Greaser (1950s)
Greaser is an
American English slang term for a 1950s youth whose hair was combed back with various oils, "greased" back, and who was usually, although not always, associated with a
street gang. He would typically have been what was then known as "
white ethnic" (usually meaning of
Irish,
Southern European, or
Eastern European origin). The name "greaser" originated during the '50s revival of the 1970s. In the 1950s, they were known as "
hoods".
[Marcus, Daniel. Happy Days and Wonder Years: The Fifties and the Sixties in Contemporary Cultural Politics. New Brunswick, Rutgers University Press, 2004. p. 12.]Greasers were a subculture originating as a style among white eastern US street gangs. The style was imitated by many youths not associated with gangs as an expression of rebellion. Some of these included those who rode
hot rods and
motorcycles. Music of the Greasers was
Rockabilly,
Elvis Presley,
Gene Vincent,
Eddie Cochran and other "rebellious" music of the era. Their fashion style of leather jackets and denim jeans was inspired by
Marlon Brando's
The Wild One. Later movies and television programs glorifying Greasers would include
The Lords of Flatbush (1974), the
Happy Days series (1974-1984); the film
Grease (1978) and its
1982 sequel;
Eddie and the Cruisers (1983) and its 1989 sequel, and
The Outsiders (1983).
Common items in a Greaser's wardrobe were
Levi's 501 or 505 jeans in a blue or dark blue, worn with the ends cuffed about 4 inches;
Dickies work pants, white or black t-shirts with the sleeves rolled up, white
"wife beater" shirts, steel-toed
engineer boots,
creepers, 'Daddy-O' styled shirts,
Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars basketball shoes (known as "Chucks"),
bandanas, chain wallets, black, blue or khaki work jackets, and leather
motorcycle jackets.
Tattoos were common, particularly among gangs.
Common hairstyles included the "
pomp" or a more combed back "Folsom" style. These hairstyles were held in place with generous amounts of hair wax/pomade and is still the practice today with modern day Greasers. Popular brands were Royal Crown, Black & White, Murrays and are still used today along with Layrite and Sweet Georgia Brown pomades.
The Greaser sub-culture was and is largely an American youth phenomenon, but had similar looking counterparts in other countries where Rockabilly music was followed. The 1950's and 1960s British equivalent to the Greaser would be the
Rocker.
Rockers evolved from the Ton-Up Boys and
Teddy Boys ("Teds") of the previous decade. The term Greaser only came into use later when Hells Angels or hippy bikers started being the norm in the 1970s.
In
Australia and
New Zealand, the term
Bodgie was used for the same phenomenon. A female equivalent term was
Widgie In
Estonia -
Lõngus (Greasers - Lõngused).
In
Scandinavia -
Raggare.
In
South Africa -
Ducktails.
In
France -
Blousons Noirs (litt. "black jackets"}.
In
The Netherlands -
Nozems or the
Amsterdam variant
Dijkers.
In
Ireland -
Nadsacks from the Gaelic "Gnad" meaning grease or oil.
In the German
Sprachraum (
Germany,
Austria and
Switzerland) -
Halbstarke or
Rocker (directly borrowed from British slang).
Today there are recurrent revivals all over the world of these infamous music/fashion sub-cultures. Just as
punk and
rockabilly continue on to this day, movies like
The Wild One ,
American Graffiti,
Rebel Without A Cause ,
The Outsiders and
Grease saw the Greaser culture revive in the late 1970s and remain popular to this day. 21st century Greasers focus on 1950's fashions, more tattoos, Rockabilly, and a passion for classic American "Hot-Rods" and custom cars, like the 1932 Ford, 1959 Cadillac or a 1949-51 Mercury.
:
Mods and Rockers:
Motorcycle gang:
Outlaw motorcycle club:
Punkabilly:
Punk Rockers:
Psychobilly:
Rock and roll:
Bosozoku:
Hot Rod:
Rockabilly:
Rockers:
Leather Jacket
