Week 8 - Are subcultures a sign of revolt or an expression of style?

A subculture can be defined as a group of people with a culture which distinguishes them from the larger culture in which they belong. They can be identified by there dress, taste in music, mannerisms and use of slang. An examle of a subculture is the punk movement, which reached it's height of popularity in the 70's and 80's. Hebdige with his theory of Polysemy, believed that signs could have multiple meanings. An example of this was the wearing of the Nazi swastika by punks to shock, rather than because they supported the Nazis. Hebdige found a link between style and the socio-economic situation.
Sub Cultures can sometimes be seen as a sign of revolt as some people within the sub cultures eg anarachists/chavs/ravers rebel against the laws and rules of society. However not all of the sub-cultures members act in this way. Instead subcultures are simply used as an expression of style eg goths, to stand out from the crowd. However often their style eg clothes and music are adopted into the mainstream, so they are constantly changing in order to be different, with some going so far at to adopt their own ideologies.