Suburban commercialism

In relation to the commercialisation of skateboarding, I discovered an Alva skateboard whilst editing my film in the back yard of a student share house in North Sydney. This directly relates to the commercialisation of the Z-boys, particularly Tony Alva, who's branded board can be found more than 30 years later in the back yard of an Australian suburban home.

Developmental points of essay

Resistance through Rituals

Youth subcultures in post-war Britain

Edited by Stuart Hall & Tony Jefferson

Culture is the way the social relations of a group are structured and shaped: but it is also the way those shapes are experienced, understood and interpreted. (11)

-link to commercialism and how the initial subculture wasn't correctly interpreted, only the surface was looked at.

These structures- of social relationship and of meaning- shape the on-going collective existence of groups. But they also limit, modify and constrain how groups live and reproduce their social existence.

-link to social circumstances of the Z-boys. Many had bad home life, low-to no income- and this links to their sell out.

Each group makes something of it's starting conditions- and though this 'making', through this practice, culture is reproduced and transmitted. (11)

-again links to what the z-boys started with- surfing in the morning, leading to the development of skateboarding in pools. This further developed into the rise of skateboarding among teens.

Minority group- Z-town boys -turned mass consumed industry-surf/skate industry- and subcultural group recognise around the world- so widely diffused that they loose their distinctiveness.

Subcultures...take shape around the distinctive activities and 'focal concerns' of groups...[some] develop a clear, coherent identity and structure...which have reasonably tight boundaries, distinctive shapes, which have cohered around particular activities, focal concerns and territorial spaces.(14)

-link to the territorial nature of the Z-town boys and the dead wonderland that they reside in, the Zephyr store, the zephyr team dress and style as perceived in the movie and the documentary.

Members of a subculture may walk, talk, act, look 'different' from their parents and from some of their peers: but they belong to the same families, go to the same schools, work at much the same jobs, live down the same 'mean streets' as their parents. (14)

-link to the union of the z-boys, and how this is severed through the purchase of each skater by skateboard companies. The film is more expressive of this, as it shows a more dramatised distintion between the boys- particularily between Tony Alva

Through dress, activities, leisure pursuits and life-style, they may project a different cultural response or 'solution' to the problems posed for them by their material and social class position and experience.(15)

Post-war youth did engage in distinctive cultural pursuits, and this was closely linked with the expansion of the leisure and fashion industries, directed at the 'teenage market'.(15)

Sections of working-class or middle-class youth where a response to their situation took a distinctive sub-cultural form. (16)

Youth groups fed off and appropriated things provided by the market, and, in turn, how the market tried to expropriate and incorporated things produced by the sub-cultures: in other words, the dialectic between youth and the youth market industry.(16)

The term youth culture appropriates the situation of the young almost exclusively in terms of the commercial and publicity manipulation and exploitation of the young.(16)

Youth culture is a result of such 'mindless' imitation by teenagers fostered by a shrewd and 'manipulating' commercial interests.(19)

Tony Hawks father founded in 1981 the National Skateboard Association, which was initially associated with the Boy Scouts of America. Yet todays youth believe Hawks to be a pioneer of skateboarding?

Z-boys introduced surf-style skating in the 1970's, poineering vert skating in empty pools, and through their attitude, antics and promoters changing the popular image of the skateboarder from that of clean-cut gymnast to that of a rebel (Kruse).

Film has effect on consumption.

How commercialism has changed the ideals and values of the surf/skate culture.

Subculture- The Meaning of Style. Dick Hebdige.

Expressive forms and rituals of those subordinate groups who are alternately dismissed, denounced and canonised; treated at different times as threats to public order and as harmless buffoons (2)

We are intrigued by the most mundane objects- a safety pin, a pointed shoe, a motor cycle which none the less... take on a symbolic dimension, becoming a form of stigmata, tokens of a self imposed exile (2)

The tensions between dominant and subordinate groups can be found reflected in the surfaces of subculture- in the styles made up of mundane objects which have a double meaning (3)

Subculture begins with a crime against the natural order

But it ends in the construction of a style, in a gesture of defiance or contempt, in a smile or a sneer. It signals a refusal.

Cont. of objects quote.

'These 'humble objects' can be magically appropriated; 'stolen' by subordinate groups and made to carry 'secret' meanings: meanings which express, in code, a form of resistance to the order which guarantees their continued subordination' (18)

Only looks at the surface of a subculture- uninterested in the hidden messages inscribed in code on the glossy surfaces of style.

