Today skinheads are a subculture of nationalists. The irony is that in the distant 1960s, the non-white population of England largely shaped the tastes and attributes of future neo-fascists, and the war was fought on a completely different front. Initially, skinheads, representatives of the proletariat, opposed themselves to the fashion, the polished youth of the wealthy middle class. But they were friends with the ore boys - young emigrants from Jamaica, which at that time suffered from unemployment. Migrants from the island naturally rushed to the former metropolis to earn money. And, it would seem, the wave of migration should have caused a surge in aggressiveness on the part of the indigenous population, but the ore fighters and skinheads became friends on the basis of common social isolation, and they often worked in the same factories. That is, initially the conflict existed not on a racial, but on an economic plane. Young skinheads adopted the basic elements of appearance and musical tastes from the rud-boys. His idol was, for example, Desmond Decker, a popular ska and reggae performer at the time, and later the well-known Bob Marley. Moreover, the wide distribution of native Jamaican musical motifs is largely explained by their popularity among skinheads, who have made reggae and ska part of their culture.

Excerpt from “You’ll Never Be 16 Again” by Peter Everett: “Soon you couldn’t go to a black guy’s party without finding a group of skinheads there. But, surprisingly, there was not the slightest disagreement based on racial and cultural differences. White and black youth have never been as close as during the birth of the skinhead movement. Skinheads copied our gait, manner of dressing, speaking, and dancing. They hung out with our girls, smoked our weed, ate our food and bought our records."

What they looked like

Short haircuts

It is not easy to clearly distinguish between the style of the rud-boys and the skinheads of the 1960s; in those days, the attributes of both subcultures were closely intertwined. Fashion for short haircuts, for example, skinheads adopted it from their Jamaican friends, but this hairstyle also had a purely practical meaning. The absence of lush hair protected from dust, dirt and lice, inevitable when working in factories, factories and mines. Skinheads began shaving their heads only in the 1970s, and initially they wore a short crew cut. Girls sometimes left bangs and locks on the sides, and cut the back of their heads short, just like boys. This haircut distinguished skinheads and rud-boys from mods who preferred long hairstyles.

Suspender

Suspenders are another integral attribute of skinheads, borrowed from the rud boys. Their width, as a rule, did not exceed two and a half centimeters.

Jeans

What is noteworthy is not the jeans themselves, but the way the skinheads wore them: at the waist (suspenders helped) and rolled up almost to the middle of the ankle so as not to get dirty. Among the manufacturers, Levi's, Lee and Wrangler were held in high esteem.

Army boots

Almost all photographs of the 1960s show skinheads wearing heavy combat boots. The choice fell on these shoes not because they were more painful to hit, but because the military uniform was cheap. For the same reason, many skinheads preferred camouflage jackets and pants. Boots Dr. Martens, as the most plausible imitation of military shoes, became popular later.

Shirts and polos

Check, the favorite print of all the British, was used by many brands of the time. The Ben Sherman brand was in demand among skinheads. Polo, in turn, was first worn not for playing tennis. Fred Perry became a classic. According to one version, the reason is in the logo, a laurel wreath, symbolizing victory since antiquity.

Cardigans and V-neck sweaters

Nowadays you won't see a skinhead wearing a cardigan or a V-neck sweater, but thirty-five years ago this was par for the course.

crombie coat

The most desired item for a skinhead was a crombie coat. Coats of a straight silhouette with shoulder pads and lapels were also worn by fashion, but unlike wealthy youth, guys working in factories could rarely afford to buy an unworn new thing. The way they wore it was also different: skinheads looked casual in crombies. Also common were jeans, bombers, harringtons, overalls, and sometimes parkas and trench coats.

From rebels to neo-Nazis

The skinhead movement finally took shape in the late 1960s. It was then that the press first began to write about him. These were mostly notes about small fights: first about battles for territory, in the 1970s - about football fights. But there was no emphasis on race. Skinheads beat mods, teddies, hippies, students, but not blacks.

The transformation into the image we know today began with the first waves of Asian migrants in the 1970s. While the African and Jamaican populations were able to adapt, people from India and Pakistan did not find love among the “second wave” of skinheads. Their culture was too far from European, so they were perceived as strangers to a much greater extent than African Americans. The skinhead movement became massive, and in the wake of dislike for the Asian population, it also became politically active. The British nationalist party, the National Front, also contributed to the change in thinking. In the second half of the 1970s, it actively recruited aggressive skinheads into its ranks. For the first time, the slogan “Keep Britain White” was heard, the music group Skrewdriver, which considered itself a skinhead, announced its neo-Nazi views at the “Rock Against Communism” concert, and in the popular British program Donahuue show, for the first time, a skinhead was identified with a racist.

Shaven-headed guys in high boots, rolled up jeans, thin suspenders and buttoned polo shirts finally began to be associated with fascism and xenophobia with the coming to power of Margaret Thatcher. As a result of its internal economic policies, mines and factories were closed en masse, and entire sectors of the economy were abolished. Unemployment has increased enormously, leading to a fierce struggle for jobs. From this moment, the movement of NS skinheads (National Socialist skinheads) began, who believed that emigrants were taking away their jobs. As a result, Nazi sentiments prevailed among skinheads, and the original principles and ideals were forgotten.

Despite such a sad end, true tolerance towards representatives of other cultures is worth learning from the “first wave” of skinheads. Those who in the modern world are considered the embodiment of racial intolerance, aggression and extremism, in the 1960s could not have imagined the idea of ​​hating someone for their external differences. The same cannot be said about their followers, or indeed about most people today.

Their actions are condemned by society all over the world. They are feared and despised, called “murderers of democracy” and “Nazi bastards.” They are tried and imprisoned for murder. Many programs have been filmed about them and countless books have been written. Skinheads - who are they? Let's try to figure it out in detail.

The history of skinheads

First of all, let's make one point clear. Skinheads are a subculture. Yes, yes, the same subculture as the punk movement, goths, emo and so on. But don’t confuse “skins” with everyone else. The skinhead subculture is radically different from any other culture that arose under the influence of music. It all started, of course, in England, in good old London. Which is not surprising - the calm and arrogant English are famous for their ability to found wild and violent youth movements. Maybe they were just tired of being prim and cold? Who knows. But it is not important. So, the skinhead movement (skinheads, leather heads - English) started in the 60s of the twentieth century in poor working-class neighborhoods. And it came from the very popular mod movement (modernist, or, as they were also called, dudes), the teddy boys movement (or gopniks in Russian) and football hooligans. They wore heavy construction boots, heavy dockers' jackets, army T-shirts and jeans with suspenders. Doesn't remind you of anything? Quite right, the clothing style of the modern skinner was formed at the dawn of the movement. This was the typical clothing of a London worker who earned his bread through hard physical labor. A shaved head - a classic identifying mark of a skinny - served as protection from excess dirt and dust accumulating on the docks, as well as harmful insects type of lice. In general, heads were often not shaved, but only cut into a crew cut. The nickname “skinhead” in those days was offensive, humiliating, it was the name given to hard workers.

