Teddy Girls: The Style Subculture That Time Forgot (2024)

Teddy Girls: The Style Subculture That Time Forgot (1)

Teddy Girls: The Style Subculture That Time Forgot (2)

We trace the history of the 50s girl gangs that rebelled against austerity, trading in their ration books for Edwardian frills

On reflection, the paring of the aristocratic flamboyancy of an Edwardian gent with the rebellious attitude of American rock and roll shouldn't have worked – but it did. This sartorial hybrid, engineered by the Teddy Boys of the 1950s and later adopted by their feisty female counterpart,Teddy Girls (also known as Judies) – created a strangely alluring visual identity, one which set them apart from their contemporaries in a decade where youth culture was finally carving out an aesthetic of its own. Sharply-suited Teds (whose name derives from‘Edwardian’) might look remarkably smart to acontemporary eye – particularly when positioned against fellow groups of teenagers, like the punks who threatened to puncture the fabric of society with their safety pins – but their reality was more rebellious than it initially seems.

Like the gangs of youths who’d pace the streets in Dr Martens or Reebok Classics in decades to come, the odd report of fights quickly led to the sweeping generalisation that all Teds were trouble. In response, some venues implemented “no Edwardian dress” policies that echoed the “no trainers or football colours” door criteria of today. Contrary to what one might assume,smart dress didn’t make the Teds more respectable – it actually rendered them intimidating, in the same way that a suited Al Capone could coolly induce panic with a tip of his straw boater. “I remember my dad would threaten me for not doing what I was told by saying he would set the Teds on me,” remembers Magnum photographer, Chris-Steele Perkins who went on to photograph the second wave revival of the teds in the seventies.

Teddy Girls: The Style Subculture That Time Forgot (3)

Teddy Girls: The Style Subculture That Time Forgot (4)

Rebellious Decadence
The Teds had a put-togethersmartness that at first feels at odds with the idea of a rebellious teenager, but they were, in fact, ripping up the rulebook (or ration book, as it were) by rejecting the austere approach of a post-war economy. Their decadence was also a two fingers up to the ruling class, as the Teds took ownership of the Edwardian Drape jacket – which was marketed by Savile Row tailors to young Mayfair men in 1949 – much to the horror of the posh boys: “Absolutely the whole of one's wardrobe immediately becomes unwearable,” complained one. Despite the aristocratic origins of the dandyish Drape, this item was almost always thrifted by the Teds, elsepaid for in incremental instalments. The Teddy Boys and Girls originated from then working-class areas in East or West London, areas still bearing the wounds of the war with still-to-be rebuilt bombsites punctuating their areas. After an era of fashion taking a back seat to function, what better way to sartorially rebel than with the impractical frivolity of a tiny clutch bag; the must-have accessory for a Teddy Girl?

Teddy Girls: The Style Subculture That Time Forgot (5)

Teddy Girls: The Style Subculture That Time Forgot (6)

Working Girls
Most Teddy Girls left school at 14 or 15, taking secretarial jobs in London, or working in factories on the outskirts. Their hard-earned cash was not wasted on expensive clothes, as original London Teddy girl Mary Toovey – who, herself worked in the Kegoo factory having left school at 15 – told writer Eve Dawoud: “Turn-up jeans, a coat and something to tie around your neck, those were the Teddy Girl essentials. My friends and I would buy similar clothes when we shopped on the Portobello Road. It was all second hand then, we couldn’t afford new. Smart’s, the local pie and mash shop on Goldborne Rd, was where we went to eat out if we had the money.”

Toovey was photographed by Altered States Director Ken Russell, who documented a group of Teddy Girls local to him in Notting Hill. It was thought the images were lost forever but they were uncovered in 2005. “No one paid much attention to the Teddy Girls before I did them, though there was plenty on teddy boys,” He recalled. “They were tough, these kids, they’d been born in the war years and food rationing only ended in about 1954 – a year before I took these pictures. They were proud. They knew their worth. They just wore what they wore.”

Teddy Girls: The Style Subculture That Time Forgot (7)

Teddy Girls: The Style Subculture That Time Forgot (8)

Androgynous New Age
Perhaps more significant than the boy’s subversion of upper-class clothing was the girls’ appropriation of masculine styles. Whilst the pants worn by working women during the war were mostly shed in relief, replaced by the welcome femininityof silhouette-skimming skirts, the Teddy Girls clung to the new sartorial codes that the adoption of menswear for women ushered in: boxy single-breasted jackets and the slicked back quiff hairstyle, a proto-mohawk that would eventually give way to the more extreme hairstyles of punk. Despite their non-conformist style and rebellious attitude, "I never thought of those kids as anything but innocent,” Ken Russell told The Evening Standard. “Even the Teddy Girls [from the 1955 series The Last of the Teddy Girls], all dressed up, were quite edgy, and that interested me; they were more relevant and rebellious — but good as gold. They thought it was fun getting into their clobber, and I thought so too."

