SKINHEADS

 The political spectrum within the skinhead scene ranges from the far right to the far left, although many skinheads are apolitical. Fashion-wise, skinheads range from a clean-cut 1960s mod-influenced  style to less-strictpunk- and hardcore-influenced styles.Skinheads are visually identified by their short hair and unique clothing styles.
 Skinhead fashions have evolved since the formation of the subculture in the 1960s, and certain clothing styles havebeen more prevalent in specific locations and time periods. There are a few different types of skinheads in terms of style, but many of today's skinheads do not fit into one distinct category. Traditional skinheads, also known as trads or Trojan skinheads, adopt the style of the original 1960s skinhead subculture. Oi! skinheads — influenced by the 1970s punk subculture — often have shorter hair than 1960s-style skinheads, and tend to wear higher boots, tighter jeans, and clothing styles that are less mod-influenced than their traditionalist counterparts. Tattoos have been popular in the skinhead subculture since at least the 1970s revival.

Many traditionalist skinheads wear braces, in various colours clipped to the trouser waistband. In some areas, braces much wider the colour of braces (suspenders) or flight jackets have been used to signify affiliations. The particularhave varied regionally, and have had totally different meanings in different areas and time periods. Only skinheads from the same area and time period are likely to interpret the colour significations accurately. The practice of using the colour clothing items to indicate affiliations has become less common, particularly among traditionalist skinheads, who are more likely to choose their colours simply for fashion purposes.Hats common among skinheads include: Trilby hats; pork pie hats; flat caps (Scally caps or driver caps), winter woollen hats (without a bobble). Less common have been bowler 

hats (mostly among suedeheads and those

 influenced by the film A Clockwork Orange).

In the late 1950s, the United Kingdom's entrenched class system limited most working class people's educational, housing, and economic opportunities. Nevertheless, Britain's post-war economic boom led to an increase in disposable income among many young people. Some of those youths spent that income on [Image]new fashions.These youths became known as mods, a youth subculture noted for its consumerismand devotion to fashion, music and scooters.Mods of lesser means made do with practical clothing styles that suited their lifestyle and employment circumstances: work boots or army boots, straight-leg jeans or Sta-Prest trousers, button-down shirts, and brace.Around 1965, a schism developed between the peacock mods (also known as smooth mods), who were less violent and always wore the latest expensive clothes, and the hard mods who were identified by their shorter hair and more working class image. 

These hard mods became commonly known as skinheads by about 1968. Skinheads may also have cut their hair short in defiance of the more middle class hippie culture.In addition to retaining many mod
influences,early skinheads were very interested in Jamaican rude boy styles and culture, especially the music: ska, rocksteady, and early reggae.Skinhead culture became so popular by 1969 that even the rock band Slade temporarily adopted the look as a marketing strategy.The subculture gained wider notice because of a series of violent and sexually explicit novels by Richard Allen, notably Skinhead andSkinhead Escapes.By the early 1970s, the skinhead subculture started to fade from popular culture, and some of the original skins dropped 
into new categories, such as the suedeheads, smoothies , and bootboys.


In the late 1970s, the skinhead subculture was revived to a notable extent after the introduction of punk rock. Most of these revivalist skinheads reacted to the commercialism of punk by adopting a look that was in line with the original 1969 skinhead style. This revival included Gary Hodges and Hoxton Tom McCourt (both later of the band the 4-Skins) and Suggs, later of the band Madness. From 1979 onwards, punk-influenced skinheads with shorter hair, higher boots and less emphasis on traditional styles grew in numbers and grabbed media attention, mostly due tofootball hooliganism.