Recently, more and more often we hear about skinheads. They are talked about from TV screens, described on the pages of newspapers and magazines. And such a huge amount of information is very difficult to figure out, to find a real answer to the question "skinheads - who is this?" Are they dangerous to society? What are their main life values? Today we will try to answer these questions together.
What is a subculture?
Representatives of a certain youth subculture are teenagers who dress in a peculiar way, listen to certain music, and have their own jargon. They have their own model of behavior. They always arise spontaneously and, most often, try to oppose themselves to the older generation.
Representatives of subcultures are far from always aggressive, cruel, etc. The fact is that with a closer acquaintance with serious publications and books about skinheads, there is an understanding that the picture drawn in our imagination by the media is very far from reality.
Skinheads - a subculture that arose spontaneously
The very word “skinhead” came to us from the English language. Translated, it means "bald head" ("skin head"). At first, Western youth became interested in this area. Over time, adolescents from other countries also joined the movement; as a result, it spread throughout the world. Already in the sixties of the last century, everyone knew who skinheads were. The subculture continues to this day. It is worth noting that the subculture, as such, is neither an ideological nor a political organization. Only in rare cases can it be associated with any movement or party.
Russian skinheads
Today and in our country, this subculture is very popular. Skinheads in Russia first appeared in 1991. They became students of Moscow technical schools and vocational schools, adolescents living in sleeping areas of the capital and Leningrad.
Do Russian skinheads differ from Western ones? Who is it? Ordinary youth united spontaneously? Not really. Despite the fact that in our country the economic crisis was even worse than in England after the war, the skinhead movement in Russia did not appear naturally. Our teenagers were greatly influenced by Western mass culture. This just explains the fact that the offspring of ordinary locksmiths and electricians flaunted in suspenders and boots of dockers from England.
Russian skinheads are still somewhat different. The subculture that arose under the influence of the West makes them shout about their people and country in foreign languages, waving American Confederate and German flags. True, representatives of one of the subspecies of this subculture, bonheads, are engaged in this.
Skins directions
Like any other, this youth subculture has several directions. Skinheads are different. There are red skins that have their own website and even have their own magazine, called "Blasted Sky". A separate area is anti-fascist skins. Representatives of this movement even guarded the concerts of rap artists, whom neo-Nazis consider their sworn enemies. Such an event is called skin security.
However, practically no one knows about the various directions of this subculture , they speak very little about them. Television announcers, journalists, publicists, anyone who likes to debate on fascism, neo-Nazism and racism, prefer not to mention that there are anti-fascist skins. Therefore, in Russia (and in the West too) the most famous are bonheads.
Bonheads in Russia
So everyone knows skinheads. Who is this and why are they being talked about in all the media? The whole behavior and style of their life is copied from Western models. They dress and look at life in the same way as their Western "brothers", listen to the same music and give priority to the same life values. However, there is still a difference. Skinheads (bonheads) in Russia refer not only the American Anglo-Saxon white-skinned people and European peoples to the Aryan nations, but also the Slavic peoples (primarily Russians).
It is worth noting that Russian skinheads are seriously mistaken. The subculture in Europe is different from ours. In other countries, skinheads completely disagree that Russians can be attributed to the Aryan nation. After all, for them we are "racially inferior."
However, both Western and Russian bonheads are under the tutelage of other, “adult” organizations. They are skillfully controlled by representatives of ultra-right and neo-Nazi movements.
Appearance
Any subculture has its external differences. Skinheads, whose appearance sometimes scares off, just follow certain traditions. So, by their standards, a real skin should look like:
- A real Aryan with blond hair, a straight thin nose and gray eyes. Of course, there may be slight deviations from the main type. For example, the eyes can be light brown or blue, or the hair is slightly darker than light blond. However, the general background should remain.
- The head should be completely shaved or cut very short. Their hairstyles are not like the hairstyles of bandits or police officers. Skinhead has the same length throughout the head. Not allowed bangs, locks, etc. The main purpose of such a hairstyle is to prevent the enemy from grabbing his hair in a fight.
- Almost 100% of skinheads have a lean physique. Meeting a representative of this subculture who is obese is simply impossible.
- Wear only functional clothing. First of all, skinheads are recognized by army high boots. Preference is given to the famous Grinders. Such shoes serve as a kind of weapon. Sometimes they wear camouflage pants, but often prefer black skinny jeans, tucked up to the boots. There are heavy buckles on the belts. Some guys wear braces. Jackets are black, made of slippery fabric, without a collar.
- On a skinhead you will never see baubles, chains on the neck, piercings. Even if a guy wears a pendant in the form of a swastika, you should know that this is not a real representative of the skinhead subculture. In this form, he is no longer a fighter. Not to mention the fact that it’s difficult to get into a fight when you have pierced ears, lips, nose, etc.
- A real skinhead does not drink, do not smoke and will never use drugs. Meanwhile, skins often adorn bare skulls and temples with aggressive tattoos.
These are the main features of a representative of this subculture. Something may vary, but in small, minor details.