Youth Subculture: How To Be A Skinhead

 In the early 1960s, before the hippie movement, there were primarily two youth groups based on music in the United Kingdom. One group was called the mods, the other the rockers. Mods mostly listened to R&B, soul, ska and British rock bands such as The Who and Small Faces. Rockers mostly listened to 1950s American rock & roll. Being a mod meant dressing very well, riding a scooter and dancing late into the night. Rockers rode motorcycles and wore leather jackets, similar to greasers, their American counterparts.

When the psychedelic 1960s hit England, the mods split into a wide variety of fashions and styles including hippies and the skinheads. This period is where the fashion of skinheads was first defined. Skinhead fashion is intended to show pride in a traditional English working-class look.

As time went by and the skinhead movement spread around the world, the original beliefs and values evolved and split into a variety of different subcultures.
Today, skinhead can mean almost anything, depending on your own beliefs, country, culture, class and where you get your information. The fascist skinheads, originally a very small minority, got a lot of press attention and in many ways were the first “ambassadors” of the skinhead look to the rest of the world. Fascist skinheads are about as common as regular fascists, and they are the exact opposite of the original skinhead philosophies and music.

Style categories

• Traditional skinheads identify with the original skinhead movement (Spirit of 69) in terms of music, style, culture and working class pride. Unlike the other categories, traditionalist skinheads often do not regard attitudes toward racism as central to the subculture.
• Oi! skins and punk-skinheads – Originating after the development of punk rock, they prefer Oi! and punk music. They often have shorter hair and more tattoos — and wear items such as high boots, tight jeans, T-Shirts and flight jackets. Although the original Oi! bands advocated a pro-worker populist stance, the Oi! fanbase includes a wide range of political beliefs.
• Hardcore skins – A United States-based version of skinheads, part of the hardcore punk music scene, Hardcore skins tend to dress a little bit more casual, often donning Adidas samba’s instead of boots. Somewhat baggier jeans and non traditional “Windbreaker” type jackets and hooded sweatshirts are also commonplace. Certain aspects of the traditional skinhead style, like Muttonchops, Ben Shermans, Scally Caps and of course, cropped hair are still present however, to identify with the subculture.

Method 1 of 2: Style

1. Traditionally, skinheads are identified by their short or closely-shaved hair. However, not all skinheads do this. Crew cuts and pompadours are common among certain groups.
2. Straight-leg, dark wash jeans with cuffs rolled up (to show boots) are common among several groups of skinheads. Flat-fronted slacks and bleachers (jeans splattered with bleach to resemble camouflage), as well as BDU combat trousers or cut-off shorts, are favored among punk and Oi! skinheads. Skinhead girls often wear the same pants as boys, with the addition of camouflage or plaid miniskirts and fishnet stockings.
    
3. Working-class longshoremen in the United Kingdom were among the first skinheads, and as such warm knit sweaters became a skinhead fashion staple.
4. Some skinhead groups favour wearing suspenders or braces over shirts. 
5. Flight jackets, in black or green, are popular skinhead outerwear. A sheepskin coat, or dark or plaid overcoat, is also appropriate. Donkey jackets, with or without PVC shoulders, harken back to British dockworkers and are also favored in skinhead fashion
6. Again, because the first skinheads were dockworkers, army surplus or generic work boots remain common staples of skinhead fashion. Dr. Martens (aka Docs, Doc Martens or DMs) boots and shoes are iconic choices. 

Method 2 of 2: Politics

1. Be prepared to defend your beliefs. When people see you dressed as a skinhead, some of them will automatically assume that you're a neo-Nazi or white supremacist (also refereed to as boneheads)
2. Know the difference between different political sects. Skinhead politics come in several forms, from neo-Nazism to political apathy. Here's an overview of some groups you should understand.
   • Anti-racist (SkinHeads Against Racial Prejudice, or SHARPs) are aggressively opposed to neo-Nazism and racism, though they don't always take a stance on other political issues. The label SHARP is sometimes used to describe all anti-racist skinheads, even if they aren't members of a SHARP organization.
   • Apolitical, centrist or anti-political skinheads keep their political views out of the skinhead subculture. They often have a sense of working-class pride, but not so much in a political sense. Most traditional skinheads, or "trojans," fit this category.
   • Left-wing skinheads are anti-racist and anti-fascist, taking a militant pro-working-class and socialist stance. The most well-known organization in this category is Red and Anarchist Skinheads (RASH).
   • Right-wing skinheads are conservative and patriotic, but not necessarily extreme or fascist. This type of skinhead seems to be common in the United States.
   • White Power or neo-Nazi skinheads are racist, extremely nationalist and highly political. Despite the common moniker, many neo-Nazi skinheads have no connection to the original skinhead culture in terms of style or interests. SHARPs and traditional skinheads often refer to them as boneheads or hammerskins (which is a specific organization as well as a general term). Racist skinheads are found largely in prisons, as part of the Aryan Brotherhood or other white supremacy gangs.
3. Do what works for you. You can ally yourself with some political aspect of being a skinhead, or you can abstain entirely. Whatever you choose, pick the best match for your beliefs and convictions. 

 Music

 The skinhead subculture was originally associated with black popular music genres such as soul, ska, rocksteady and early reggae, The link between skinheads and Jamaican music led to the development of the skinhead reggae genre.
 The most popular music style for late-1970s skinheads was 2 Tone, which was a fusion of ska, rocksteady, reggae, pop and punk rock. The 2 Tone genre was named after 2 Tone Records, a Coventry, England record label that featured bands such as The Specials, Madness and The Selecter. Some late-1970s skinheads also liked certain punk rock bands, such as Sham 69 and Menace.