Albert Cohen stressed the compensatory function of the juvenile gang: working class adolescents who underachieved at school joined gangs in their leisure time in order to develop alternative sources of self-esteem. In the gang, the core values of the straight worlds- sobriety, ambition, conformity etc.- were replaced by their opposites: hedonism, defiance of authority and the quest for 'kicks'. (76)

The leisure styles available to youth were inflected through the contradictions and divisions intrinsic to a class society (77)

the commodity form

It communicates through commodities even if the meanings attached to those commodities are purposefully distorted or overthrown. (95)

It is therefore difficult in this case to maintain any absolute distinction between commercial exploitation on the one hand and creativity/originality on the other, even though these categories are emphatically opposed in the value systems of most subcultures.

The diffusion of youth styles from the subcultures to the fashion market is not simply a 'cultural process', but a real network or infrastructure of new kinds of commercial and economic institutes. The small-scale record shops, recording companies, the boutiques and one- or two woman manufacturing companies- these versions of artisan capitalism, rather than more generalised and unspecific phenomena, situate the dialectic of commercial 'manipulation'. (95)

Subcultures are translated into commodities and made generally available (96)

Once removed from their private contexts by the small entrepreneurs and big fashion interests who produce them on a mass scale, they become codified, made comprehensible, rendered at once public property and profitable merchandise.(96)

the ideological form

The way in which subcultures are represented in the media makes them both more and less exotic than they actually are. (97)

Together, object and meaning constitute a sign, and, within any one culture, such signs are assembled, repeatedly, into characteristic forms of discourse...however when that object is placed within a different total ensemble, a new discourse is constituted, a different message conveyed. (104)

More closely associated with branding than catwalk fashion. But could talk about the z-boys outfits.

Gender Bender

Carbon Copy

she is the boy & he is the girl (w/ model maryna buniak)

Confronting and challenging images, which question gender perceptions and the role of male and female within society. This goes beyond androgyny. It is also interesting how the models have been styled. They both have an image reflective of Hollywood glamour, which almost removes them from their modern context.

Day Five

Change- Identity and Rebellion

Can you have a genuine subculture anymore? Or is the power of marketing and exploitation too dominant? The commodification of subcultures, in which the key defining aspects are sold back to the consumer, deeply undermines the initial values and sense of rebellion that initiated the 'trend' aspect.
Sarah Thornton attempted to argue against Dick Hebdige, suggesting that the creative and the commercial can live side by side, and that the boundaries between mainstream and alternative cultures are not distinct. It is views such as this that make it seem acceptable to sell out authenticity and turn it into a marketable profit. The rise of the teenage consumer, and the apparent disposable income that they possess, is a key tool in the selling out of the resistant group originally known as the subculture. The key value for a subculture is opting out of the mainstream, and opposing the dominant ideology associated with society. However subculture is not the same today, after Western consumerism is finished, being 'different' no longer exists. Youth cultures are watered down and transformed into a commodity that anyone can buy into, not necessarily understanding the initial development of the sub culture. It is almost contradictory in the way that a youth culture is developed as a resistance to consumerism, as something new, innovative and original, but is taken almost as public property and is resold in the mass market as something 'cool' and 'fun'. This is why subculture can't survive in its modern context. The adoption of a subculture in an ideological form however, is it's only chance for survival, a glimmer of hope. To actually understand a culture for what it is keeps the values alive, as opposed to selling out the image that it associates with. Subculture as a commodity is likely to have fuelled the Australian 'trend' market, as nothing can be original for too long, therefore people are constantly searching for the next new style that they can adopt before the mainstream catches on.

Amateur Skateboarder

This You-Tube video is humorous, and also puts the commercialism of skateboarding into context, as anyone, regardless of age, gender, skill or income now has access to the sport.

Longboarding Warehouse

Skateboarding on a long- board, however it is set in a modern context. Interesting to see the development of the old school skills and tricks.

super session:zboys pools and jay adams

This film depicts the pioneering days of skateboarding in emptied pools.

Z- Boys

Iconic still shots, the staring point for a mass consumed sub-culture.

Dogtown and Z Boys

This clip articulates the similarities between surfing and the development of skate boarding on concrete waves.

Jimi Hendrix - Fire [Zephyr team tribute]

This short clip demonstrates the early commercialism of the sub- culture, as each image is quite heavily saturated with branding and logo's.

