Subculture and Style

Subculture is a group of people belonging to a culture that separates them from the larger culture to which they belong. Subcultures are usually frowned upon by society as they don’t conform to the views held by society at the time.

Graffiti subculture aims to create a place where everyone, regardless of background, can express themselves. It tries to maintain the message that ‘you are what you write’, however women who enter this subculture are often alienated and feel objectified as their appearance and sexuality will draw attention rather than the message on the wall.

Women in subcultures tend to become objectified as the term subculture has acquired strong masculine tones. In biker culture, women tend to ride at the back and would act as the girlfriend or the motherly figure.

During the mid-1990’s, an underground movement known as Riot Grrrl emerged. Riot Grrrl’s subculture derived from 1970’s punk fashion and the Dada movement in the 1920’s and 30’s. While female musicians such Courtney Love began to publish their own works, the media began to trivialise the subculture by making it friendlier to society i.e. the spice girls and their ‘girl power’. The trivialisation of the message behind Riot Grrrl meant that there was no empowerment of women represented in the media as they were reduced to stereotypes.

Dick Hebdige suggests that subculture’s represent interference in society and the media. As more people being to join a subculture, its signs and statements are turned into mass produced objects. The anti-fashion statements behind the ripped clothes during the punk subculture soon became a fashion statement. Hebdige stated that the media neutralise subcultures by suggesting that these subcultures are a threat to society. As subculture’s become more domesticated and mainstream they die out.