The first skins respected (!) blacks and mulattoes. Not surprisingly, there were many immigrants among the workers of that time. Skins and visitors from Jamaica had common views and listened to the same music, in particular reggae and ska. The skin movement was greatly influenced by the movement of football hooligans. In many respects, the skins owe it to him to have bomber jackets, which made it easy to slip out of the hands of an opponent during a street brawl, and a shaved head, thanks to which it was impossible to grab the bully by the hair. Of course, the skin youth had a lot of trouble with the police. Typically, both boys and girls took part in the movement. It would not be amiss to note that, like all football fans, skinheads loved to spend time in the pub with a glass of foam.

But time passes, people grow up, and the first wave of skins began to decline by the early 70s. The skinheads began to start families and slowly forget about their former violent lifestyle. However, nothing passes without a trace, and now England is already exploding with a wave of wild and aggressive music - punk rock. This style was ideal for working-class youth who were looking for harder music for their movement. Street punk appeared - an excellent solution for skins, which, with the light hand of one English newspaper scribbler, was given the name “Oi!” The style was different from punk - it was classic guitar riffs superimposed on a clearly audible line of bass guitar and drums. The choruses were similar to the screams of fans in the stands (hello hooligans!). With the music came additions to clothing - second wave skins began to wear army T-shirts more often. All this was alien to the old skins, who grumbled at the youth of the 70s for their music and clothes. At that time, the slogan “stay true to ’69” was common among the first wave of skinheads. It is believed that the peak of popularity of the skinhead movement occurred in 1969. So, English youth began to become more and more interested in punk music, and the working class got its own movement. Since the skins already had their own musical style and clothing style, their views turned to politics. Many skinheads began to support the struggle of right-wing parties, joining British neo-fascism, while others defended the ideas of the left, promoting the working class and the ideas of communism. Basically, the leftists were the first wave of skinnies who opposed racism. There were also apolitical groups that preferred their own subcultural politics.

The impetus for the development of the Nazi skinhead movement, that is, skins as they look now, was the transition of the punk group Skrewdriver from street punk directly to skinhead music. This was the first street punk band to publicly declare their neo-Nazi views. They opposed communism and sympathized with the National Front. By the end of the 70s, the right-wing movement intensified, and a racist skinhead appeared on the streets of London. This was a must see! All the media sounded the alarm, English society, not yet coming to its senses from the Second World War, looked with horror at any skinhead, seeing him as a fascist. The misconception about the “racist” nature of each skin was reinforced by the National Front and the Skrewdriver group. Politicians skillfully hurled the terms fascism and racism at the skins. Such actions had a result - skinheads began to be viewed extremely negatively.

Finally, by the mid-90s, the third wave of skinheads was forming. 17-18 – summer punks shave off their mohawks and join the ranks of skins. Old skin ideas are being revived and classic skinhead groups are being formed in most European and Western countries. Now it's basically a mixture of classic football hooligans and hardcore punk skins. In Russia, unfortunately, 99 percent of skinheads are supporters of neo-Nazi views. Modern Russian society firmly believes that any skinhead is a racist.

The history of skinheads

Skinhead clothing style

How to identify a representative of a particular subculture in a crowd? Of course, by his (her) clothes. Skinheads are no exception. Their attributes and clothing differ from general fashion, and, for the most part, are unified. Let's consider the general appearance modern skin. Let's limit ourselves to Russian skinheads as the trend that is most familiar to us - the type of Russian skin is almost no different from the Western one, the only difference is in the Nazi symbols used by our skins.

So, clothes. The “uniform” of skinheads is taken from the very origins of the movement, namely the London dock workers. These are heavy boots, camouflage pants and T-shirts. The classic type of skin is a black “bomber” (a wide, heavy jacket), blue or black jeans with rolled-up legs, suspenders and black ankle boots. Naturally, his head is shaved to a shine. The ideal shoe for skinning is the so-called “Grinders” boots. However, they are not cheap, so they are mainly limited to military shoes. Laces are a separate issue in the skin’s equipment. By the color of the laces you can determine whether it belongs to a particular movement group. For example, white laces are worn by those who killed or participated in the murder of a “non-Russian” person, red ones by antifa, brown ones by neo-Nazis. You can, of course, wear laces of any color without belonging to one group or another, but in this case it is better not to catch the attention of skinnies who respect traditions. In general, skinhead clothing is very practical - it helps to protect oneself in a fight and significantly makes blows harder. Attributes such as metal chains, carabiners, and so on also serve the same purpose. Some skins like stripes in the form of German crosses, swastikas and the like. True, they are used very rarely, because in this case the skin becomes easy prey for the police, revealing its ultra-right views.

Many skinheads love tattoos. They are usually applied to covered parts of the body that are not visible under a jacket on the street, since they can easily be used to identify a supporter of the movement. The theme of the tattoo is mostly monotonous - these are political far-right slogans, swastika symbols, German and Celtic crosses, images of the skins themselves in various poses, various inscriptions such as “Skinhead”, “White Power”, “Working class”, “National Front” and so on . For such tattoos, skinheads are often subject to persecution and violence from law enforcement agencies, since they directly shout about Nazi beliefs, so some prefer to apply less obvious images like pagan gods, weapons, animals, and so on. Letter codes are often pinned, for example, “88”, “14/88”, “18”. Here the number indicates the serial number of the letter in the Latin alphabet, that is, 88 - Heil Hitler, 18 - Adolf Hitler. 14 is not an alphabetic code, it is 14 words of the White Struggle motto, formulated by one of the ideologists of the skinhead movement, David Lane, who is serving life in a closed American prison: “we must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children” (“we must protect the present of our people and the future of our white children." Often there are double runes in the zig (SS) lightning bolt, the otal rune and other runic combinations.

This is the style of a modern skinhead. Of course, one should not assume that he is typical of everyone - many skins today dress like most ordinary people, since it is more difficult to identify them that way. Authentic skin clothing is a tribute to the traditions of the movement.

Skinhead clothing style

Skinhead ideology

So we got to the main thing. The ideology of the skinhead movement. Since the propaganda of Nazi skinheads and the ideology of racial superiority have done their job, it is difficult to find the ideology of true, “classic” skins on the Internet today. Let's try to correct this shortcoming and open the reader's eyes to the true state of affairs. For convenience, we will divide the skin movement into three main movements - classic skinheads, Nazi skinheads and red skinheads.

Go. Classic skinheads. They stood at the origins of the entire movement, therefore they are honored veterans. Their ideology is the opposition of the simple working class to the bourgeoisie, the opposition of young people to their parents. This is a rebuff to power over the poor and parental prohibitions. This is pride in ordinary workers and hatred of the rich. Classic skins are apolitical. They drink beer and love football - a tribute to the football hooligans who had a major influence on the movement. Not a single classic skinhead can do without a good fight - again, the influence of hooligans is noticeable. Actually, nothing special can be said about this trend. They love ska, reggae, Oi music! and so on.