Subcultures and consumption

A subculture is concerned first and foremost with consumption. The creation and diffusion of new styles is inextricably bound up with the process of production, publicity and packaging which must inevitably lead to the diffusion of the subculture's subversive power (Hebdige). This is a pivotal quote for my address of how subculture is effected by consumerism. In my essay i will address the particular effects that consumerism has had on the surf/ skate subculture since the 1970's. I will argue the essay topic that 'Hollywood gave modern consumerism its distinctive bent' to the point that it is consumerism that has made both Hollywood and subcultures the commercial mass consumed products of society that they are today.

'The cycle leading from opposition to diffusion, from resistance to incorporation encloses each successive subculture' (Hebdige). This quote will allow me to address the negative impact consumerism can have on a subculture. As soon as a subculture is taken on by the masses, it is no longer meaningful.

I would also like to address how the subculture is sold to consumers in a comparative look of the fashions from the documentary film Z-boys and Dog town and hollywood film Lords of Dog Town.

key point from Z-boy and Dog Town:

Aggressive loacalism and outcast behavior.

Anti mainstream.

Bad boy culture

New unique and different

This is where we live and who we are

Dead wonderland

Death to invaders

Hardcore culture

Street kids

Provided identity

Surf skate style- concrete v water

Devotion to style

The lords of Dogtown

G.BEATO

Twenty years ago you, you did not drop in on Tony Alva.

Twenty years ago, if you found yourself standing next to the volatile, gravity defying Alva at some crowded backyard pool in the Valley, and he was planning to take the next run- even though he had just taken the last one- it was just best to not even look at him. Today old school protocols do not exist. Could this be a direct result of the commercialisation of the subculture and the resulting loss of the underlying meanings and values associated with the pioneering days of surf-style skate boarding?

For kids who couldn't quite match Alva's radical athleticism or Jay Adam's spontaneous irreverence, a skateboard or a helmet bearing their signatures was the next best thing. This again relates to how the products are sold and marketed towards youth. Transforming what originated as lower class society kids finding their release from the negative environment they endure at home through skating and surfing, and turn it into a marketable industry exploiting insecurities of working class kids.

Day Four

Thelma and Louise: victims of circumstance to outlaw heroines of the road.

Louise: [in the parking lot outside the bar where Harlan is attempting to rape Thelma] Get away from her you fuckin' asshole or I'm gonna splatter your ugly face all over this nice car.

Harlan: [Getting off of Thelma] Easy, we're just having a little fun.

Louise: Sounds like you got a real fucked up idea of fun. Turn around. In the future, when a woman's crying like that, she isn't having any fun!

Harlan: Bitch! I shoulda gone ahead and fucked her!

Louise: Why did you say?

Harlan: I said suck my cock.

Louise: [Louise shoots him]

[soft but angry voice]

Louise: You watch your mouth.

This pivotal moment is so defining in the escape of two women from their mundane middle class existences and their transformation into coincidental criminals. Although each incident gets them further into trouble, it is interesting to watch Thelma who has 'had it up to my ass with sedate'. It becomes apparent that she has developed into the woman her husband has repressed for so many years.Its a particularly liberating film, as the story line develops the women gain more power and control of the men they come into contact with, and of their own lives. The truck driver is a particular example, a foul mouthed hick who the woman teach a very clear lesson to. Although the ending is concluded with their death, it is the freedom of choice that leaves viewers satisfied.

Beauty meets Boarding

Iconic Farrah Fawcett skateboarding alludes to the sports regained popularity.

Dogtown & Z Boys - OFFICIAL Teaser

This clip gives a good general overview of the content of the Dogtown & Z Boys documentary version.

lords of dogtown trailer

This clip gives a good general overview of the content of the Lords of Dogtown- the Hollywood version of the Z Boys.

Day Three

Sabrina, Audrey Hepburn 1954, directed by Billy Wilder.

Interesting storyline, girl meets boy, runs off to Paris to forget him, returns and tries to break up his engagement, only to be swept off her feet by the scheming older brother who wants to ship her back off to Paris? Although in the midst of it all Sabrina seems to be an innocent character, she is quite conniving in her pursuit of an engaged woman's fiance and for the time perhaps promiscuous

taking the hearts of two men.

Sabrina Fairchild: Kiss me, David.

David Larrabee: Love to, Sabrina.

