Greaser

Greasers (also called Raggare in Sweden) were a working class youth subculture that originated in the 1950s among teenagers in northeastern and southern United States. Rock-and-roll music was a major part of the culture, and styles were influenced by singers, like Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Johnny Burnette, Vince Taylor and Ritchie Valens, but the two main figures of the look were Marlon Brando and James Dean. In the 1950s and 1960s, these youths were also known as "hoods". This may be due to the fact that the style was more popular in poor neighborhoods that had higher crime rates than upper-class neighborhoods.
The name "greaser" came from their greased-back hairstyle, which involved combing back hair using hair wax, hair gel, creams, tonics or pomade. The term "greaser" reappeared in later decades as part of a revival of 1950s popular culture. One of the first manifestations of this revival was a 1971 American 7 Up television commercial that featured a 1950s greaser saying "Hey remember me? I'm the teen angel." The music act Sha Na Na also played a major role in the revival.
Although the greaser subculture was largely a North American youth phenomenon, there were similar subcultures that sprouted up in the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Japan, France, Sweden, Germany, New Zealand and South Africa, due to the influence of American culture and media. In Sweden, they are called "raggare". The 1960s British Rockers, also known as a "ton-up boy", took inspiration from the Greaser image. Unlike British rockers, who were exclusively bikers, North American greasers were known more for their love of hot rod cars, kustoms and vans, not necessarily motorcycles. Both subcultures are known for being fans of 1950s Doo Wop, Rock and roll, and rockabillymusic.
During the 1950s, women also became a part of greaser culture. Like men, they joined motorcycle gangs and wore jackets displaying their group's or gang's name. Latina women involved in gangs typically did not fight side-by-side with male gangs, but they did fight rival female gangs in the 1950s. Women were often depicted as the property of male motorcycle gang members.
== Fashion ==
Clothing usually worn by greasers included:
* Fitted T-shirts in white or black (often with the sleeves rolled up), ringer T-shirts, Italian knit shirts, Baseball shirts, bowling shirts and "Daddy-O"-style shirts
* Denim jackets, leather jackets, bomber jackets and letterman jackets
* Black or blue jeans (with rolled-up cuffs anywhere from one to four inches)
* Baggy cotton twill work trousers and khaki pants
* Black leather pants or vests
* Tank tops
* Simple suits 
Common accessories included:
* Bandanas
* Black leather gloves
* Motorcycle helmets
* Vintage leather caps, stingy-brim hats and flat caps
* Chain wallets. 
Common footwear included:
* Motorcycle boots (such as harness boots or engineer boots)
* Army boots 
* Winklepickers and brothel creepers
* Cowboy boots 
* Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars. 
In England, the greasers are called "Teddy Boys" and they wear drape jackets, creepers and ducktail hairstyles. Typical hairstyles included the pompadour, the Duck's ass, S-Curls, Finger Waves, Afros with parts or shaped like pompadours, and the more combed-back "Folsom" style. These hairstyles were held in place with pomade like suavecito and layrite, wax, or hair creams such as brylcreem.
The leather jacket, as popularized by pilots during World War II, became an icon of greaser culture. Compared with the previous decades, the 1950s were considered dull and the youths craved a new sense of adventure. The leather jacket marked greaser youths as daring and adventuresome young men, like the pilot heroes of the recent war.
== Media ==
=== Film ===
* "American Graffiti" (1973)
* "The Lords of Flatbrush" (1974)
* "Grease" (1978)
=== Television ===
* "Happy Days" (1974-1984)
* "Sha Na Na" (1977-1981)
== Music ==
=== Artists: ===
* Elvis Presley
* Eddie Cochran
* Gene Vincent
* Buddy Holly
* Chuck Berry
* Little Richard
* The Everly Brothers
* Dion and the Belmonts
* Dion DiMucci
* Johnny Cash
== Literature ==
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Grease by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey
== Gallery ==
Greaser smokes (Greaser).jpg|James Dean enjoying life by smoking a cigarette. 
Danny Zuko with other Greasers (Greaser).jpg|Danny Zuko with his fellow greasers from Grease (1978)
The Outsiders (Greaser).jpg|The greasers (such as Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade) together from The Outsiders (1983)
Two-Bit Matthews with a switchblade (Greaser).jpg|Two-Bit Mathews with his butterfly knife from The Outsiders (1983)
Greaser Car (Greaser).jpg|Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker with his car from Cry-Baby (1990)
Category:American
Category:Swedish
Category:Visual
Category:Fashion
Category:Masculine
Category:Black
Category:Red
Category:Subcultures and Stereotypes
Category:1950s