Nazi skins. But here there is something to dwell on: racist skinheads are the scourge of modern society. They constantly organize fights, beat up foreign citizens, and protests. They are arrested, convicted, imprisoned, but they remain true to their ideals. The idea is simple - white supremacy and cleansing the country of alien elements. Taking advantage of popular hostility towards foreigners, skinheads often recruit an impressive number of young people into their ranks. In Russia, the Nazi skinhead movement is outrageously popular. Recently, things have reached the point that foreigners are simply afraid to be in the country and prefer to live where the problem of Nazism is not so acute. On the one hand, the Nazi ideology seems cruel and inhumane. The actions of skins find a huge resonance in modern society - they are hated, despised, and attempts are made to catch and punish them. Killing people is certainly not a good thing. On the other hand, one cannot help but notice that the actions of the skinheads had an effect - foreigners do not feel as free in the country as before. Objectively, we can say that skinheads are a way of protecting society from overly insolent immigrants. It is true that it is a pity that the killings of blacks and other citizens are often unjustified and do not have a retaliatory nature that could be explained. Protests by Russian skins are usually an attack on innocent black students, entrepreneurs, and so on.

Nazi skins are divided into two groups - ordinary skins and ideological leaders. The former, accordingly, participate in fights and actions and play an executive role. The latter deal with the political side of the issue, promote the ideas of Nazism in society, plan actions, and so on. Their sphere is the struggle for power in the country. Theoretically, the victory of such leaders in the political arena should mean peaceful, political settlement the issue of increasing numbers of immigrants. Agree, patriotism is not alien to any of us, and one day we don’t want to wake up in a country that is no longer ours. Many skinheads follow the trend of straight edge (straight edge from English - “clear edge”, abbreviated as sXe), that is, they lead healthy image life. This behavior undoubtedly ennobles the skin, so abundantly slandered by modern media and politicians. However, how to treat nationalists is a controversial issue; their movement contains both positive and negative sides. Everyone must make a decision for themselves.

And finally, antifa. Red skins, redskins, as they are also called. For every action there is a reaction, as Uncle Newton used to say. Supporters of the Red movement oppose racial prejudice and promote left-wing views - communism, class struggle, "factories to workers" and so on. There are two antifa movements: S.H.A.R.P. (SkinHeads Against Racial Prejudice) and R.A.S.H. (Red and Anarchist SkinHeads). In addition to “leftist” views, antifa have one more feature. They hate skins and carry out actions aimed at suppressing them. Fights between skinheads and antifa are not uncommon today. And again, the controversial question is how modern people should relate to anti-fascists. On the one hand, opposing racial murders is, of course, good. On the other hand, fighting using the enemy’s methods is pointless. You could say that antifa create as many problems as skinheads create. Moreover, the struggle of the Redskins is similar to the opening of a “second front” during the Second World War - late and with little results. Skinheads manage to repel antifa attacks and plan their own racist actions. The fight against illegal activities should be carried out by law enforcement, and not by a group of young people who are as aggressive as the Nazis.

These are the directions of skin movement. Nuances in them great amount, and one can argue endlessly on each issue.

Skinhead ideology

Conclusion

A swastika on the sleeve, a shaved skull, impressive ankle boots, a black bomber jacket and a menacing look. Skinhead? As we now understand, it’s a stereotype. The skinhead movement initially promoted concepts directly opposite to modern Nazis. Nevertheless, Nazi skinheads emerged as an independent movement and acquired their own music and views, befitting each subculture. The question of attitude towards them is, of course, controversial. But their actions are, without a doubt, illegal and unethical. Perhaps the skins will change their method of fighting against alien elements in the near future. As for Russia, modern society for the most part expresses a negative attitude towards Russian skinheads. That does not prevent them from carrying out their actions to destroy and humiliate “non-white” races with almost impunity.

And now that you have read this article, I will ask you to answer one question. So, what do you think now, who are skinheads: neo-Nazis, or an ordinary teenage subculture?

Very often on the streets you can meet young people calling themselves skinheads. The word “skinhead” can be divided into two English “skin head” and is translated as “shaved head”. Compared to other informal movements, representatives of this subculture have the most complex and developed ideology.

Unfortunately, modern young people have lost the true purpose that the founders of this culture had. And nowadays, most skinheads adhere to rigid racist views, often fixated on fascism and nationalism. Although, there are also groups that adhere to a more peaceful, anti-fascist ideology.

Here is a list of existing directions of this movement:

• traditional skinheads - appeared in response to deviations from the original skin culture; they take the founders of this movement as an example. Traditional skinheads listen to music in the style of ska, reggae, rocksteady (all other styles prefer rock and patriotic music);
• S.H.A.R.P. - Skinhead Against Racial Prejudices - this direction is against racial prejudice;
• R.A.S.H. - Red & Anarchist Skinheads – these representatives support the ideas of socialism, communism and anarchism;
• NS-skinheads - Nazi-skinheads / Boneheads - Boneheads (also called right-wing skinheads) - preach National Socialist ideas, right-wing and far-right views on politics and other values;
• Straight edge skinheads - sXe Skinheads - people who believe that bad habits such as alcohol, smoking and drug addiction are bad. This group is for a healthy lifestyle.

What do skinheads look like?

1. Distinctive signs of skinheads:

• “Celtic cross” (an image of a cross placed in a circle);
• classic German swastika;
• skull and Bones.

2. Skinhead clothing. Preference is given to the military style - everything to make it comfortable to move. Boots are also usually military boots with thick soles. Since we started talking about shoes, I’ll note that the color of the laces is of no small importance. By the laces you can determine whether you belong to one direction or another.

3. Skinhead hairstyles. As you probably already guessed, this is a clean-shaven head, but simply a very short haircut is also allowed.

4. Skinhead tattoos. The themes of tattoos are very diverse. These can be inscriptions and abbreviations, as well as ordinary patterns. Some tattoo their bodies with fascist swastikas or any other designs with a racist-Nazi theme.

Skinhead ideology

Most skinheads are racists and nationalists, and everything that follows from this is their main ideology: love for representatives of their nation, their culture and hatred for others.

Well, in the end I will answer the question “how to become a skinhead?” If you are close in spirit to the ideology of skins, then feel free to change your image and look for similar friends. Just never forget that all your actions must be legal.

29.01.2009

Today, probably everyone has heard about skinheads, but who they are, where they came from and whether all of them are Nazis, racists and others... I think few people have heard. It turns out that skinheads are not necessarily a drunken crowd of teenage Tavria fans.

The skinhead movement, that is, “leatherheads”, “head - skin” (or skins - as they call themselves for short) originated in the 60s of the 20th century in poor working-class neighborhoods of England. The prototype of this movement were the so-called fashions (short for the word “ modernist” - modern man), that is, “hipsters”, “ teddy boys” (Gopniks) and “ boot boys” (football fans). The first skinheads were very conventional, they simply cut their hair short, with a short “beaver” (and they never called themselves skinheads, for them it was insulting, something like “wing-horned” or “horn-tailed”). Initially, they wore heavy boots of construction workers, “donks” - rough jackets or short coats of dockers, jeans with suspenders or military trousers, and army T-shirts. Tall boots and suspenders, faded jeans and a warm flannel shirt - this is the appearance of British urban workers of the early and mid-20th century. By the way, not everyone called themselves skinheads. There were names like “ herberts” (“Herberts”, derived from the name of a street in the city of Glasgow), “ street kids” (“street guys”), “ spy kids” (“watchmen”) and others.

