Greasers is a working-class youth subculture that was coined in the 1950s and grew increasingly popular towards the 1960s. Teenagers who participated in the subculture originated from northeastern and southern United States. They were typically young males sometimes females, who were from white working class families and was not able to receive the best educational resources or opportunities in life as their peers who were from upper class families. These teenagers were rebellious and were considered to be street gangsters known as “hoods”. This subculture became extremely popularized so it started to become internationally practiced. They then started to grow into other types of individuals quickly. This group was formed with the faith to have a group of young men who shared common values. They wanted to stand out from the mainstream society and go against what the society considered as the correct ethical behavior. At this time, society frowned upon individuals who seemed different in terms of cultural values and ethnicity. Greaser men had a great interest in fights, fast cars, motorcycles, and the ladies. Greaser women had a thing for the greaser guys and followed the same hobbies. Rock and roll music is heavily associated with this subculture. They listened to artists such as Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Ritchie Valens. Their name “greaser” was created due to the physical appearance and images these young teenagers depicted. They had greased slicked back hairstyles that usually consisted of combing the hair back with many products that gave their hair a shiny greasy texture like wax, gel, creams, tonics, or pomade. The greaser boys grew their hair out longer because the appropriate look for men in the society at this time was short hair that was above the collar. Greasers became an easy target to scorn because of their indifference and rebellion. They were stereotyped and put into the categories of dangerous, reckless, wild, careless, and irresponsible when their main purpose was purely for teenage fun. They automatically received negative attention and people I the mainstream society felt that they had to be suffering from problems in their lives. The boys typically sported black leather jackets that were worn over white or black tee shirts. They would often have their sleeves rolled up. Blue jeans were usually the choice of bottoms for the greaser men. Sometimes a sleeveless shirt would be worn as well. They chose to accessorize with things like leather belts and wallets with chains on them. They wore black boots or white tennis shoes. One of their favorites were white Converse All-Stars. Other items that were fashion statement for male greasers were flannel shirts and denim blue jean jackets. Greaser girls wore leather jackets as well to make them look tougher. They would wear form fitting clothes to show off their figures like fitted blue jeans, cardigans, and circle-cut skirts that, which flared out at the waistline and enhanced the hourglass figure. Greaser girls curled and teased their hair. They also wore bold makeup that consisted of darker eyes and attention drawing lips (Beck & Parsons, 2007; Bentley, 2013; "Stone Greasers"; Pierce, 2011; "What did", 2014; Estrada, 2011; Pat, 2010; McCormick, 2011; Hamilton, 2011; "Greaser Subculture", 2014). Beck, J., & Parsons, J. L. (2007). Twentieth century dress in the United States. New York: Fairchild Publications. Bentley, K. (2013, July 29). The Greasers: Yesterday and Today. . Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.reportersvintage.com/vintage-fashion/did-you-know-facts/198-the-greaser-yesterday-and-today.html Stone Greasers, Greasers Gangs and Clubs From Chicago to New York. (n.d.). Stone Greasers, Greasers Gangs and Clubs From Chicago to New York. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.stonegreasers.com/greaser/ Pierce, L. (2011, April 9). A brief history of the greasers. Examiner.com. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.examiner.com/article/a-brief-history-of-the-greasers What Did Greasers Wear in the 1950s & 1960s?. (2014). bighow Articles. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://bighow.net/1269417-What_Did_Greasers_Wear_in_the_1950s__amp__1960s_.html Estrada, E. (2011, February 21). The Greaser Sub-culture. sociology254. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://sociology254.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/the-greaser-sub-culture/ Pat, A. (2010, April 1). Greaser. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=greaser&defid=4852249 McCormick, M. (2011, January 6). What Did Greasers Wear in the 1950s & 1960s?. eHow. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.ehow.com/list_7739655_did-greasers-wear-1950s-1960s.html Hamilton, A. (2011, June 3). How to Be a Greaser Girl. eHow. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.ehow.com/how_8534747_greaser-girl.html Greaser (subculture). (2014, April 29). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greaser_(subculture)
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