Friday, April 21, 2017

International Greaser Equivalents: Bodgies and Widgies


And now we have reached our final destination (dun dun dun) of the week. Rockabeau has found himself in Australia (figuratively)! Down under, we have the Bodgies and Widgies. Bodgies and widgies are the quintessential rebels for Australian and some New Zealand natives.

The subculture materialized after World War II during the 1950’s. They were seamen who impersonated Americans and worked on the black market. The term “bodgie” came from those of which who bought cheap fabric and tried to pass it off and American-made. “Widgie” was just an alternative title for bodgies.

Bodgies were working class individuals who emulated high class Americans. Within their groups, they enjoyed fighting, causing trouble, alcohol, cars, and music. They enjoyed hard rock and metal music. A few of the cars they drove were Chevrolets, Fords, and Pontiacs.

When it came to clothes, gender came into question. Widgies followed suit to how their male counterparts would dress. This included cutting their hair and wearing more masculine clothing, which shocked the public. Bodgies and widgies were influenced by the look of James Dean, and had the usual t-shirt, jeans and black leather jacket combo. Elvis inspired their type of hairstyle, which are quiffs.

And away we go, Rockabeau ;)

Sources

Bodgies and Widgies. Wikipedia. 11 April 2017. Accessed 20 April 20, 201. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodgies_and_Widgies

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