Some of them were idle or worked occasionally, but most of these guys did hard physical labor. Those who operated hand winches on the docks needed comfortable, durable clothing. This was dictated primarily by our own safety. Boots with a strong steel toe could protect your feet from falling heavy boxes or other objects. The suspenders pressed the clothes to the body, preventing them from catching on anything or getting caught in the screw assemblies of the winches. Pants made of strong fabric, a shirt and a jacket with pads on the shoulders - all this protected the workers from rain and damp wet wind. Those who worked on the river docks left a short “hedgehog” on their heads after cutting. They cut their hair this way only so that there would be less fuss with their hair from dust, dirt and lice. As we can see, wearing such clothes and exterior style In general, it was completely justified.

A coat or jacket with padding on the shoulders was called, as we have already said, “donka” (“ donkey jacket"). Word " donkey” translates as “winch”. That is, the combination of these words means “winchman’s jacket.” The suspenders were called “ braces” (“brackets”, “construction fasteners”). The boots were called “ boots", etc. The first skins dressed exactly like the workers on the East London river docks. Why? Because they themselves were these workers.

According to one legend, workers drank beer in a pub after a hard day, which, by the way, was a common activity for them. A conflict broke out with the sailors, which was not uncommon. The workers were "fucked up" conscientiously and competently. Once again, the guys, having received “bream,” tore off the collars of their jackets, put on their work boots, cut their hair shorter and went back to looking for adventure. This did not frighten the sailors at all, and the workers again received their “portion of lyulya” this time too, but their image and aggressive behavior became firmly established in life called “ skinheads" But this is a legend, and it is not possible to find out whether the above-mentioned “physical beating” actually took place.

Among the friends of the first skinheads were many visitors from Jamaica. The British government invited workers from other countries. Both white and black workers became friends and found much in common. The first skins treated blacks and mulattoes with sympathy. They listened to the same music and had the same views.

What kind of music did the skins of the first wave listen to? West Indian and Jamaican ska music (“ ska”) and rocksteady (“ rock-steady", in England it was called " blue-bit”) were the music of the streets for them, they listened to it with pleasure. To this music they danced a dance called “ stomp” (distorted word “ stamp”, translated as “stomp”), creating as much noise as possible on the wooden floor with his boots. They also listened to reggae (“ reggae"). But Jamaican music from the 70s and 80s “ roots” (“roots”) skinheads no longer listened. As for reggae, both boys and girls could dance it all night. Often musicians from Jamaica came to England to record and release records for their short-haired listeners. They were the most faithful followers of reggae. The early skinheads reveled in Jamaican music because it suited their own views on life. By the way, the only white person playing skinhead reggae was Judge Dread.

Reggae music originated in the West Indies, on the island of Jamaica, becoming part of the liberation movement that existed there since the times of colonialism and slavery. In the 1930s of the 20th century, one of the forms of this movement became the so-called Rastafarianism. A decade earlier, one of the leaders of the struggle for black rights in Jamaica, Marcus Garvey (1887-1940), put forward the idea of ​​the “Back to Africa” movement (a wonderful idea, by the way), which received a lot of followers among the black population. Drawing on the Bible, Garvey prophesied that the blacks of Jamaica would be saved from white domination by a great black leader from Africa. And when in 1930 the Ethiopian tycoon Ras Tafari (Makonnen) was crowned emperor with the name Haile Selassie, the blacks who believed Garvey's prophecy decided that it had come true. Ras Tafari was recognized as a living god and deliverer, and his followers began to be called Rastafarians. Sometimes this Semitic-Negro religious cocktail is called “black Christianity.” “Black Christians” avoid eating meat, tobacco, wine and salt, deify Africa as the “father’s home” and do not cut their hair, curling their hair into long curls (“sausages”), which are considered “antennas to the spiritual world.” After this, blacks often wear just such hairstyles, but many hardly know where it came from (and, by the way, they are not the only ones who acquire such “antennas”). But drug use is not considered a sin among them, and therefore is quite common (apparently, this is a more powerful method for joining the “spiritual world”). And to this day, any brainless “stoner”-oligophrenic in a T-shirt with a green cannabis leaf considers himself a “rasta” (“rastafarian”).

The origin of the term "reggae" is explained in different ways. Some, for example, associate it with in English words"ragged" and "rhythm". Ragged rhythm (“ ragged rhythm") - a ragged, frayed rhythm. Others connect this word with the slang name for a street woman in Kingston (the capital of Jamaica) - streggay (“ streggae"). And finally, “regga” (“ regga") are a black tribe in Tanganyika who speak the Bantu language. The word “reggae” first appeared in musical parlance in 1968. In the rare photo you see on the left, English girls dance reggae.

Well and " ska” - what is this? This is the first precursor to reggae. Perhaps the word “ ska” comes from the famous in jazz “ scat”, meaning the rhythmic pronunciation of meaningless syllables composed on the fly by the singer, that is, this is a creative ad-lib. “Ska” developed as a result of Jamaican musicians listening to Miami radio stations that broadcast rhythm and blues (“ rhythm`n`blues"). A characteristic feature of “ska” was the predominance of wind instruments in the orchestration, performing specific “riffs”: a repeating rhythmic accompaniment. Rhythmically, ska differed from rhythm and blues in its greater sophistication by skipping the strong beats of the bar and highlighting the weak ones in accordance with the nature of national music. The first representatives of ska in Jamaica were Byron Lee, Laurel Aitiken and Prince Buster.

The second wave of ska, called “ 2-tone” (“two-tone” - two-tone, two-color), dates back to the second half of the 1970s. This is English music, not Jamaican, but it has about the same sound as in the early 1960s. Jamaican performers returned to England again and began to play in a mixed, “black/white” lineup. The name itself emphasized the principle of cooperation between white and black musicians in reggae. Indeed, many English ska and reggae bands had a mixed lineup. Their songs were largely focused on social youth themes, on the problems of life of outsiders in the concrete jungle, youth unemployment, racism, adult intolerance towards children, social injustice and the like.

Another, somewhat later form of reggae was the direction of the aforementioned "rocksteady", in some cases called "rub-a-dub" (“ rub-a-dub"). In the mid-60s, musicians of ska groups increasingly began to use electric guitars and bass guitars, the role of wind instruments was weakened, and they gradually either completely disappeared from the orchestration or faded into the background. It is these changes that characterize the transition of ska to reggae.

As for music in the style of “ oi!” (“hey!”), then it arose later. “ Oi!” is also traditional music of the first wave of skinheads. "Hey!" - the same punk, but aimed at working-class youth (as opposed to “punk rock,” which is aimed at the middle class). This name was first introduced by Harry Bushell, a journalist for the publication “ Sounds" The sound of this style of music is approximately the same as that of punk. The first songs reminiscent of this style were played again “ Ramones" They were the ones who composed a funny chant song with the words “Hey! Ho! Let's go!” . The first bands to play “ oi!" - This " Sham 69" And " Cockney Rejects" This music was played “loudly and cheerfully.” In the early 80s, the sound of “ oi!” began to change, the melodies became slower, the words became more meaningful. Eg, " Last Resort”, “4-Skins”, “Crux” they sang not only about the joys of life, but also about its sorrows and difficulties - unemployment, fights in the streets and the like. Perhaps that's enough about music for now.