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Teddy Girls: The Style Subculture That Time Forgot (2024)

FAQs

What was Teddy Girl fashion? ›

What are Teddy Girls? Turns out the Teddy Girls were part of a distinctly British youth subculture that came about after World War two. It was influenced both by Edwardian style and the advent of rock and roll. Defiantly gender neutral, Teddy Girls favored cuffed pants, tailored jackets and elegant clutch bags.

What are the Teddy Boys subculture? ›

The Teddy Boys or Teds were a mainly British youth subculture of the early 1950s to mid-1960s who were interested in rock and roll and R&B music, wearing clothes partly inspired by the styles worn by dandies in the Edwardian period, which Savile Row tailors had attempted to re-introduce in Britain after the Second ...

Why were teddy girls called judies? ›

Also known as the Judies, the Teddy Girls were identified by their masculine look that mirrored that of the Teds.

What was the style of the Teddy Boys? ›

The 'classic' Teddy boy style was denoted above all by the long, drape jacket redolent of the American zoot-suit. It was usually worn in dark shades, sometimes with pocket flaps and velvet trim, while trousers were narrow and worn fairly high on the waist.

What were Teddy Girls called? ›

Teddy Girls were also called Judies. Collectively rejecting post-war austerity, Judies often left school by the time they were 15 to work in factories or offices in London.

What is a teddy girl slang? ›

noun (often lowercase)Informal. a rebellious British girl who, in the 1950s and early 1960s, affected the dress of the reign of Edward VII.

What are the 3 main subcultures? ›

Subcultures include groups that have cultural patterns that set apart some segment of society. Cloward and Ohlin argued that there are three different types of deviant subcultures that young people might enter into: criminal subcultures, conflict subcultures and retreatist subcultures.

What are the four subcultures? ›

In 1966 Clark and Trow published their seminal work that defined student subcultures, not types of students. They classified students by commonalities and differences, resulting in four typologies: collegiate, vocational, academic, and nonconformist.

What are 6 examples of subculture? ›

Examples of subcultures include the hippies, hipsters, cosplay, hip hop, punks, emos, and goths. What is this? Subcultures are also usually associated with youth and often seen with some degree of suspicion by older people.

Why girls are obsessed with Teddy? ›

“They give us something to cuddle with, and usually, all teddy bears look adorably cute. Even though they are non living things, a teddy bear radiates love and compassion I feel,” says Pooja Kohli, an investment banker. “Some girls like teddy bears because of that comforting feeling they get from it.

What is a Teddy urban slang? ›

a woman's one-piece undergarment combining a chemise and underpants, sometimes having a snap crotch. Informal.

Do Teddy Boys still exist? ›

The aristocrats of British youth culture, there have been Teddy Boys for almost 70 years. Mods, punks, casuals, all have come, grown up, and gone.

Were Teddy Boys middle class? ›

The Teddy Boys were very clearly working-class, and their style has been interpreted as an attempt to defend their social status at a time when it was under threat from wider social changes of the time.

What was the Teddy Boys haircut called? ›

THE QUIFF IS ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC STYLES OF ALL TIME. WE CHART ITS EVOLUTION FROM POST-WAR REBELLION HAIR TO CONTEMPORARY COIFFURE. The Teddy Boy subculture of the 1950s saw young men rebel against the functional military crew cuts of WWII.

What is Teddy Boy slang for? ›

A Teddy boy is a man who dresses in a style that became popular in the 1950s. Teddy boys were associated with early rock and roll music, and often regarded as bad or violent. [British]

When did the Teddy Boy era end? ›

Lazy journalists used the tag 'Teddy Boy' to describe any young working class person involved in a fracas. In any case, the fashion was already beginning to die out in London by 1958, so, whilst some could genuinely be labelled as such, it was not a Teddy Boy led fight.

Why are people called Teddy? ›

The name Teddy is primarily a male name of English origin that means Divine Gift. A diminutive form (nickname) for the name Theodore or sometimes Edward. Made famous by Teddy (Theodore) Roosevelt, U.S. President, who inspired the "Teddy Bear," a children's stuffed animal bear named after him.

Is Teddy gender neutral? ›

The name Teddy is both a boy's name and a girl's name . Cute boyish short forms like Teddy and Frankie and Billie are in some ways a relic of the past, of the days before unisex names, when girls were given feminized versions of their father's names, but they are starting to come into their own again.

