MOD – SUBCULTURE

WHAT IS A SUBCULTURE?
According to Oxford English dictionary, subculture means “a
trackable subgroup within a society or group of people,
especially one characterized by beliefs or interests at variance
with those of larger group”, that means that subculture is
compost by groups that have the same values and norms distinct
from those held by majority.
There are a lot of different subcultures such as hippies, gamers,
punks, rappers, emo, bikers, and the list go on.

MOD- WHAT IS IT AND HISTORY

The name Mod comes from the term Modernism because of the
music choice that the early mods used to listen- modern jazz, the
type of clothes that they used to dress and their interest in
modernism. the word can be also used to describe a British
teenager or young adult in the 60s. The mod subculture can be
characterized as modern, cosmopolitan, cool, and popular.
This youth subculture was established post World War II in
England, more specifically in London. It was form by teens from
the working-class families who were trying to transcend the
mundane, traditional, old fashion costumes of the 50s and adopt
a more exciting, expensive, fashionable, and social lifestyle.
Mod has been a part of the British youth culture for over 60
years. It has been a key influencer of the worlds fashion and
music since the first Italian slim-fit suit was donned in Soho circa
1958.
These young teenagers who started de subculture were bored of
the strict moral, gender and behavioral norms and rules. The
mod scene was a way for them to escape, rebel and apply their
independence from the older generation.
Because of the economic prosperity of England after war, many
youths of working-class families no longer needed to contribute
their earnings to the household income, so they used that money
to buy the iconic items of the Mod subculture such as the vespa
scooters.
The Mods chose to drive scooters over motorbikes partly
because they were a symbol of Italian style and because and
made them less likely to stain clothes with oil or road dust.
The way that Mods dressed was about more than just looking
smart. They wanted to distance themselves from the way that
their parents lived. They used fashion to express their ideas,
which included independence and tolerance.
Mods style for men included cravats and a three- piece suit from
the Edwardian era. The suits were tailor made with narrow lapels
and worn with crisp, pointed collar shirts and they used shoes
with extremely pointed toes.
Their overall style was influenced by Marlon Brando’s, character
in the wild one.
the feminine mod style it changed a lot during the decades.
First, they choose to wear looks more unisex, using short hair
and sometimes masculine clothes. But in the 60s they started to
dress more feminine using more accessories, dressing miniskirts,
shift dresses, twinsets and fitted pants. The female mod felt free
to make her own stylistic and personal choices.
One of the first modern trends was to accept woman as their
own autonomous beings.
Mods enjoyed a heavy social and party life. They congregated in
coffee shops that stayed open all night long.
Examples of music artists influenced by the mod subculture are:
The rolling stones, the Beatles, the kinks, David Bowie, Marc
Bolan, Oasis, Amy Winehouse, Miles Kane and the jam.
Today the influence of mod can be seen right through the world
of fashion. If you go to any street in Britain, you are almost
guaranteed to see items of clothing that were introduced by the
mod revolution, such as long-sleeved polo shirts, parkas,
Harrington jackets, desert boots and Chelsea boots.
Today is carried by faces like: Martin Freeman, Miles Kane, Jamie
Bell, and Bradley Wiggins.