The Mod subculture has many aspects which can be argued to define the changes to Britain in the 1960s but it is mainly changes to attitude by one small arm of the youth culture of the 1960s and for this reason it is hard to define a group but a lot of the more selfish attitudes of the 1960s were epitomised by the Mod subculture and it can be argued that the beginning of the 60s attitudes may have started with the Mod subculture inferred in Weight’s definition of Mod as aspiration made flesh and cloth... the closest to the American dream that Britain got. Weight argues that the liberating attitudes in the 1960s were very apparent within the Mod subculture.
Weight believes, the fashion is the most important feature as in every analysis and many first-hand accounts cover the importance of fashion. The obsession with fashion and consumption of the Mod culture was a huge part of the changing 60s society as this was as Disk argues the first generation who lived with full employment and increasing wage, there was no immediate economic instability . Affirmed by Hennessy when he argues that the 60s as a time of full employment meant that the family economy no longer depended on the youth income to survive and many of the youth of the 1960s could keep a lot of what they earned, although this was not the same for everyone. Economist Adam Smith saw any spare money would lead to frivolous spending as the youth had this new disposable income and the market wasn’t ready for the increased spending the first option for youth was to spend on outlandish fashion which was a staple for the Mod subculture. Harvey’s exhibition is the best example of this as he exhibits photography surround the Mod subculture and he argues that the most important part of this subculture is the use of fashion as a statement.
Fashion for the Mod as Laurie argues that Mods with their sharp suits and enlightened attitudes were symbolic of not only the need to be taken seriously by the adult world as affirmed by Paytress when he writes of Marc Bolan, a well-recognised Mod, that this fashion was also a symbol that Mods were aspirational and wanted to go beyond the previous class division, which in fact according to Cohen was one of the main problems society had with Mods because it wasn’t just the working-classes rebelling it was unrest with the current social standing, a division that was apparent within the 1960s . and Veblen suggests that this increased income would encourage conspicuous consumption as it had in the past and would lead to the emulation of the elite which Weight suggests as the reason behind the sharp suits.
“We all wanted to be different to get away from the council estates, the pits and the factories, all that cloth cap bullshit.”
However, Gildart suggests that the fashion of the Mods had many aspects of the working-class background were apparent within the fashion . The idea of wearing a sharp suit to go out to the pub was something that had been a part of the working-class fashions but Mods no longer wore the sombre suits of their fathers. The other similarities were apparent in the combination of work boots and jeans which then evolved in to the fashion of the off-shoot of Mods, the Skinheads.
Fashions importance is also apparent when considering the origins of the fashion as Hebdige argues the Mod fashion was an amalgamation, a variation of many of the immigrants to East London. As the suits were Italian style usually based around the Jewish tailors of East London according to Long, it also uses the Jamaican “Rude Boy” style as according to Sparks it was associated with the music they began with and the Mod subculture was inclusive of all. It also appeared to encapsulate the undercurrent of the British gangsters who were hugely influential at the time as the Krays and the Richardsons fought over the Eastend. The style the Mods appeared to try and unite people in the guise of fashion, as Hebdige suggests it is the first youth culture that responded positively to race as with the civil rights movement the youth of Britain related to the maladies of oppression beginning to question the rules which as Diski argues was one of the main parts of the 1960s.
The diversity arguably includes the fabric of the gay subculture as although the fashion-conscious Teddy Boys began a change to the view of a male being fashion conscious, and in fact have been argued to have evolved into the fashion obsessed Mod, the parent culture appears to have viewed this aspect of the youth culture as suspect because it was usually associated with the gay subculture. Casburn argues this was furthered by the Mod subculture as they took inspiration from the gay culture and began to shop in the same stores and challenge gender roles by wearing make-up. She also writes of the female’s addition to the symbols of the 1960s. This also offered many women opportunities for employment as designers like Mary Quant used the Mod fashion as a vehicle into the scene and models like twiggy and Jean Shrimpton gave female mods the same aspirational dream that the male Mods got which was the main symbol of the 1960s.
The female Mods also challenged the roles of fashion through use of either ever shortening skirts to challenge the parental culture and boundaries of womens sexuality but also the use of male clothing was a challenge mirroring the male Mods use of eyeliner. However, as with the many subcultures the dominant view of the subculture was through the visibility of men and Mods were no exception . In fact, the fashions however despite Laurie’s mention of female Mods inferring that they were important although they were more visible in society they were still, as per Weight, no more than accessories to the male. However, Gildart argues however that the Mod subculture in fact injects youth with an excitement and belief that there was hope for a more equal Britain.