What is an Arctophilist? ›

: a person who likes or collects teddy bears. Arctophiles and children should make time for Teddy Melrose, the teddy bear museum, tearoom and workshop …

What does teddy mean in a relationship? ›

New Word Suggestion. Someone who gets married or enters a relationship simply because they fear being alone and need the constant presence of a comforter, the function of a teddy bear for many small children. Submitted By: DavedWachsman3 - 11/11/2012.

What does it mean when someone describes you as a teddy bear? ›

You may also think of a teddy bear as being someone who might appear tough on the outside but has the opposite personality in real life. This is common as sometimes people don't show their true self until they get to know somebody better. This may make you think of the expression “don't just a book by its cover.”

What are 4 subcultures in America? ›

What are examples of a subculture? Subcultures exist within the dominant culture of a society. In America, some examples of subcultures are hippies, punk rockers, beatniks, and hipsters.

What are subcultures in Gen Z? ›

Gen Z subcultures

The subcultures in this category are streetwear gamers and gamer girls – think a mishmash of MTV, esports, fashion and music cultures, whereas the gamer girls are fueled by inclusion and lifestyle. The groups have a median age between 20 and 21.

What are the most violent subcultures? ›

Subcultures of violence are said to be maintained by a process of intergenerational transmission and social learning of the relevant norms and values. The two most widely discussed subcultures of violence are the Southern subculture of violence and the Black subculture of violence, both said to be found in America.

What are the 3 largest subcultures in the US? ›

African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans are the three most important ethnic/racial subcultures in the United States.

What are 2 subculture examples? ›

There are numerous groups of people that could be classified as subcultures, for example: hippies, antigun groups, high school jocks, environmental activists, people in the furry community, people in the cosplay community;,punks, goths, and many more (Lennon, Johnson, & Rudd, 2017, 292).

What are the subcultures on TikTok? ›

Subcultures on TikTok refer to groups of users who share a common interest, style, or aesthetics and create content around it. Some examples of TikTok subcultures include: cosplayers, dancers, and creators making comedic skits. These subcultures often have their own hashtags, in-jokes, trends, and challenges.

What is female subculture? ›

Females are a part of the gender subculture. A subculture is a group of people, within a larger group of people, who share a common interest or belief. Gender is a subculture in today's society, especially since most people identify with a gender.

Are Millennials a subculture? ›

No, millennials are a generation, not a subculture. A generation is a group of people born in a certain time period. In the case of millenials, they are people who were born between the early 1980s to the early 2000s.

What is your subculture? ›

A subculture is a group of people within a cultural society that differentiates itself from the conservative and standard values to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, political, and sexual matters.

Is it normal for a 17 year old to sleep with a teddy? ›

Not only is it considered normal for teens to sleep with a stuffed animal, there are even benefits to sleeping with a teddy bear at 16 or so.

Is it normal for a 12 year old to sleep with a teddy? ›

It's totally normal to sleep with a stuffed animal from your childhood. Experts say it can provide a sense of comfort and security and help soothe stress.

Why am I emotionally attached to teddies? ›

Yes, it's perfectly normal for adults to be emotionally attached to stuffed animals, especially if they were used as transitional objects during their childhood. As transitional objects, they provided safety and comfort, which could improve the well-being of your psychological state as an adult.

What are teddy boys and teddy girls? ›

The title Teddy Boy and Girl references the youth subculture that emerged in Britain in the 1950s after rationing came to an end: the first time teenagers had their own identity. Their style drew on a combination of Edwardian and American Rock & Roll influences.

What is a teddy lover called? ›

[ ahrk-tuh-fahyl ] noun. a person who is very fond of and is usually a collector of teddy bears.

Why does my boyfriend call me a teddy bear? ›

It's essentially just an affectionate nickname and way to say that a girl like cuddling and snuggling up to her boyfriend.

What tight clothing did Teddy Boys wear? ›

The Teddy boys complimented their attire with a narrow Slim Jim tie or Maverick tie. In the 1950s, many of the Teds' waistcoats were made from brocade silk patterned material which was a type of waistcoat worn by American Wild West gamblers and gunfighters.

What was the attitude of the Teddy Boys? ›

Being smartly turned-out was essential to the Teddy boy style, it was a gang led philosophy and some groups were involved in violent clashes with rival subcultures such as the Mods. There was an overtly aggressive overtone to the Teddy boy look and many carried a flick knife as a fashion accessory.

What is the most famous teddy in the world? ›

In popular culture

Winnie-the-Pooh is based on a teddy bear owned by Christopher Robin Milne, the son of author A. A. Milne; the character first appeared in a 1926 children's book and has been adapted by Disney for animated shorts since 1966.

What music do Teddy Boys listen to? ›

(in the 1950s) a young man of a subculture characterized by a style of dress based on Edwardian fashion and a liking for rock and roll music.

