Weird subcultures around the world are a relatively new phenomenon in human history. In the past, being different from majority meant exposing oneself to a risk of being expelled from society or even killed. As humans grew more tolerant, the subcultures began developing in many cultures around the world.
Although plenty of groups in our history displayed some elements of subculture, it wasn’t until the after World War 2 that subcultures in a modern sense of a word appeared. From London’s Teddy Boys to various Japanese subcultures, there were few similarities. The groups mainly consisted of young people, feeling estranged from the mainstream society and seeking alternative means of acceptance and sense of belonging. All groups have a distinct dress codes, a sort of uniform that made them easily recognizable to other members of the subculture. Finally, mannerisms and distinct language, often secret or at least coded, complete the picture.
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Plenty of these weird subcultures originated in Japan, adding to the list of crazy facts about Japan. Most of them remained endemic to the land of the rising sun, without anything even remotely similar developing anywhere else on the planet. Sociologists claim that this is an expected consequence of living in a society so bent on suppressing any form of individualism. It is only natural that people will seek other methods of expressing themselves, regardless of how weird of bizarre the rest of us might think they are.
Most weird subcultures around the world represent the form of rebellion against society. Often, those rebellions are expressed through violence, but mostly they are displayed through clothes or music. Some of the subcultures on our list are born from sexual fetishes that outgrew the boundaries of a bedroom and spilled over into the streets.
10.Teddy Boys
Where: Great Britain
When: 1950s
Teddy Boys (and girls) originated in post-war Britain, among the ruins of London. These young men and women adopted strict dress code, based on the Edwardian period. They were the first among many British youth subculture groups in the second half of the 20th century. Their other nickname, Creepers, came from a dance called The Creep. Although they were associated with rock and roll, their original music choose was jazz. South London became the source of Teddy Boys movement, among famous London gangs of Kray brothers and Eddie Richardson. Any self-respecting London criminal would rather die than be seen without his favorite Dandy outfit. Similar subcultures developed in other parts of the world, but under different names. In Australia and New Zealand they were called Bodgies and Widgies, while in Sweden Raggare.
9.Sukeban
Where: Japan
When: 1970
Sukeban is a term used by Japanese police to identify girl gangs that terrorized Tokyo in the 1970s and 1980s. The police took them rather seriously, even going as far as to call them “the omens of a downfall”, making Sukebans very proud. Shoplifting, drug use, theft, and violence were their staple behavior. In time, the term came to describe only the leader of the gang, rather than all of the members. Several movies were made, depicting the Sukeban subculture. Seinen manga artists were quick to adopt Sukeban into their work, even creating a subgenre for boys, called Oira Sukeban, portraying a young boy dressing as a girl in order to attend all-girls school and becoming a Sukeban.
8.Furries
Where: The United States of America
When: 1980s
Started as a discussion group about anthropomorphic characters in fantasy and science fiction, Furries soon developed an overtly sexual connotation. The fact that a significantly higher portion of the group members identify themselves as bisexuals and homosexuals compared to the general population may had something to do with creating Furries subculture sexual identity.
7.Sapeurs
Where: Congo
When: 1930
Created from a need of native population to prove to their white colonial masters that they are in no sense inferior, La Sape movement was centered in Kinshasa and Brazzaville. The name came from the acronym, meaning Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes (The Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People) and members of the group became known as Sapeurs. Sapeurs subculture emphasized elegant dress code, based on European Dandies. The flamboyant dressing united people with different backgrounds, a rare thing among the subcultures around the world. Many musicians, like Papa Wembe, have been ardent supporters of the movement. Post-independence wars have put a damper on the subculture, but in recent year a revival has started, based in Brazzaville.
6.Norwegian Black Metal
Where: Norway:
When: 1990s
Centered in Oslo, mainly around record shop Helvete (Hell in Norwegian), Norwegian Black Metal subculture is based on its members’ deep hatred towards Christianity and obsession with death. The movement spread among Scandinavian youth like a brush fire to the point Vice started doing documentaries about them. Often accused of being a Satanist cult, members of Norwegian Black Metal have done plenty to reinforce such an image. Makeup and clothes they were are specifically designed for this purpose. Although they claim that the only reason they dress like this is to shock Christians, there are some who remain unconvinced. Black metal has been cited as an inspiration behind many bizarre crimes and murders throughout the world.
