It has always been innate for people to group themselves together based on a certain attribute, such as life philosophy, religion, lifestyle and the like. Once a group has been formed, the group members itself will establish characteristics that will make them identifiable from the popular crowd, a quality that will make them ‘stand out’, so to speak. The members will then conform their personality, self-image and eventually, identity in order to fit in with these perceived defining qualities. This is the process in which as subculture is formed.
With this in mind, a subculture can be defined as a cultural group belonging to a much larger main culture, but defined by beliefs and values which separates it from the main group. If a person identifies himself or herself as a member of a subculture, then it is easy to deduce at large certain characteristics about this person, such as their manner of dressing, political beliefs, and cultural practices.
One of the subcultures that emerged recently is the group that identifies itself as the New Romantics. This subculture flourished in the early ‘80s and were characterized by an identifiable sense of fashion, among other things. This group was initially called by a variety of names such as the Blitz Kids, peacock punk, the futurists, until they eventually settled on the name the New Romantics.
New Romantics: Origins of the SubcultEure
Basically, the New Romantics care about self-expression more than anything else. In fact, the clubs where the movement arguably started, Billy’s at Dean Street and Blitz, have a policy of not allowing anyone who is not dressed provocatively enough to enter. Prominent members of the New Romantic culture include bands such as Duran Duran, Culture Club, Spandau Ballet, Marilyn Manson and the like (Childs & Storry 263). This approach of New Romantics can be said as the answer to punk and its anti-fashion style—if punk rejects the aesthetics of fashion and instead focuses on what is considered ugly, the New Romantic culture exploits and exaggerates its inverse. This is evident in their fashion and musical influences; they glorify fashion at an entirely different level. In fact, many members of the New Romantic style became disillusioned of the punk rock era, feeling that certain culture no longer holds any identity for them (Evans 16).
New Romantics: Dressing Styles
Members of the New Romantic subculture are known for dressing in a flamboyant manner, which is in contrast to the punk and rough clothing prevalent in other groups during that time. They dress androgynously—members of the both sexes apply eyeliner and lipstick—and they prefer clothing reminiscent of the English Romantic Period (hence the name), the Pierrot clown look, or the ostentatious styles from the glamorous fashions that are very popular during the Seventies. The key factor in dressing among New Romantics is the unique factor and the glamour. Conspicuous fashion accessories sported by the new romantics include frilly clothing, occasion clothing, evening shoes, makeup, and other theatrical paraphernalia (“New Romantics”).
What is evident about the way they dress is that members of a certain gender dress in a manner that is counter to what is expected of them by society. For example, Boy George, vocalist of Culture Club, has shocked Britain with his cross-dressing shtick which has catapulted him into stardom.
New Romantics: Political Stance
Because the main point of being a New Romantic is self-expression, members of this subculture live an excessively hedonistic lifestyle. As mentioned earlier, they do not see themselves as conforming to the rules of society which is seen in their rejection of traditional roles regarding fashion. They also live on a lifestyle of drugs, partying, drinking and excessive clubbing, as evidenced when the media kept a close watch on Boy George’s personal life during that time. Homosexual practices were also rampant during that time, perhaps due to the subculture’s crossing over the gender boundaries imposed upon by traditional society. However, this self-indulgent lifestyle has also led to their ruin once the threat and scare of the AIDS epidemic wiped out some of their members (Parker).
In order to understand this lifestyle among the New Romantics, it is necessary to determine the living conditions during that time. During that time, Britain was governed by Margaret Thatcher, and living conditions during her time was considered bland. In addition, poverty has been on the high since the 1930s, leading many young people to be out of a job. In light of these events, the people want to live a semblance of a healthy, rich, and happy life, hence the movement and the way of clothing. This also explains their hedonistic lifestyle—they want to live a pleasurable life to escape from the bleak realities of life that they are into.
The New Romantics: Cultural Activities
Aside from their remarkable fashion sense, the New Romantics are also closely associated with the music industry as well. Since this subculture started from discotheques, it is no wonder that many musicians have adopted either the New Romantic look or music style even though they do not identify as New Romantics themselves. The use of synthesizers to produce music is common among the New Romantic musicians, which led to a new genre called synthpop—music which is primarily composed from beats and melodies produced from a synthesizer. This synthesizer-infused music became an influential factor in Eighties music, and the New Romantic bands such as Spandau Ballet and Boy George became well-known for utilizing this genre (Johnson).
Influences of the New Romantic Subculture
Unfortunately, the over-reliance on synth music and the disapproval of their hedonistic lifestyle by the majority of people have led to the decline and subsequent downfall of this subculture. However, there is no denying that this group has made some major impacts on pop culture which can be seen to this day. For example, male cosmetic products such as “guyliner” have been largely accepted today. In addition, it became somewhat acceptable for male celebrities to wear makeup without the homosexual connotations involved, such as in the case of Adam Lambert. Also, the focus on individuality and counterculture exemplified by the New Romantics can be likened to the emerging hipster movement nowadays. Their eccentric sense of fashion is iconic and can still be seen in some stars today such as Lady Gaga and the like.
Works Cited
Childs, Peter, and Michael Storry. Enyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture. London: Taylor and Francis, 2013. Print.
"New Romantics." Cool In the 80s. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.
Evans, Richard. Remember the 80s: Now That's What I Call Nostalgia. Australia: Portico, 2008. Print.
Parker, Em. "Subcultures: The New Romantics of the 1980’s." Em's Trends. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.
