He was a skater boy, she said, “See ya later, boy.”
He wasn’t good enough for her.
Let’s talk about skater boys and girls style, like I made a reference from Avril Lavigne song…
Media in 1980s portrayed skateboarders as reckless rebels, who disrespect authority and rules in general. However, the image has improved quite a bit since then… And, to begin with, the birth of skateboarding had nothing to do with rebellion.
A little about skateboarding itself. Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard. But skateboarding can also be considered a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation.
Skateboarding was born in late 1940s and early 1950s, when surfers in California wanted something to surf when the waves were flat. Then the first skateboards with wooden boxes or boards with roller skate wheels were developed. Eventually the boxes turned into planks, and companies started to produce decks of pressed layers of wood—similar to the skateboard decks of today.
First mass produced skateboard
Skateboarding popularity expanded and in 1964, the first skateboarding magazine, The Quarterly Skateboarder was published.
The Quarterly Skateboarder first published number
The first broadcast of an actual skateboarding competition was the 1965 National Skateboarding Championships, which were held in Anaheim, California and aired on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.
Patti McGee was the 1965 Woman’s first National Skateboard Champion
John Lennon skateboarding
Skateboarding was, at first, tied to the culture of surfing. As skateboarding spread across the United States to places unfamiliar with surfing or surfing culture, it developed an image of its own. For example, the classic film short Video Days (1991) portrayed skateboarders as reckless rebels.
The image of the skateboarder as a rebellious, non-conforming youth has faded in recent years. Certain cities still oppose the building of skateparks in their neighbourhoods, for fear of increased crime and drugs in the area. The rift between the old image of skateboarding and a newer one is quite visible: magazines such as Thrasher portray skateboarding as dirty, rebellious, while other publications, Transworld Skateboarding as an example, paint a more diverse and controlled picture of skateboarding.
Picture from Transworld Skateboarding (June 2014)
A 2002 report discovered that there were 18.5 million skateboarders in the world. 85 percent of skateboarders polled were under the age of 18, and 74 percent were male. But do not worry over 18 years olds, it is still cool when an adult skateboards, and super awesome when you are a skater girl.
Music preferences among skaters is usually:
- hip hop
- reggae
- hard rock
- punk
- fun (acting ‘loud and crazy’)
- adventure (a willingness to try new things or take a risk)
- confidence
- nonconformity
- self-assertion
Okay now, let’s move on to the style.
The skateboarding culture is often associated with youth and a very easy-going way of life. The clothing styles that skateboarders wear seems to reflect the carefree attitude of the sport, often resulting in individuals wearing comfy t-shirts, oversized shorts and fitted caps. Skater clothing has come a long way over the years, with celebrities and designers endorsing this style and incorporating more sleek and sophisticated looks into the mix.
To be truly honest, it doesn’t really matter what you wear as a skateboarder. As noted above, you don’t have to be a rebel to be a skateboarder. Therefor, we can see skateboarders wear hip-hop clothes, dress like hipster or punk, or perhaps if you prefer, you can easily wear a suit. In matter of fact, it is much cooler.
Freedom, freedom, freedom. It is about being free, being yourself and being bold. Although there is skater market producing special clothing for skaters, most of the skaters are critical about big companies and feel their marketing campaigns are not genuine.
Therefor we can preppy clothes on guy skaters, dresses and feathers on girl skaters.