Another pastime of the first skinheads was football. Skinheads have been present in football stands for many years, and this is also reflected in their clothing. On the days of football matches, scarves, laces and suspenders were worn with different colors, which matched the colors of their favorite teams. During the heyday of football hooliganism, dark green windbreakers began to be worn.” Alpha Jacket” (they were also called “ Flight Jacket" or " Bomber Jacket”, which made it easy to slip out of the hands of opponents in street fights.

It is impossible to ignore scooters (motor scooters). These inexpensive and convenient means of transportation appeared shortly after the war. They are still loved, and not only for skins, but also for mods. The scooter is considered the main sign of their difference. Skinheads liked to gather in large flocks on scooters - this way they were inaccessible to passers-by. They became famous after skinheads invaded one of the London parks during a holiday and staged races there. One of the names of the first skinheads was “ peanuts” (“nut crushers” - they got this name for the powerful rumble of their motor scooters).

What was the worldview of the first skinheads? They were not racists, but they were not anti-racists in the full sense of the word. They were neither for nor against. They were “a-racists,” so to speak. Among the first wave of skinheads there were those who expressed the interests of the working class, but they were not complete communists, although some individuals dabbled in communist ideas. But it is absolutely certain that they were neither Nazis nor nationalists and could not be. Yes, they “held pro-British views,” but in this concept they put an awareness of their belonging to England, to their country. Yes, they were patriots of their country, but there was no talk of any nationalism. One cannot even say that they were “for the Motherland against the state.” In a word, their worldview was very vague, unformed, the emphasis was placed precisely on the subculture itself, on showiness, not on efficiency.

Many of the skinheads were black. The phrase “black skinhead” sounds crazy now, but it happened. This is an interesting and absolutely serious history of skins. Often, both whites and blacks huddled shoulder to shoulder in clubs and at concerts in which blacks... black DJs "ruled". The blacks were called “ rude boys” (“rude guys”, “rude people”), they came to England from Jamaica. Many of them, along with whites, took part in fights with Pakistanis, who were called “Paks.” And the name for the fights was appropriate - “ paki-bashing” (“wetting the packs”). These street gangs of blacks and whites attacked the Picastans precisely because they were different from them. Many of the Pakistanis did not know how to speak English, did not know how to dance reggae, and were mainly engaged in trade (probably like “our” Caucasians and Vietnamese). This was quite enough to start a collective fight with them. Since those times, apparently, the game popular on computers of the previous generation has been going on: Pak-man”, where the “Pakistani” bun, escaping from white ill-wishers, must collect prizes in a maze.

The first skins were united based on the principle of territory. They beat everyone who, in their opinion, was the scum of society (or “traitor to the working class,” as they put it). A rich person, a believer, and a representative of the subculture of “middle class” children - hippies and beatniks - could equally likely get punched in the face. The skins especially hated hippies, these “flower children.” Teenagers from working-class areas viewed the hippie subculture as shocking slackers from “middle class” and wealthy families. After all, a hippie, having gone crazy with long unwashed hair and greasy jeans, could return to the world of wealthy parents, but skinheads did not have such an opportunity. There was not the slightest hint of racism or Nazism in these fights. Skinheads of the first wave chose objects for street fights based on social characteristics. There was no talk then of “adjusting the racial balance.” They also had absolutely nothing to do with politics, and they had no connections with racist groups. There were no ideas in their heads and what they wanted, they themselves, apparently, did not quite understand. They simply "did what they thought was necessary."

But let's return to the so-called “ rude boys" These black robbers of Jamaica, with their “roofs gone,” were much angrier and more dangerous than even today’s skinheads. Called “ rudies" or " rudies on ruin”, they were unemployed teenagers from the outskirts who appeared after Jamaica suffered a severe crisis. People came to England in search of work and, not finding it, did whatever they had to. Many of them carried weapons and were reckless people, who would open fire when the police showed up. They were reciprocated; the brutality of the police when detaining Jamaicans who were engaged in street robberies knew no limits.

A suburb of the capital of Jamaica, a village called “ Shanty Town“was a real “hole”. People lived in dilapidated huts made from old plywood, rotten boards, rusty iron and other construction debris. They saw nothing but hunger and disease. Naturally, there was no work. They had nowhere to escape from this damned island, but for some of them there was still a way out. Many of them left for England. They worked wherever hard labor was required, including on river docks. Once in England, they became skinheads, and the ska, reggae and rocksteady records they brought with them began to be listened to by those who worked with them.

This explains why black and white skinheads hated Pakistanis in unison. The skins, regardless of skin color, understood each other perfectly. The first wave of skinheads perfectly understood blacks experiencing deprivation. So to speak, “they know their own”, “they understand mine”. But they did not understand the Asian guests engaged in trade, which resulted in fights with them. The existing hostility of the workers towards the shopkeepers could not result in anything else. How is it possible, if we adhere to their psychology, I work hard, and this tradesman trades for pleasure, without shedding any sweat, and has more than me? It's not fair. As for the whites, there were none among them who could call themselves “ rude boy" Still, despite their unenviable position in England, their standard of living never fell as low as in Jamaica. The life of the first skins, of course, was not honey and sugar, but it was better than that of their “comrades in misfortune” on the island of Jamaica. When " rude boys” were declared “outlaws”, they became heroes of youth. They were admired because they spat on the society they despised and treated others with disdain. It seemed like they didn't care. Skinheads imitated them, and it is possible that the pugnacious behavior of skins on the streets was received precisely from the Jamaican “rude people”.

Now we need to find out what happened to the girls. So called " rude girls” (and they are “ reggae girls” were not necessarily white girls. There were all kinds: both white and mulatto. Their favorite pastime was dancing reggae. In general, apparently, they gave the impression of cheeky, naughty and wild girls who could not sit at home and had absolutely nothing to do. At concerts they could be seen wearing short skirts and clothes similar to those worn by the first wave of skinheads. In the early 1980s, they began wearing denim jackets and skirts, and changed their hairstyles to more modern ones. They could often be seen wearing shorts with a laurel wreath and shiny low shoes (they were called “ loafers"). Sometimes such girls - girlfriends of skinheads - were called “Chelsea” (“ chelsea"). Where this name came from - even the skins of the first wave do not know. Maybe this is the name of one of the skinhead’s girlfriends, which has become a household name, but who she is is unknown. Another name is “ skingirl” (“skinhead girl” or “skinhead girl”) - completely identical to the two above. As for their hairstyles, they cut off the hair on top with a clipper, but left bangs and ponytails. Such girls got their hair cut by men's barbers for reasons of price (it was cheaper this way). Everything was done only out of a desire to please the guys, and such girls were in great demand. They never did short hair. The photograph that you see under this paragraph clearly shows exactly what these girls looked like (to be honest, I’m not happy).

Now we will have to move to the same England, but to the 1950s of the 20th century. Let's turn our attention to the "Teddy Boys" (" teddy boys"), because they are called the founders of the emergence of British subcultures, and are often considered to be the "forefathers" of skinheads. After the war, young people engaged in not particularly skilled work (clerks, machinists, etc.) began to earn some money in sufficient quantities to feel independent. Get quality education It was still difficult for them to find gainful employment. But it’s easier to imitate “noble manners,” exquisite clothing and the myth of the “prosperous worker.”