What shoes did Teddy Boys wear? ›

Teddy Boys

The stilyagi (Russian: стиляги) youth subculture in the Soviet Union of the mid 1950s adopted home-made brothel creepers as footwear, dubbing them "shoes on semolina" (ботинки на манной каше) alluding to the sponginess of the thick crepe sole.

What did Teddy Boys wear in the 50s? ›

coloured velvet collars and cuffs, trousers that were so tight they couldn't sit down in them, belts on the back of their jackets, long narrow ties like bootlaces,' this is of course the style of the Teddy Boys, the British youth subculture which defined the 1950s, as described in the Londonderry Sentinel.

What is a firefly haircut? ›

This haircut was inspired by one of our classic shape firefly. The beauty of firefly shape is to accentuate the perfect head shape throughout the crown and tapered into the nape and elongated the beautiful neck and with a feminine head shape.

What is a pudding haircut? ›

a short hairstyle that is not fashionable and looks as if it has been created by putting a pudding basin over your head and cutting around the edge of it.

What is the E boy haircut? ›

The hairstyle is parted down the middle with curtain bangs framing either side of the face. The eBoy cut can be worn on men with all hair textures, from straight to curly.

What is a dolly boy? ›

dolly-boy (plural dolly-boys) A toyboy; a gigolo. quotations ▼ (historical) The person (e.g. an apprentice) tasked with holding a rivet dolly in an Australian World War 2 aircraft factory.

What is a LAX boy? ›

Urban Dictionary defines “lax bro” in a number of ways, but the primary definition states that “A lax bro is a guy who plays lacrosse and fully embraces the culture.” That definition, however, doesn't do lax bros much justice, as it doesn't explain what said “culture” of the lax bro really is.

Is a teddy a bodysuit? ›

A teddy, also called a camiknicker, is a garment which covers the torso and crotch in the one garment. It is a similar style of garment to a one-piece swimsuit or bodysuit, but is typically looser and sheerer. The garment is put on by stepping into the leg holes and pulling the garment up to cover the torso.

What were the Balenciaga teddy bears wearing? ›

For the shoot, Balenciaga dressed the plush bears in punk gear that looked like bondage, including leather harnesses and spiked collars. Wine glasses were also near the children in some of the shots.

What did Teddy Boys wear in the 1950s? ›

coloured velvet collars and cuffs, trousers that were so tight they couldn't sit down in them, belts on the back of their jackets, long narrow ties like bootlaces,' this is of course the style of the Teddy Boys, the British youth subculture which defined the 1950s, as described in the Londonderry Sentinel.

What is that teddy bear clothing brand? ›

Palm Angels' T-shirt features two brand signatures - the iconic teddy bear motif and Gothic-style logo.

What is the Balenciaga runway controversy? ›

The designer and Kering executives have apologized for an advertising campaign that drew criticism for featuring imagery of children that many considered inappropriate. The group plans to name a “brand safety” boss following the backlash.

What is the Ikea teddy bear called? ›

Djungelskog is very popular and flies off the shelves of IKEA every time they restock their shelves with this adorable bear. You may see people on Twitter who have gotten a hold of Djungelskog, but for some reason when you go onto the IKEA website you may not see the soft bear that the internet obsessed over.

What made teddy bears so popular? ›

Teddy bears have always been popular because of their exceptional benefits, especially for children. When little ones play with teddy bears and other stuffed animals they are constantly learning as they play, introducing them to a wide variety of skills and an element of social interaction.

What are Teddy Boys and teddy girls? ›

The title Teddy Boy and Girl references the youth subculture that emerged in Britain in the 1950s after rationing came to an end: the first time teenagers had their own identity. Their style drew on a combination of Edwardian and American Rock & Roll influences.

What does teddy mean in slang? ›

a woman's one-piece undergarment, incorporating a chemise top and panties. Slang.

Did Teddy Boys wear jeans? ›

The Teddy Boy look continued outside of London well into the 1960s, especially in Wales. In London, people either wore the Italian suits, or black leather jackets and jeans. They often kept a drape for going out to clubs as many would not let anyone in leathers inside.

Why did little boys wear dresses years ago? ›

The main reason for keeping boys in dresses was toilet training, or the lack thereof. The change was probably made once boys had reached the age when they could easily undo the rather complicated fastenings of many early modern breeches and trousers.

What is the most famous teddy bear brand? ›

Margarete Steiff GmbH is the oldest and most famous teddy bear and soft toy manufacturer in the world.

Is teddy coat still in trend? ›

Striking the perfect blend of stylish and snuggly, the classic teddy coat has been around since the 1920s – and it's still going strong a century later.

What is the oldest teddy bear company in the USA? ›

The Margarete Steiff felt goods factory is founded

On 3 March 1893, the toy factory is registered in the commercial register as "Margarete Steiff, Filzspielwarenfabrik Giengen/Brenz".

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