Urban Tribes: SKATERS

Skater is the subculture of many skateboarders. Skaters often are similar to punk and skater punks are common. Skaters are opposed to police, and police action, however this is usually kept in the scope of keeping skaters from being hurt by police. They can be very creative in opposing police oppression, and unneeded skateboard bans. Skaters have sometimes replace "no skateboarding" with "go skateboarding". Skaters skate in streets, or concrete skateparks, as opposed to ramps.

Skateboarding is the act of riding and performing tricks using a skateboard. A person who skateboards is most often referred to as a skateboarder, or just skater.

Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an artform, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report by American Sports Data found that there were 18.5 million skateboarders in the world. 85 percent of skateboarders polled who had used a board in the last year were under the age of 18, and 74 percent were male.

Skateboarding is relatively modern. A key skateboarding maneuver, the ollie, was developed in the late 1970s by Alan "Ollie" Gelfand as a half-pipe maneuver. Freestyle skateboarder Rodney Mullen was the first to take it to flat ground and later invented the kickflip and its variations.

DEFENSE MECHANISM

An interesting note is the fact that skaters often carry cameras. They film what goes on while skating in order to shoot some decent footy for a nice video part or just for fun to watch themselves progress, but also often record police action incidents, so a camera is a defense mechanism of sorts.

CONTROVERSY

Skaters often are opposed to business's co-opting of skateboarding, which is one of things that differentiates them from other skateboarders. They often oppose, or do not support pro skateboarding.

Not all skateboarders are skaters. Many skateboarders strongly oppose skaters.

THREATS

The skater subculture is threatned of being eliminated by posers, bros, haters, and people who quit skating to bike. It is also threatened by Hip-Hops assimilation attempts and dangers. PSYCHE!

SKATE PUNK

Skater Punk, or Skate Punk is a subculture combining skater and punk. It is usually someone who dresses like a skater, rides a skateboard, and has some punk and some skater ideas. Due to the assimilation and co-opting attempts by big business and Hip-Hop, it is in danger and many people try to deny it's existence.

CULTURE

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 neighborhoods, 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, and still firmly tied to punk, while other publications, Transworld Skateboarding as an example, paint a more diverse and controlled picture of skateboarding. Furthermore, as more professional skaters use hip hop, reggae, or hard rock music accompaniment in their videos, many urban youths, hip-hop fans, reggae fans, and hard rock fans are also drawn to skateboarding, further diluting the sport's punk image.

Films such as Grind and Lords Of Dogtown, have helped improve the reputation of skateboarding youth depicting individuals of this subculture as having a positive outlook on life, prone to poking harmless fun at each other, and engaging in healthy sportsman's competition. According to the film, lack of respect, egotism and hostility towards fellow skateboarders is generally frowned upon, albeit each of the characters (and as such, proxies of the "stereotypical" skateboarder) have a firm disrespect for authority and for rules in general. Group spirit is supposed to heavily influence the members of this community. In presentations of this sort, showcasing of criminal tendencies is absent, and no attempt is made to tie extreme sports to any kind of illegal activity

Gleaming the Cube, a 1989 movie starring Christian Slater as a skateboarding teen investigating the death of his adopted Vietnamese brother was somewhat of an iconic landmark to the skateboarding genre of the era Many well-known skaters had cameos in the film, including Tony Hawk.

Skateboarding video games have also become very popular in skateboarding culture Some of the most popular are the Tony Hawk series, and Skate series for various consoles (Including hand-held) and personal computer.

Urban Tribes: NEW MODS

This is a large group of young people which can be found in the nightclubs of the major Spanish cities. They are middle class people without a common ideology. Each one professes its own ideals, but they share the same dress sense – they love the 60s and retro clothes especially tweed suits, etc. They also have a love for the same music.


Mod is a subculture that originated in London, England in the late 1950s and peaked in the early to mid 1960s.

Significant elements of the mod subculture include: fashion (often tailor-made suits); pop music, including African American soul, Jamaican ska, and British beat music and R&B; and Italian motor scooters. The original mod scene was also associated with amphetamine-fuelled all-night dancing at clubs. From the mid to late 1960s onwards, the mass media often used the term mod in a wider sense to describe anything that was believed to be popular, fashionable or modern.

There was a mod revival in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s, which was followed by a mod revival in North America in the early 1980s, particularly in Southern California.