The name itself" teddy boys" (or simply "teds") comes from " The Edwardian Drape Society” (T.E.D.S.), Edwardian Robe Society. This “society” included members of high society wearing a tuxedo, bowler hat and cane, emulating Prince Edward VII (reign: 1901-1910). For the first time the name " teddy boys" was given by the Daily Express on September 23, 1953. Before that they were called " cosh boys" (“club guys”, “ cosh” - baton).

It was not at all difficult to recognize them by their appearance. Dark clothes, a long jacket with cuffs and a collar, pipe trousers, a narrow leather tie, boots with grooved soles. Particularly striking was the slightly long hair, which was always greased. Girls wore skirts above the knees and sweaters with closed necks, long and straight hair. We can say that they were another headache for England after World War II. They, of course, were not complete criminals (after all, they were far from being at the bottom of society), but these “gopniks” behaved defiantly, “street-style,” and often caused riots, sometimes even brawls with the police, putting together their own street groups. The Teds were actively involved in the so-called "gang wars." The most famous case was in 1955, when in South London in one of the cinemas Billoy Hawley and “ The Comets"was presented" Rock Around The Clock”, which sparked a series of violence on the streets of London. Racial clashes were also frequent; the Teds attacked blacks and generally tirelessly participated in fights with non-whites. This could be, for example, in cinemas and dance halls. By 1964-1965 they had practically disappeared from the English streets, but the beginning of the history of the subculture as such had been laid.

Let us make a small clarification: the very concept of subculture includes a system of certain life guidelines, behavior styles and concepts inherent in any social group, extremely limited in the number of “adherents”. The subculture can be called quite self-study, a certain “internal culture” that is independent of the “external” popular culture and develops on its own. And one more thing: not everyone is included in the subculture (no matter which one), since it has a certain degree of isolation.

And who are the mods from whom the skinheads also received something? As we have already noted, the word " mod" derived from " modernist” - “modern man” or “hip,” to put it “in the Soviet style.” These were people from lower social strata who considered themselves the “elite”. There are two known waves of mods. The first wave are the immediate predecessors of skinheads, children of the streets just like them. The second wave of mods are contemporaries of punks, usually representatives of the middle class. Mods did not cause as much trouble and problems for others as skins, so almost nothing is known about them. Fashion placed significant emphasis not on behavior, but on appearance. It was easy to distinguish them precisely because of their clothing. Their obsession was to dress as best as possible. Some of them wore three-button suits and long coats - this is their classic look. There were also “ hard mods” (“rough fashion”), they wore roll-ups and denim jackets. It was fashion that introduced the fashion (such a pun) for jeans “ Levis“and T-shirts” Ben Sherman" They also preferred clothing and footwear companies “ Fred Perry”, “Lonsdale" In their behavior, these outrageous people resembled “Lubers” from the Moscow region. Mod girls also imitated them in clothing, dressing provocatively (miniskirts, original hairstyles), unlike their conservative parents.

Mods loved scooters, and that’s exactly what the first wave of skins got from them. They often decorated their scooters with all sorts of “trinkets” like mirrors and other trinkets. The “boot boys”, that is, football fans who also came from the mod community, were also keen on scooters.

The first skinheads considered themselves part of the first wave of mods. They borrowed from mods, for example, their passion for the same scooters. The mods were similar to the skins of the first wave, only they listened not to ska and reggae, but to “ motown" And " northern soul" But in general they were attached not to music, but to clothing. Looking good, dressing neatly - this is their “everything”, they were obsessed with this like obsessives. The whole “trick” is that, apart from dressing up like a garden scarecrow, they had nothing. One gets the impression that they only cared about “how to look in order to look the right way.” They managed to dress elegantly even in bad weather, using long raincoats to protect their clothes from the rain. This behavior often became a reason for massacres with those who did not spend all their money on clothes. Well, since the mods usually traveled in packs, they were always ready to repel an attack.

According to their life guidelines, they, these “modernists,” were nobody. They just didn’t want to be “like everyone else.” This resulted in spending all my free money on rags and clothes. Most of them did not have permanent job and lived without thinking about tomorrow. Those who realized that they belonged to the working class became skinheads of the first wave a few years later. Now all the fashions have died out, they can no longer be found, they are a thing of the past, and there is simply no reason for new ones to appear.

Some time passed and representatives of the first wave of skinheads in the mid-1970s began to wear more decent clothes, grew their hair and started families. A generation change has come, and those guys (the so-called “ bovver boys”, that is, “nuisance, restless children”), who imitated the skinheads of the first wave, became the front of the second wave of skinheads. Those people who, even after growing up, remained faithful to the traditions of the first skinheads, call themselves “ traditional skinheads” or “threads”. Now there are only a few of them. They are extremely apolitical, and they cannot stand racist skinns.

By 1972, the first wave of skins had almost disappeared. Many came from this subculture. And four years later, in 1976, they appear again. It is also a paradox that the next wave of skinheads was largely supported by the punks who stirred up cold England. “Punk rock” looked quite aggressive, assertive, and rude. But young people wanted a more violent sound for their culture, and “street punk” emerged (“street punk”). streetpunk”) became even angrier, more aggressive, defiant. In general, the story with punks looks very ambiguous; punks even wore Hitler’s Swastika on their clothes to shock the public, which, however, did not make them Nazis. At that time, punks and mods were sorting things out among themselves, and some of the skins supported the punks (they were socially close), while others sided with the “hipsters” (apparently, these skins were irritated by the excessive pretentiousness of the punks and their anarchism). Slowly the familiar image of a skinhead began to emerge. Not only working youth, but also punks and even students began to lean toward skinheadism. Just a few years ago this was unthinkable.

It is no longer possible to say with 100% certainty what resulted in the emergence of racist skins. Was it a spontaneous movement or was it all the result of someone’s plans? Let's remember that Skinheadism is a subculture, and it arises spontaneously, as it should be. Trads point the finger at the British National Front (BNF), which created the image of a skinhead who could be useful to them. In the late 1970s, they scattered leaflets at football matches and thus began to recruit football hooligans as supporters, slowly instilling nationalist ideas in them. Whether the Belarusian Popular Front was the reason for the appearance of racist skinheads or whether they simply “played tricks” at the right time is now impossible to find out. Most likely, this process was bidirectional. It is known that even among the skinheads of the first wave, at the very least, racist views, mixed with homophobia (all this was from the “kitchen” range), began to surface. Male chauvinism mixed with anti-feminism was also not alien to them. Why not “play a joke”? Recruiting supporters is a natural and normal process, but why and how it will all end must be looked at specifically. And so, on “ Dounahuue's Show“A “racist skinhead” appeared in England, which was very unusual and shocking to the public.

This third generation of skinheads took shape in the late 1970s - early 1980s. Among other things, as a “makeweight” in the mid-1980s, a serious economic crisis arose in England, entire counties turned into zones of social disaster, and unemployment increased significantly. And besides everything, it’s difficult economic situation overlapped with the increase in the number of illegal immigrants from Asian and African countries. Interracial conflicts escalated and became more heated. So racist skinheads appeared not in the best of times for Britain.

All this changed the worldview and appearance of skinheads. Now they shaved their heads “close to zero” so that they could not be grabbed by the hair in a fight, they wore black jeans and short jackets without collars so that they could not be grabbed by them either. Many British skin groups have embraced the idea of ​​racism. A powerful factor in the growth and strengthening of the English skinhead movement was the current plight in England.