5.Tokyo Rockabillies
Where: Japan
When:1950s
Moving on to number 5 on our list of weird subcultures around the world. Imagine 1970s classic The Grease being filmed in Japan and you will get a general feel of Tokyo Rockabillies subculture. In fact, if you stumble upon one of their gatherings, you will feel like you have walked in the middle of a scene from that movie being filmed, since everyone looks like an extra waiting for a director to yell “Action!” Full leather outfits, truckloads of hair grease and fast motorcycles are the staples of a group centered on Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park. The music is a big part of the group and can always be heard around them, blasting from stereos. Every girl looks like Olivia Newton-Jones and every boy has a comb and a switchblade in his back pockets. While the group has it’ share of young members, the majority consists of an older crowd. Anyway you cut it, there’s something slightly weird about middle age Japanese men dress in leather dancing to Rock Around the Clock in a public park.
4.Gyaru
Where: Japan
When: 1970s
Derived from the Japanese pronunciation of English word girl, Gyaru subculture represents girls and women who are seemingly uninterested in finding a job or getting married and whose sole interest are men. Somewhat slutty uniforms are part of their style, although some subtypes have different rules. For instances, Ganguro girls feature bleached hair and are heavily tanned, leading to a joke that they sleep in tanning booths. Often criticized for their materialism and lack of desire to work (a serious sin in Japanese society), Gyarus lived off of their parents or supported their expensive lifestyle with prostitution. The subculture peaked in the early 2000s and is now in a slow decline. The group lacks distinctive music genre. Among other things, they listen to Japanese pop and Eurobeat remixes.
3.Doomsday Preppers
Where: The United States of America
When:
The history of preppers or survivalist subculture has been a long one in the United States, but it was the Cold War that really gave it a push. After all, there’s nothing like a threat of a nuclear war to make people prepare for the worst. In the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the whole thing sort of fizzled out, leaving only the most dedicated members active. 9/11 and subsequent turbulent events, followed by the 2008 financial crisis revived the subculture to the point that they now have a TV show about them. There are several scenarios for which they prepare against, but all of them include a total breakdown of a modern society and the return of the Dark Ages. Oh, and if you mention Zombie Apocalypse, they will get offended, although a modern day plague wiping out the majority of human population is something they envision as likely, just without walking dead. Regardless of what calamity they feel will be the most likely culprit of the End of the World, all members of Doomsday Preppers subculture have one thing in common: their deeply ingrained mistrust of social mechanisms for coping with such an event.
2.Lolitas
Where: Japan
When: 1970s
Interestingly enough, the original Lolitas weren’t about sexual excitement, but rather about modesty and quality clothing, drawing inspiration from Victorian fashion. It was only later that the subculture became connected with Vladimir Nabokov’s novel that gave them their name. There are several distinct types of Lolitas, based on their fashion choice. It is one of the rare subcultures that originated in Japan and spread globally, although without reaching the levels of popularity it has in its home country. The subculture wasn’t limited to girls only and styles like Ōji Lolita were developed for boys as well. The manga art is heavily influenced by Lolitas fashion and there are several fashion brands catering to the members of the group.
1.Gopnik
Where: Russia
When: 1990s
The image of a Gopnik in a fake Adidas track suit squatting in the side of a road with a cigarette dangling from his mouth has become iconic one and one of the most recognizable images of Russia on the Internet. Gopniks certainly appear weird to the Western world, but in Russia these young people are a common appearance. Born in poverty, on margins of society where violence is preferred form of communication, Gopniks have been present in Russia for a long time, although the modern version originated in the 1990s, in the dark times of post-Soviet collapse. The term itself comes from acronym GOP (Gorodskoe Obshestvo Prizreniye), meaning City Public Charity, describing people living in public housing in the beginning on the 20th century, before the revolution. The staples have remained the same: opiates consumption, high crime rates, and general lawlessness. Gopniks are the only group on our list of weird subcultures around the world that didn’t choose to belong together but were rather born into the subculture.