FASHION

Jobling and Crowley called the mod subculture a "fashion-obsessed and hedonistic cult of the hyper-cool" young adults who lived in metropolitan London or the new towns of the south. Due to the increasing affluence of post-war Britain, the youths of the early 1960s were one of the first generations that did not have to contribute their money from after-school jobs to the family finances. As mod teens and young adults began using their disposable income to buy stylish clothes, the first youth-targeted boutique clothing stores opened in London in the Carnaby Street and Kings Road districts. Maverick fashion designers emerged, such as Mary Quant, who was known for her increasingly short miniskirt designs, and John Stephen, who sold a line named "His Clothes", and whose clients included bands such as The Small Faces.

Two youth subcultures helped pave the way for mod fashion by breaking new ground; the beatniks, with their bohemian image of berets and black turtlenecks, and the Teddy Boys, from which mod fashion inherited its "narcissitic and fastidious [fashion] tendencies" and the immaculate dandy look. The Teddy Boys paved the way for making male interest in fashion socially acceptable, because prior to the Teddy Boys, male interest in fashion in Britain was mostly associated with the underground homosexual subculture's flamboyant dressing style.

Newspaper accounts from the mid-1960s focused on the mod obsession with clothes, often detailing the prices of the expensive suits worn by young mods, and seeking out extreme cases such as a young mod who claimed that he would "go without food to buy clothes". Jobling and Crowley argue that for working class mods, the subculture's focus on fashion and music was a release from the "humdrum of daily existence" at their jobs. Jobling and Crowley note that while the subculture had strong elements of consumerism and shopping, mods were not passive consumers; instead they were very self-conscious and critical, customising "existing styles, symbols and artefacts" such as the Union flag and the Royal Air Force roundel symbol, and putting them on their jackets in a pop art-style, and putting their personal signatures on their style. The song "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" by The Kinks from 1966 jokes about the fashion obsession of the mod community.

Mod fashion adopted new Italian and French styles in part as a reaction to the rural and small-town rockers, who were seen as trapped in the 1950s, with their leather motorcycle clothes and American greaser look. Male mods adopted a smooth, sophisticated look that emphasized tailor-made Italian suits (sometimes white) with narrow lapels, mohair clothes, thin ties, button-down collar shirts, wool or cashmere jumpers (crewneck or V-neck), pointed-toe leather shoes that were nicknamed winklepickers, as well as Chelsea or "Beatle" boots, Tassel Loafers,Clarks' Desert Boots even Bowling shoes, and hairstyles that imitated the look of the French Nouvelle Vague cinema actors of the era, such as Jean-Paul Belmondo. A few male mods went against gender norms of the era by enhancing their appearance with eye shadow, eyepencil or even lipstick. Scooters were chosen over motorbikes because scooters' use of bodypanelling and concealed moving parts made them cleaner and less likely to stain an expensive suit with grease. Scootering led to the wearing of military parkas to protect costly suits and trousers from mud and rain.

Female mods dressed androgynously, with short haircuts, men's trousers or shirts (sometimes their boyfriend's), flat shoes, and little makeup — often just pale foundation, brown eye shadow, white or pale lipstick and false eyelashes. Female mods pushed the boundaries of parental tolerance with their miniskirts, which got progressively shorter between the early and mid-1960s. As female mod fashion went from an underground style to a more commercialized fashion, the slender model Twiggy began to exemplify the high-fashion mod look. The television programme Ready Steady Go!, presented by Cathy McGowan, helped to spread awareness of mod fashions and music to a larger audience.

Urban Tribes: PUNK

The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.

Early punk had an abundance of antecedents and influences, and Jon Savage has described the subculture as a "bricolage" of almost every previous youth culture that existed in the West since the Second World War "stuck together with safety pins" Various philosophical, political, and artistic movements influenced the subculture. In particular, punk drew inspiration from several strains of modern art. Various writers, books, and literary movements were important to the formation of the punk aesthetic. Punk rock has a variety of musical origins both within the rock and roll genre and beyond.

MUSIC
The punk subculture is centered around listening to recordings or live concerts of a loud, aggressive genre of rock music called punk rock, usually shortened to punk. While most punk rock uses the distorted guitars and noisy drumming that is derived from 1960s garage rock and 1970s pub rock, some punk bands incorporate elements from other subgenres, such as metal (e.g., mid-1980s-era Discharge) or folk rock (Billy Bragg).