It was then that the British skinhead movement finally split into two groups. One consisted of “Nazi skins” of the third generation (“ nazi-skins”, or racist skins, or “right-wing” skins - all this is very close), the other group included skins from all other directions, alienated from their racist “colleagues”. Racist skins adopted the slogan “Keep Britain White!”, which became their favorite. Now “Nazi” skinheads chose targets for fights (and hostility/hatred in general) in the overwhelming majority of cases based on nationality. At the same time, their “brothers” of the first and second waves continued to express social protest. By and large, the skins of the first/second and third waves are practically visually indistinguishable from each other. They can only be distinguished by subtle differences, such as the targets of aggression or the music they listen to.

A significant role in the emergence of “right-wing” skinheads was played by the group “cult” among them. Skrewdriver”, that is, a “screwdriver” is a weapon for street fights. Its leader, Ian Stewart Donaldson, is known to every more or less literate skinhead, and the number of songs dedicated to him by musical skin groups apparently numbers in the hundreds (including Russian skinhead groups). It was he who, having started in the style of punk and reggae, later began to play in the style of “ oi!” - aggressive fast music with extremely politicized and racist texts. In 1993, he died in a car accident. Ian Stewart, by the way, comes from the British National Front. We'll talk about this later.

London became the place where the English “Nazi skins” appeared. Their appearance in the capital of the prim old woman, England, was marked by such grandiose clashes and brawls that this was reflected in the English film about skinheads, “How They Began.” The largest number of informal skin youth organizations are located in the industrial areas of cities in the north of the country. And the ideological center of the English skinhead movement is still London. Attacks on foreigners and homosexuals have become frequent, and incidents such as skinheads attacking a protest march in London against racial violence and throwing stones at demonstrators are commonplace. For example, on the evening of September 11, 1993, about 30 skinheads marched along one of the streets of London, which is considered the heart of the Asian district, smashing store windows and shouting threats to strangers. Many skinheads often end up in prison for fighting.

My friend told me that English skinheads ordered a group of programmers to develop an additional level for a popular 3D computer game “ Quake”, where blacks are shot in the first person. I don’t know whether this is true or not, I don’t have such a “feeling”, and even more so, I haven’t seen it.

I would like to talk once again about the relationship between “traditionalist” skins and racist skins. Trads, fans of the first wave of skinheads, cannot stand their “evolved colleagues” who fell into racism/Nazism, and they, as one should assume, respond to them in full reciprocity. The reasons for such mutual hostility, apparently, are that any subculture reacts painfully to branches falling away from it, which is expressed by accusations that the skins of the third wave are “untrue.” “Traditionalists” don’t understand racists, racists don’t understand “traditionalists.” In particular, the threads don’t give a damn about the “racial issue”, which cannot be the reason for their respect from the later skins. And if we take into account the terrifying demographic situation, as a result of which whites are slowly degenerating, then respect for “those who observe traditions” disappears completely. Early skin-trads nicknamed the Nazi skins “boneheads”, or “boneheads” (“ bonehead” - head-bone) to separate yourself from them. Sometimes they are called “dumbheads.” They are accused of being overly enthusiastic about racism and being unreasonable in their words and actions. But, I must admit, some of the accusations look ridiculous. For example, they are blamed that the idea of ​​“fighting for white race” is an excuse for any violence on the streets or anywhere else. But didn’t the first skins do the same thing, that is, fight, but for slightly different reasons? Even as they were doing it, they organized pogroms in the same way, and they beat people, only the reasons for the fights were social, and not national/racial. So the charge of committing violence does not stand. And the first skins were not pure angels at all.

And one more significant accusation is that the Nazi skins are politicized and controlled by politicians. Well, here, too, things are far from ambiguous. The first skins had no idea. It doesn’t matter which one - life-affirming or, on the contrary, destructive for themselves and for those around them, no matter what it’s based on. It simply did not exist and could not exist, since they and their “relatives” - the fashions - were in the most literal sense - nobody, ordinary dudes living without any Purpose. Threads are “ working class kids” - working youth. This is an honor for them, of course, no one argues with them, but what next? In addition, the Nazi skins still have a better understanding of what is happening than the “traditional” ones. And it remains to add that skinheads do not have any single control centers, just as there cannot be a single center for a subculture. And the desire of the Trads to live without racial differences, in racial equality, runs into the most ardent reaction of racists who are concerned about demographic and immigration policies in relation to the country in which they live. But the “first waves” don’t want to pay attention to this, and therefore there will be no understanding between these groups. The desire to do at least something, even if it is monstrous from the point of view of the average person, this greatly distinguishes the “new” skinheads from the “old”. The “old people” have now completely exhausted themselves, and the ideas of the “right” are withstood by time to die until they think, no matter what anyone says. Of course, I do not idealize “right-wing” Britologists and do not make them absolute role models, but they are somebody. Let many of them be stupid, not quite understanding what is what, sometimes not understanding what they are doing, where all this can lead, and so on. But many of them grow up without parting with their inner state, with their internal attitudes towards the world. A threads are nobody, they have no ideology, they themselves cannot say who they are. If White World consisted of only “rightists” - it would have been a total war. And if the White World consisted of only “traditionalists,” it would turn into a swamp in which white people would completely dissolve and lose everything that unborn white descendants had the right to be proud of. What's worse and what's better? The question is rhetorical, but nothing prevents you from asking it. And the last open question for skin threads: What exactly Can you suggest, besides reasoning, that you are “real skins”? If you want to “be yourself” - be them, and don’t interfere in other matters, they will sort it out without you. You gave impetus to a new wave of skinheads, and you won back yours. Time has passed, step aside.

With this, the “traditionals”, the “true skins” are finished once and for all.

She talked about the history of the style of the skinhead subculture in her homeland in Great Britain in the 1960s and 70s. This time we will talk about the fashion of Russian skinheads, who, unlike the British, mainly shared nationalist views from the late 1980s to the present day.

Guys in military uniform

Why do you wear Levi's? Your Levi's are Jewish jeans.
- Because when I returned from Iraq, my brother gave me these jeans. Does he understand what we are fighting for? No. But I definitely won't let the Zionist conglomerate decide what I wear.
Film "Absolute Power" 2016

Right-wing and far-right movements in Russia began to emerge in the mid-1980s, and clothing, of course, was one of the important elements with which nationalists formed their image. Nationalist movements of the 1980s like the Memory Society emerged from the Society for the Protection of Monuments. The movement rethought historical processes, its participants were engaged in reenactment and wore “White Guard” uniforms, mostly consisting of modified uniforms of the Soviet army.

Later, their own military uniform appeared, consisting of black tunics with shoulder straps, black trousers tucked into black cow boots, black tunics with a stand-up collar and shoulder straps. In winter, overcoats, caps and caps with oval cockades of the “royal” type were used. On the buttons there were not Soviet stars with a hammer and sickle, but royal double-headed eagles. The reconstruction of the Cossack uniform was also popular. Now people in Cossack uniforms have become a standard landscape in the urban environment, but in the late 1980s they looked extremely shocking.

