Girls, Girls, Girls

The essay “Girls and subcultures”, by Angela McRobbie and Jenny Garber, reviews general instances in which girls are associated with subculture. According to this essay, “when girls do appear [in subcultures], it is either in ways in which uncritically reinforce the stereotype image of women with which are now so familiar… or else they are fleeting and marginally presented” (103). However, concluding that girls do not have significant roles in subculture as a whole is slightly ambiguous. Perhaps, saying that girls are not heavily involved in deviant subcultures would be more effective. Yet, even this statement excludes a number of girls who take part in subcultural mischief.

            According to McRobbie and Garber, girls take a more passive role in subcultures. They are frequently not involved in the violent aspects of that gain the attention of the press and concern of society (107). Since “parents tend to be more protective of their daughters than they are of their sons” (111), girls are often left to experience the world of subcultures from the comfort of home. With the misconception that subcultural girls are sexually promiscuous, they are putting themselves at risk by participating in street culture (107). Perhaps this is the reason why a girl may obtain subcultural capital based “on whose girlfriend she was” (109). By having a close tie with “one of the guys”, a girl is able to participate in the subculture without putting herself at risk. Perhaps we could consider that there is a sense of security involved rather than hastily assume that she is just another appropriated accessory. Judging by these statements alone, it can be said that the way girls participate in subculture differs from the way that boys participate in subculture. Consequently, judging by that statement, we could also say that the way each person participates in subculture differs from the next, regardless of gender.

            Furthermore, though McRobbie and Garber question the existence of girls within subcultures, they make note of a number of subcultures in which thrive on the participation of girls. Two of these subcultures include hippy culture and ‘teenybopper’ culture. As hippy culture “represented an empowering space for women” (111) and ‘teenybopper’ culture allowed for a risk-free venture into the realm of pop icons, these subcultures continue to be significant social outlets for females.

Images courtesy of: lifeofanarchitect.com & scottymoore.net

To say that girls are excluded from subculture would be inaccurate. Just because we often associate the word subculture in a context of masculine deviance (106), does not mean that all subcultures operate under these constraints. In fact, many subcultures can be quite innocent and harmless. It is just a rare occasion that these groups are presented in a subcultural context.

Work Cited

McRobbie, Angela, and Jenny Garber. “Girls and subcultures.” The Subcultures

       Reader. 2nd ed. Ken Gelder. London: Routledge, 2005. 105-112. Print.