GENERIC RESEARCH: Youth subculture essay

How does music affect subcultures in terms of: identity, resistance, class, race, gender, sexuality, politics, creativity and commodification?

Music of all types has hugely evolved through many generations of our existence. Apart from it being a wide interest in large unions of individuals, it has influenced their behaviour and clothing styles as well as personalities and other external factors which make up the basis of all music fans.

                A “subculture” refers to a particular group of people (also a youth culture or a culture of music), usually a youth group, who differentiate themselves from the wider culture through shared taste in music and style.

                The various subcultures which exist today have developed as a result of progression through various points in time. From record players to vinyls as well as mixtapes and physical album copies to digital downloads, how fans listened to music and delved deep into its history showed what type of music they were into, even by the clothing style they wore. For example, fans of rock music would wear prominent black leather jackets, informal attire, T-shirts with the logo of their favourite band(s), and rave hairstyles. This establishes one’s identity in the clearest way possible through their unique and often extravagant use of clothing (punk rockers sport styled mohawks and piercings anywhere on their face and/or body).

                The behavioural influences music can have on a person are often stereotyped in terms of what subculture individuals belong to; the “bedroom culture” of teenage girls is stereotyped as being enclosed in private “bedroom” spaces where their relationship with music is centred towards male pop stars printed in teenage music magazines such as 5 Seconds of Summer. According to Frith, “a girl’s identity is built on her idol”. However, his analysis on gender in rock music consumption is rendered inapplicable towards modern music subculture research due to his overarching viewpoint that a girl’s typical role is to attract a “sensible” spouse by listening to their favoured genre of music (primarily pop). This affects their work and leisure time, and also their music consumption. This is why music establishes them in either a positive or negative light.

                Many music subcultures, such as goths and punks, dress differently in order to carve and mould different identities which differ from normal society. For example, heavy (metal) rockers would often listen to songs with violent messages, connotations and expletives which would oppose their parents’ traditional values. Additionally, parents of these rockers would not appreciate the idea of their children blasting out songs with explicit content at home. Sometimes, certain lifestyles of music subcultures may not be agreed on and as a consequence, would be looked down upon by some non-appreciative individuals.

                In August 2012, Russian anarcho-feminist punk rock band Pussy Riot rebelled against the Orthodox Church’s support for the presidential election campaign of Vladimir Putin (who eventually became Prime Minister) by performing an incendiary gig of “Punk Prayer”. Three members of the music group were charged with “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred”, and received three years of imprisonment.

                In terms of class, music can affect subcultures in different ways, with the exception of members of indie rock. They aren’t affected by class as they strive to be different, each establishing ambitions of their own. However, they also tend to wear vintage rugged clothes which could associate them with a lower working class. In the early 20^th century when jazz music was the primary focus of most music audiences, many posh, wealthy people of the higher class would afford to buy records and attend music concerts in expensive venues such as lively American bars and outside the central city. This applies to older people who like opera and classical music as this is stereotypical of their behaviour.

                Normally teenagers who listen to hip-hop, urban and rap music are typically working class because of the restricted code of language sometimes used in rap lyrics and often suburban slang is used. Not being able to use the elaborated code limits their intelligence to minimum expectations; it can often become a negative stereotype for them.

                Sexuality is one such factor that affects subcultures in terms of music and vivacity. Black metal music, for example, has influenced the skinhead subculture since their shaven heads reinforce their cultural resistance to everyday society. Even some homosexual members identify themselves with this subculture due to their affiliation with masculinity and the extremity of heavy metal.

                It also applies to modern punk rock bands such as Paramore and The Pretty Reckless, in which such bands have female lead singers whose roles question certain individuals expecting a stereotypical male singer in these musical groups. Their hair colours, appearance and facial features (flamboyant clothing and piercings included) does not matter to others since these features are part of the way female lead singers express their identities in public.

                The “seapunk” subculture originated from the site Tumblr and was described as a “web-joke with music”. Gaining popularity for its viral sharing and trending on the Internet, it was seen as an association with artists dealing with fashion trends and music. Its clothing style was described as “all things oceanic and of the sea”, that is, to say, mostly blue-coloured hairstyles and flamboyant clothing. Music styles consisted of chopped-up hip-hop mix tapes and southern trip-hop. This micro subculture influenced those associated with the music scene such as Azealia Banks, Grimes and Kreayshawn.

                Punk rock introduced the Riot Grrrl movement, where female artists associated with the genre allowed themselves to address issues such as sexuality and female empowerment. Like third wave feminists, Riot grrrl members created their own private spaces to produce music and make political statements about the issues they were facing in society. They had a very close relationship with feminism, in which they attempted to maintain a diversity of acceptance within feminist expression. In a patriarchal society, their usage of lyrics, magazines and publications, and returning the meanings of derogatory words (none to be said here in fear of offence) empowered women in this movement.

                In terms of creativity, the emergence of unique subcultures such as punk and emo have heavily influenced the lifestyles and behaviours of individuals. Punk rockers were typically depicted as bearing styled mohawks, in some cases dyed a collection of colours which stand out to people. Piercings on their face and body were essentially a form of commodification within the punk subculture.

                The seapunk subculture, discussed earlier, were particularly creative and productive. By dying their hair turquoise and listening to ocean-interlaced music, seapunk members would identify themselves in that culture – “a new club scene intent on riding sub-bass sound waves into the future”, meaning that said subculture will still exist even after its reduction of popularity. Fire for Effect, a seapunk-related band, have produced tracks complete with narwhal mating calls and David Attenborough archival footage soundbites, in order to identify themselves with the seapunk subculture.

                Goths, on the other hand, associated everything coloured black with their subculture. So do emos, but they approach this subculture with feelings of negativity, depression, and self-harm.

                Commodification was also a big factor of music affecting subcultures. The British rocker subculture greatly evolved from the psychedelic lifestyle of hippies, where they promoted peace in many ways and explored altered consciousness states, such as in an LSD trip. They wore brightly coloured fabrics and displayed acid phantasmagoria in their soft-rock inspired outfits. American hard rock band KISS wore extreme rocker make-up to simulate comic book characters. Their wacky hairstyles and weird facial expressions, as well as punk-styled costumes, influenced creativity from other punk rockers and related mods. Lastly, hardcore punk rockers sported dark coloured leather jackets and coats with embedded spike studs, as a connotation of danger and violence. Their coloured mohawks and stand-out piercings were a result of the aggressive extremities of hardcore rock. It was their nature to associate themselves in that subculture; their overall commitment.

In conclusion, all youth subcultural areas have been greatly affected by the emergence of music since the early 20^th century, the latter applying to what people wore and their day-to-day lifestyles in their lifetimes. As modern technology evolved throughout the later years and newer subcultures stemmed out of these individual styles of living, various styles of music shaped their identities and how to commit themselves to these subcultures. Today, the presence of websites such as Tumblr and the range of acquiring music, from digital downloads to gigs and music videos, have all moulded the unique motives of people in their own subcultures. Perhaps it is best that they dealt with their commitments and favoured lifestyles individually.