The “monuments” were replaced by more militarized Barkashovites. The dress code of this formation consisted of a black military uniform, beret, military boots and armband. Many participants in the movement, especially in the regions, wore ordinary military uniforms, which they brought from the army or bought at the nearest military store.

In Russia, the fashion for retro military uniforms quickly became a thing of the past, but in the United States it still exists - these days, participants in the National Socialist Movement (NSM) hold their rallies in a uniform that clearly copies the uniform of the NSDAP of the last century. The Ku Klux Klan remains faithful to the same white robes as 150 years ago.

Military style is generally a hallmark of the right in the United States. And this is not so much a tribute to fashion as a lifestyle - the very way of life that skinheads talked about in the 1960s and 70s in Great Britain. Many right-wing skinheads, especially in the States, served in the army. In Germany, neo-Nazi cells in the ranks of the Bundeswehr are being systematically uncovered.

As a result, the military uniform was and remains an important element of right-wing skinhead fashion throughout the world. The right in the United States tends to be closely associated with militarized radical structures such as citizen militias. The fashion for these people is formed in the military stores in their neighborhood.

Not surprisingly, in January 2017, a gun store posted an ad that showed supposed customers confronting a crowd of anti-fascists. The poster read: “Anti-fascists, today is not your day.” Many modern brands aimed at the far-right public have military-style items in their collections. Moreover, now we can see the rebirth of the favorite skinhead brand of the 1990s, Alpha Industries, which originally sewed clothing for the US Armed Forces.

Modern designers have revived the fashion for bomber jackets by including them in their new 2013 collections. Alexander McQueen, Dior, Victor&Rolf offer leather bomber jackets with contrasting cuffs and buttons. Stella McCartney has designed a bomber jacket made from lace, silk and cashmere. Pinko designers also did not abandon a lightweight version of the jacket, sewing it from mint-colored nylon and decorating it with lace inserts and embroidery on the back.

Bomber life-giving

School bell...
First lesson...
Bomber and knife.
Beat the devils, destroy them all!

Tsunar was the first to accept this knife
Bomber saved you - your best friend.
Blood is dripping from his bomber jacket
This was done by a bribed cop.
Metal corrosion, “Beat the devils”

In the early 1990s, people came to the right-wing mainly from the fan movement. At that time in Russia, these subcultures were for the most part inextricably linked. Most of the far-right fashionistas refused to take part in large movements like RNE (Russian National Unity) and were very skeptical about their baggy uniforms. The main attribute of a skinhead in the 1990s was a bomber jacket or M65 field jacket. Few could buy the original jacket due to the high price - bombers are much more expensive than leather jackets from Turkey, which were worn by gopniks and bros of all stripes.

Frame: the film “Russia 88”

Soon, demand gave rise to supply, and inexpensive Chinese black bombers with the famous orange lining appeared in markets in many cities across the country. Their prices were more than reasonable. These jackets were worn almost all year round: in winter, they wore a warm sweater knitted by their grandmother under them. The original M-65 jacket did not have a collar to make it easier for the pilot to place the parachute straps. Among skinheads there was a story that this was done specifically so that in a fight the enemy could not grab you by the collar.

The orange lining also had its own functionality. The pilot needed it in case of an emergency landing: he had to turn his jacket inside out so that he could be easier to find from the air. Fans turned their jackets inside out to make it easier to understand who was theirs and who was a stranger in the fight. According to one version, the inventors of this were Spartak hooligans from the “firm” Flint’s Crew.

In particularly severe frosts, many people wrapped a “rose” (scarf) of their favorite team around their necks.

Camouflage pants were in use, which were also purchased on the market due to the availability of fashionable colors there, in contrast to the dull, baggy green items from the military store. Especially advanced users wore jeans invariably blue, but again, due to their high cost, they were not widely used, especially in the regions. The finishing touch is combat boots. In the provinces, many marched in them until the 2000s.

You also cannot ignore the use of such an accessory as suspenders. The most popular were suspenders in the colors of the Russian or German tricolor. Then came the fashion for narrow suspenders, which were in short supply. Suspenders were not just a wardrobe element - lowered suspenders meant that “a fighter is ready for a fight,” so many wore suspenders exclusively in this form, emphasizing their brutality.

Shoe cult

The first store of the "Doctor and Alex" company - "Footwear of the XXI Century" began operating on October 1, 1998 in the Voikovskaya metro area. This truly epoch-making event finally gave the Moscow public access to the famous Dr. boots. Martens, Grinders and Shelly's. The most popular were the Grinders boots with a high top and the same metal cup. Similar boots were worn by the main character of the film “American History X” in the famous scene of the murder of an African-American, which entered folklore as “bite the curb.”

This scene became a direct guide to action for many skinheads of that time. Grindar was literally flying off the shelves. True, unlike Chinese bombers, not everyone could afford them. The response to the popularity of “grinders” was the emergence of the Russian company Camelot. It positioned itself as a Polish brand and produced shoes that were reminiscent of English brands, but at much more reasonable prices.

As a rule, boots were worn with black laces, but the most desperate ones wore white ones, which said that their owner had cleared the land of foreigners. The famous Panzer boots with swastikas and zig runes on the soles, released by the American brand Aryan wear, became a pipe dream for many skins. This dress code was classic in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The standard skinhead look of the time included high-top boots, camouflage pants or rolled-up jeans, suspenders, a T-shirt with a radical image and a bomber jacket.

When the far-right movement radicalized by the mid-2000s, and serious sentences began to be given for crimes motivated by national hatred, this fashion faded away. At the end of the decade, antifa skinheads dressed in a similar way, trying to revive the spirit of 1969 in this way. Young people who remain faithful to the traditions of this fashion can still be found today, but this can only be regarded as cosplay of those times.

The fashion for heavy boots has faded. The American right-wing brand Aryan wear has closed. Shelly's, with its famous Rangers model, specializes in women's shoes, and Grinders began producing cowboy boots. The only brand that remained true to its roots and managed to survive in competition, became Dr. Martens. Moreover, in 2010, the brand saw a second wind: classic boots of the 1460 model began to appear in the wardrobes of people who were very far from skinhead fashion. In Dr. Martens, Alice Erskine and other A-list stars were spotted.

However, in Great Britain the traditional style of skinheads has been preserved. There are families where skinhead traditions are passed on from father to son. Of course, instead of Chinese fakes, European skinheads who adhere to traditions wear original Dr. Martens, Levi's jeans, Fred Perry polo or plaid shirts and original Ben Sherman jackets. This type of style no longer says anything specific about a person’s political views

Fashionable guys

Remember I'm cool now
I have my own Lonsdale.
I bought it at Children's World
Clock work times - Lonsdale

“Five minutes later, another mob passed by, clearly trying to merge with the first. And another one in ten. Mostly they were young guys, about 20 years old, dressed in the fashion of their hardcore: gingham shirts, blue jeans, sneakers. Almost no one had our favorite weapon, titanium guns, but most of the fighters were carrying packages in their hands, and everyone had glass bottles in their hands. Well, strategists, the scribe is on your shaved heads! - these are lines from the book “Die, Old Lady” by Sergei Spiker Sakin, which he wrote in 2003.

Around this time period, hooligans and right-wing skinheads began to move away from the fashion of heavy boots and bomber jackets. There are several reasons for this.