However, it is quite clear in the documentary “Mods and Rockers Rebooted” that watching footage of Mods it was not a cultural statement of inclusion but vanity . Affirmed by Brown when he argues that the main elements of the original Mod Movement were they were hedonistic, narcissistic and consumerist inferring that there was no real political statement of inclusion behind the fashion but does proffer that the idea of Mods not thinking that is important follows the argument of the inclusion of all people. Harvey agrees, using a photo of the Mod fashion as the epitome of his exhibition showing energy of movement and attention to detail of the male Mod on his fashion. “The image illustrates the energy of the dance floor and a passion for the music. When you look a little closer you can also see how important the presentation of the clothing is, from the perfectly placed pocket square, down to the cufflinks. ” Although despite the Mods culture revolving around the acquisition of goods, those goods were multi-cultural and many felt included and able to enjoy this culture within a society where they may be under appreciated or unable to enjoy liberation. But for many of the Mods they were unaware of where the roots of the music and bands that were “True Mods” only really encapsulated the fashion and the working-class malady rather than the racial and cultural harmony .
In fact, The Kinks satirised the obsession in their song “Dedicated follower of fashion” and although this song was derogatory towards this attitude the song captures the ideals and was an anthem in the revival of Mod after Quadrophenia. “It will make or break him so he’s got to buy the best…he thinks he’s a flower to be looked at .” So, despite the diversity of fashion and the inclusion of people the most important feature of fashion was a selfish vanity, which was a symbol of the changes in Britain in the 1960’s as Fowler argues stating that youth culture tended to be an individual revolution.
Consumerism makes a large part of the Mod subculture as the new disposable income allowed youth to buy more goods and as Abrams suggests the market was very quick to create a “teenage” market and youth began spending their money and time on teen goods in a teen world. Hoggart argues against this exploitation of the new-found youth culture was an issue in the 60s because the consumers became zombie-like in their consumption. However, Jobling argues that the Mods were not passive consumers each Mod bought the goods they specifically wanted and much of the time Mods were looking for the unique items and spending a lot of time customising
Mods subculture also represents the rise of youth culture and for Diski, this is one of the key features of the 1960s . Affirmed by Casburn as she states that the emergence of youth culture came from the safety of post war society and youths struggle against the strict discipline and moral oppression. The Mods subculture was mainly built up from youth with new levels of affluence and higher levels of education leading them to want to express themselves. Fowler argues, prior to the 1960s, although there were youth subcultures they were more perceived as amusement and university pranks as the rebellious attitude and the need for individuality began at university but Wulff argues they were perceived as no more than pranks . This condescension was one of the reasons that youth of the 1960s, particularly Mods, began to feel animosity towards the parent culture in all its forms from parents to traditional authority .
O’Sullivan argues that this conflict against parent culture was important in the 1960s because of its connection to the disillusionment and alienation that the youth were feeling towards the gerontocracy, arguing that the Mods exemplified the generation gap that was apparent during the 1960s . Casburn, suggests that out of the post war generation Benson infers, as class lines appeared to blur and youth had more affluence and mobility to indulge in fashion, the confrontation was moved from class to generation, youth feeling more disassociated from the older generation, epitomised by The Who’s “My Generation ” in which the band sing of being misunderstood by the old and not wanting to become them.
Marwick agrees, when he states that as the class lines blur the generation gap widened but Laurie argues and Wulff affirms that although there was a definitive style and a flamboyant way of dressing the Mod style was sharp suits and “look like executives” which arguably, by Wulff, suggested a need to be taken seriously Neville in fact suggests that Mods were not trying to fight against society but become part of it using the flamboyance to alert the parent culture that they should be taken seriously.
Weight concentrates on the aspiration and affluence of the youth if the 1960s describing Mods as ambition made flesh and cloth, the closest Britain came to an American dream . He argues that the Mod subculture was designed to rebuke the prejudices of old Britain which Diski argues was the spirit of the 1960s a rebellion against traditional values but in a civilised manner , Affirmed by Musgrove when he argues that although the nature of the sixties was rebellious there was no fear of revolution. Gildart follows this by saying that although the Mods subculture was an image of the changing Britain, however it also shows the ever-present traditions through society .
The main distinct change that Mods epitomised was an increase in the importance and access to music. Townshend, writer for The Who, suggested that pop music should mean something and lyrics needed to bring awareness to the issues. Pete Townshend was a symbol of the Mods himself and as the Mods spent their new-found income on his records, amongst others, he began to write for his fans dealing with the issues of the working-class and as Gildart says there is a clear relationship between popular music and social class, Post-modern society has allowed popular music to evolve into a wide spread vehicle of expression, becoming a soundtrack to daily life , whether in pubs and clubs or the radio in salons and coffee clubs, as Frith says we absorb songs into our own lives as they are immediately accessible .
The 1960s affluence and consumerism also meant that the general populace, including the working-class, could afford personal music rather than enduring the pub or family sing-song. As with many artforms before it music began to move into social commentary, this could be caused by access for working-classes to the wider public spheres including education, creating “organic intellectuals, ” not distinguished by profession but class, expressing the hidden contradictions in the “parent culture” , reminiscent to the literature of the late Nineteenth century such as Dickens. Although, Billig suggests that this could also be acquainted to the post-war desire for soft and peaceful music, avoiding the issues causing marginalised view of working-class life and the youth of post-war growing up safely and wanting more danger .
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