'Teddy, don't worry, now mommy's here....'

February 7, 2006 4:49 AM

Teddy Girls
posted by anastasiav (57 comments total)

I love fifties Britain.
posted by Protocols of the Elders of Awesome at 4:56 AM on February 7, 2006

Brilliant, anastasiav, these are wonderful. Thanks.

Here's an interview with Ken Russell (PDF) about these pics from Amateur Photographer, June 2005.
posted by madamjujujive at 4:59 AM on February 7, 2006

mjjj, your link quad-triples the value of this post. Thanks!
posted by anastasiav at 5:02 AM on February 7, 2006

Excellent photos. Makes me wonder if fifty years from now people will think of chavs as "fashion forward". ::SHUDDER::
posted by briank at 5:09 AM on February 7, 2006

Ken had the goods even early on. Nice post.
posted by caddis at 5:20 AM on February 7, 2006

Speaking as an American male in the year 2006, I can only say...

HAWT.
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:21 AM on February 7, 2006

attitude in spades, and matching clutch bags
posted by gimonca at 5:24 AM on February 7, 2006

So Ken Russell was actually cool once? Instead of a campy, bombastic, nonsensical lunatic?
posted by Astro Zombie at 5:35 AM on February 7, 2006

Wait, how old is Josie Buchan and how is she connected to Ken Russell?
posted by rkent at 6:03 AM on February 7, 2006

totally awesome
posted by sciurus at 6:11 AM on February 7, 2006

This is great. I had never even heard of 'Teddy Girls'. Or -Boys, for that matter. Thanks.
posted by exlotuseater at 6:15 AM on February 7, 2006

exlotuseater: Teddy Boys (text not photos) more here
posted by anastasiav at 6:21 AM on February 7, 2006

What Protocols of the Elders of Awesome said. Yup.
posted by Richat at 6:22 AM on February 7, 2006

Say what you want about the 50's, but people had style then, in England and America, both.
posted by jonmc at 6:40 AM on February 7, 2006

The original caption reckoned that she must be sheltering under his umbrella as Teddy Girls never unfurled theirs.

Oh, I'll bet they did! Wink-wink, nudge-nudge
posted by spock at 6:50 AM on February 7, 2006

Neat. Helps put the 1970's punk/ted conflict in better perspective.
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:54 AM on February 7, 2006

I bet they were bitchin' at parties.
posted by NationalKato at 6:54 AM on February 7, 2006

Awesome. Needs a "where are they now" though. Great to think that todays drab grannies once looked like that.
posted by fire&wings at 7:15 AM on February 7, 2006

Awesome... Altered States was just on the tube the other night and now this!
posted by basicchannel at 7:20 AM on February 7, 2006

Neat pictures. I don't really understand, though. There was a trend of women wearing Colonel Sanders ties, and that was called "teddyism?" Was this some subculture, or just a fashion fad like ganguro?
posted by majick at 8:07 AM on February 7, 2006

Teds were a fifties British subculture roughly analagous to greasers or JD's in the US, majick.
posted by jonmc at 8:13 AM on February 7, 2006

Time for a link to Chris Steele-Perkins pictures of Teddy Boys from his book, The Teds.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 8:43 AM on February 7, 2006

Great to think that todays drab grannies once looked like that.
posted by fire&wings at 7:15 AM PST on February 7 [!]


Ouch!!

When the "young" try to be nice - and end up whacking granny a back hander!
posted by Jody Tresidder at 9:05 AM on February 7, 2006

I'm in deep infatuation with Grace Living.
posted by spock at 9:11 AM on February 7, 2006

Fucking Awesome. Thanks.
posted by Divine_Wino at 9:25 AM on February 7, 2006

"Awesome... Altered States was just on the tube the other night and now this!
posted by basicchannel at 7:20 AM PST on February 7 [!]"

What does this have to do with self-experimentation using a hallucinatory drug and an isolation chamber that may be causing genetic recession. And hot kinky sex with blair brown.
posted by lalochezia at 9:27 AM on February 7, 2006

What does this have to do with self-experimentation using a hallucinatory drug and an isolation chamber that may be causing genetic recession.

The director of the movie is the same guy who took the photographs -- presumably in his youth.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 9:35 AM on February 7, 2006

People were so thin in those days.
posted by Summer at 9:42 AM on February 7, 2006

People were so thin in those days.