[kisses her]

Sabrina Fairchild: Again. That's better.

David Larrabee: What's the matter, dear? You're not worried about us, are you? Because I'm not. So there'll be a big stink in the family. So who cares?

Sabrina Fairchild: David... I don't want to see Linus again. I don't want to go out with him.

David Larrabee: Why not, darling?

Sabrina Fairchild: I want to be near you.

I feel sympathetic for the apparently unimportant finance. David is marrying her for a business deal his brother is pushing, then he loves someone else and wants to sweep her off her feet, then gets over her and his fiance is ok for him again? Dominantly class based film which also reflects the male dominance of society at the time.

Day Two

Undressing cinema

Clothing and identity in the movies

Stella Bruzzi

Coco Chanel suggests that women must become one with their clothes, and it should reflect their beauty, not over overshadow it. However to be appropriate to a garment is interesting in the case of Pretty Woman in which a hooker is made into a higher class woman with a change of wardrobe. Is this suggesting that a woman who is previously restricted due to her financial situation is a natural waiting to happen? Or is it perhaps the clothes that make the woman?

Marilyn Monroe, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Pamela Church Gibson made a comment towards Monroe's female co-star Jane Russell, within the gym scene in which Jane is described as looking almost amazonian. I found it interesting that during the scene, she is incredibly dominating, and the men around appear to react to her by showing no reaction at all, they ignore her presence. It isn't until she is knocked into the pool and shows weakness that she is recognised and acknowledged by the athletes surrounding her. To me this suggests that men during this period didn't accept women having power over men. A comment by Monroe during the film is also evident of gender inequalities, in that men don't like a woman to be smart, and that although Marilyn appears to be dumb she can be smart when she needs to be. Russell imitating Monroe for the court case, is an interesting display of how Marilyn presents herself, silly, flirty and in performance purely for the entertainment of men. This for me is interesting to see the contrast between the women, and the suggestion during the film that Monroe will be more successful because her beauty and charm will find her a rich man, unlike Russell.

This image in particular demonstrates the contrast between the women. Monroe with white hair, a wide eyed innocent expression, and her legs folded, appears like the perfect woman for the time. Russell with her dark hair, serious expression and led spread on the other hand looks rather masculine and defiant in comparison.

Film exploration

Lords of Dog Town

Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke.

Written by: Stacy Peralta.

Cast: John Robinson, Emile Hirsch, Rebecca De Mornay, William Mapother, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Victor Rasuk, Nikki Reed, Heath Ledger, Vincent Laresca, Brian Zarate, Pablo Schreiber, Elden Henson, Michael Angarano, Mitch Hedberg, Benjamin Nurick.

"Lords of Dogtown" focuses on four of the Z-Boys: Jay Adams, Stacy Peralta, Tony Alva, Sid Gianetti and Zephyr surfboard-shop owner and skate-team founder Derrick "Skip" Engblom, living in lower-class Venice Beach circa 1975.

Day One

Initial Ideas

Fashion and femininity in 1930's Hollywood

Sarah Berry

Interesting to see the development and progression of social constraint. Initially there is social anxieties towards women having the freedom to suit themselves. This continues to worries about the disruption of social class distinction due to woman dressing above their means. The conclusion is that women are finally free to express their personalities, however they must choose from a selection of 'personalities', suppressing them into a target market of mass consumption. This was in effect to control overproduction by creating a market that demanded constant change.

Movies by this stage had become an 'engine for imposing types of beauty' (James Laver)as particular actresses were categorised for their chosen personalities.

Although fashion types originated as a marketing tool, it later translated into a style spectrum of Hollywood stars which highlighted the function that theatre and film stars gained as fashion leaders.

100 years ago there weren't magazines - women saw clothes through short films.

During the 19th century only actresses and prostitutes were the only people that wore make up.

The founder of make up on a commercial scale was Max Factor, a Hungarian make up artist who began selling it to the general public.

1920's & 30's to the 50's was the main time period for the development of department stores.

Within early Hollywood line, texture, and beading were important in the telling of a story, particularly since the films were black and white, and silent. Particular attention was also taken to the eyes and the mouth to help emphasise the expressions of the face, this was achieved through heavy make up, which was also worn by men, mainly eye liner and lip colour.

Jean Harlow was the first artificial blonde in Hollywood, and fueled the trend of peroxide blonde hair. However at the time, products readily available today were non existent and serious reactions often occurred to home chemical dye jobs.