country supports an
independent history of skinhead goals, values, and appearances. The
definition of "skinhead" varies from country to country, which doesn't say
too much since it also varies from city to city.

Starting in the late 80's, through present day, there has been a large
resurgence back to the "traditional" values and appearance of the 1960's
skinhead. This has occurred in Britain, America, as well as most of Europe.
This has lead to even more tension, this time between "traditional," and
"non-traditional" skins.