People were hungry in those days. It took decades for Britain to recover from the destruction of its merchant fleet.
posted by George_Spiggott at 10:19 AM on February 7, 2006

Bizarre to think that rationing only finished the year before those shots were taken.
posted by vbfg at 10:22 AM on February 7, 2006

It pays to remember that Teddy Boys were in many instances gang members who used to take place in wonderfully racist attacks on the immigrants brought over from the commonwealth in the '50s. Whilst their fashion may live on in Rockabilly stylings I'm kind of glad they are slowly dying out. Like all groups brought together by a particular fashion, their tribalistic hatred of others garners them no love from me.
posted by longbaugh at 10:33 AM on February 7, 2006

Oh yeah; great link anastasiav. Sorry about that...
posted by longbaugh at 10:35 AM on February 7, 2006

Great link, and kudos on the context provided in the comments. I'd never heard of any of this.
posted by davejay at 10:44 AM on February 7, 2006

their tribalistic hatred of others garners them no love from me.

name a subculture that dosen't engage in some form of tribalistic hatred. This, of course, is why I decline to be a member of any.
posted by jonmc at 10:56 AM on February 7, 2006

This way, you're free to hate them all.
posted by knave at 11:15 AM on February 7, 2006

jonmc - I'll agree that most, if not all groups organised by fashion might well hate others but I will say that the vast majority of indie kids in the UK would never get involved in a street fight. Then again, that's primarily a class difference - it's exceedingly rare for working class kids to go down the greaser/greebo/mosher* route.

*maybe a bit too English - I'm sure you'll get the picture though.
posted by longbaugh at 11:29 AM on February 7, 2006

MetaFilter - Best of the Tribalistic Hatred!
posted by CynicalKnight at 11:29 AM on February 7, 2006

Then again, that's primarily a class difference - it's exceedingly rare for working class kids to go down the greaser/greebo/mosher* route.

In the US it's the opposite.

But from what I've heard and read of the UK, fashion subcults tend to be even more tribalistic than in the US. What about all those mods & rockers riots back in the sixties. Nothing comparable here.
posted by jonmc at 11:39 AM on February 7, 2006

Like all groups brought together by a particular fashion, their tribalistic hatred of others garners them no love from me.

Just the other day some goths, Harajuku girls and ravers beat the holy crap out of me.
posted by Divine_Wino at 11:48 AM on February 7, 2006

well, some groups engage in violent hate, others simply via disdain and exclusion. Both breed resentment.
posted by jonmc at 11:51 AM on February 7, 2006

And some wear torn fishnets, stink like patchouli, have internally inconsistent notions of the occult and don't bother anyone.
posted by Divine_Wino at 12:04 PM on February 7, 2006

I dunno, it's rare that someone isn't flying the flag to some degree, even if it's just by rolling their eyes at you for not being cool enough.

I just try and follow these sentiments. Don't always succeed, but it's served me well.
posted by jonmc at 12:11 PM on February 7, 2006

This, of course, is why I decline to be a member of any.
You just tell yourself that.
posted by sonofsamiam at 12:41 PM on February 7, 2006

Enlighten me, sonofsamiam. What subcultures am I a member of without my awareness? I'd hate to miss any of the meetings. Especially if there's complimentary booze and appetizers.
posted by jonmc at 12:45 PM on February 7, 2006

The flannelly society of plaid shirt wearers? Dangerous bunch, those.
posted by zarah at 12:53 PM on February 7, 2006

I had no idea teddy girls wore espadrilles, which are so incongruous to the rest of their gear. I likey!
posted by zarah at 12:57 PM on February 7, 2006

Interesting.
posted by Smedleyman at 1:11 PM on February 7, 2006

jonmc is a subculture of one.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:15 PM on February 7, 2006

I always assumed he was a card carrying member of the MusicWeenies Union, but what do I know?
posted by Sparx at 1:45 PM on February 7, 2006

Absolutely wonderful link anastasiav. I'm off to practice The Creep now.
posted by tellurian at 2:08 PM on February 7, 2006

Enlighten me, sonofsamiam. What subcultures am I a member of without my awareness?

Classic rock fan. And you hate Morrissey. So your hypothesis may have some merit.
posted by mrgrimm at 2:15 PM on February 7, 2006

Great link, thanks.
posted by greasy_skillet at 4:11 PM on February 7, 2006

jonmc: This, of course, is why I decline to be a member of any....

What subcultures am I a member of without my awareness?

Of course, some would say that this is a defining aspect of privilege to some degree, the belief that we are normative, and they are a "subculture." Almost everyone clusters in groups based on shared characteristics, and almost all of those groups have their own little signs and rituals. However, the groups that tend to wield political power are rarely called "subcultures." It's primarily that we don't consider protestant potlucks to be as silly as wearing too much eyeshadow and drinking green liqueurs.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 4:35 PM on February 7, 2006

Classic rock fan.

Who has just as much R&B and punk (for starters) in his collection as 'classic rock.' (a term I loathe with a passion). I wouldn't consider myself 'normative,' either. Most people who know me would say I'm a complete weirdo. I just don't like running with a tribe. It's like trading one form of conformity for another.
posted by jonmc at 4:49 PM on February 7, 2006

Great link, anastasiav. (The MST3K geek in me especially liked that there's a Rocketship XM poster in one of the shots.)
posted by jrossi4r at 7:52 PM on February 7, 2006

It's like trading one form of conformity for another.

Some days you try too hard, my friend.
posted by dhartung at 8:03 PM on February 7, 2006

This is fantastic, and the follow up links have been great. Yay!
posted by dejah420 at 6:11 PM on February 8, 2006