The teenage cultural landscape

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Teen culture
Most parents are used to adolescents having their own music, their own tastes in movies and TV programs and their own style of clothing and hair. If their parents don't like it, well, that's really the point. Teen culture as a world clearly distinct from that of adults is a relatively new phenomenon. Sociologists say that what we describe as teen culture began in the 1950s. And the early years of the baby boom produced record number of kids who moved into their teenage years in the 1960s.

In previous decades, many teens quit school in their middle teens to begin working life. But with the prosperity that North America enjoyed in the 1950s and 1960s, families were able to extend the level of education provided to their teens. The extended stay in high school gave baby boomers more opportunities to share their thoughts and interests with others their age. Advertising agencies and marketers picked up on their interests and fads and reflected them back to the teens in the mass media, particularly in movies and television. Common themes emerged: Teens crave thrills, whether its the Blob trying to devour a young Steve McQueen or a death-defying ride on a wooden roller coaster; teens find the outlaw fascinating, whether it's James Dean, the urban rebel, or MarIon Brando, the hiker in The Wild One; teens set themselves apart from their parents' generation by their behaviour, their clothes and their slang.

Tastes have changed, but most of the themes are the same. Marketers research what kids like, and they cash in. Teens still love thrills -- think of the millions of dollars raked in on the first weekend of the release of the latest comic book adaptation. The outlaw still appeals, too, although it may be a real-life convicted rap artist (50 Cent is a perfect example) rather than a celluloid biker.

Adolescents are driven to take risks. They have to break out of the relative security and safety of childhood if they're to become independent and enjoy the tantalizing rewards of the adult world. Without taking some risks, they can't grow. Horror movies, defiant song lyrics and sexually explicit dance styles satisfy some of that need for risk without exposing them to the world's real dangers. They are both an outlet and a form of practice for the real challenges ahead, whether those challenges are working up the courage to go on a date or to deal with the major step of leaving home. As for their clothes, if someone's feeling vulnerable in their changing world, as many teens do, it helps to make themselves look tougher than they may feel. And identifying themselves with outlaws by dressing like a skinhead or a gang member brings some small degree of confidence.

The other reason for teen dress and speech is one that adults recognize -- fashion. Once a particular style seeps into the teen consciousness, those who don't follow it just don't belong. If they're going to have a style, it has to be different from the one that parents prefer. How else can they make themselves distinct and complete the separation process, the teen's primary work?

Teen culture is not homogeneous today. Subgroups with particular interests, whether it's classic rock or gangster rap, develop and spin off. Each group has its own way of dressing and its own favourite style of music. The groups will interact with each other, but they also don't seem to confront one another unless given reason to.

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