IDEOLOGIES
Although punks are frequently categorized as having left-wing or progressive views, punk politics cover the entire political spectrum. Punk-related ideologies are mostly concerned with individual freedom and anti-establishment views. Common punk viewpoints include anti-authoritarianism, a DIY ethic, non-conformity, direct action and not selling out. Other notable trends in punk politics include nihilism, anarchism, socialism, anti-militarism, anti-capitalism, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-nationalism, anti-homophobia, environmentalism, vegetarianism, veganism and animal rights. However, some individuals within the punk subculture hold right-wing views (such as those associated with the Conservative Punk website), neo-Nazi views (Nazi punk), or are apolitical (e.g.horror punk).

FASHION
Punks seek to outrage others with the highly theatrical use of clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, tattoos, jewelry and body modification. Early punk fashion adapted everyday objects for aesthetic effect: ripped clothing was held together by safety pins or wrapped with tape; ordinary clothing was customized by embellishing it with marker or adorning it with paint; a black bin liner became a dress, shirt or skirt; safety pins and razor blades were used as jewelry. Also popular have been leather, rubber, and vinyl clothing that the general public associates with transgress sexual practices like bondage and S&M.
Some punks wear tight "drainpipe" jeans, plaid/tartan trousers, kilts or skirts, T-shirts, leather jackets (which are often decorated with painted band logos, pins and buttons, and metal studs or spikes), and footwear such as Converse sneakers, skate shoes, brothel creepers, or Dr. Martens boots. Some early punks occasionally wore clothes displaying a Nazi swastika for shock-value, but most contemporary punks are staunchly anti-racist and are more likely to wear a crossed-out swastika symbol. Some punks cut their hair into Mohawks or other dramatic shapes, style it to stand in spikes, and color it with vibrant, unnatural hues.

Some punks are anti-fashion, arguing that punk should be defined by music or ideology. This is most common in the post-1980s US hardcore punk scene, where members of the subculture often dressed in plain T-shirts and jeans, rather than the more elaborate outfits and spiked, dyed hair of their British counterparts.

VISUAL ART
Punk aesthetics determine the type of art punks enjoy, usually with underground, minimalistic, iconoclastic and satirical sensibilities. Punk artwork graces album covers, flyers for concerts, and punk zines. Usually straightforward with clear messages, punk art is often concerned with political issues such as social injustice and economic disparity. The use of images of suffering to shock and create feelings of empathy in the viewer is common.

DANCE
Two dance styles associated with punk are pogo dancing and moshing Stage diving and crowd surfing were originally associated with protopunk bands such as The Stooges, and have appeared at punk, metal and rock concerts. Ska punk promoted an updated version of skanking. Hardcore dancing is a later development influenced by all of the above mentioned styles. Pyschobillies prefer to "wreck", a form of slam dancing that involves people punching each other in the chest and arms as they move around the circle pit

Urban Tribes: GRUNGERS

Grunger is someone who follows the musical movement originating in Seattle called Grunge

Grunge music born in the city of Seattle in the early nineties as an evolution of punk. The word grunge means dirt, refers to an untidy and dirty aesthetic distortions in the voices and the in look. The distinctive features of the grunge sound was heavily distorted guitars and strong, catchy vocal melodies are often repetitive and changes of pace of the songs trapped in the genre, while their lyrics reflect characterized by apathy and disillusionment.

Presentation and fashion

His aesthetic is often sloppy, corduroy jeans or frayed and often broken, overlapping shirts, lumberjack shirt, tousled hair and old shoes, usually this is usually their appearance, both men and women, although that is the case that some riot_grrrls (term used to describe the girls belonging to this movement) dress in dark corduroy skirts and stockings (usually with careers and broken) and T-shirts overlapping or broken, as to hair and make-up is very sloppy riot_grrrl , tousled hair and black eyes and lips highlighted in red or a bright colours.


Grunge expanded globally during the first half of the nineties, mainly driven by the commercial success of Nirvana's album Nevermind and Ten by Pearl Jam. That success catapulted the popularity of alternative rock and grunge became the genre's most popular hard rock that time. Despite this, many groups have always been uncomfortable with his superstar status and the appearance, because of the influence of the media, grunge movement, which in some cases they caused internal conflicts that led them from separation until the death of some members.

The popularity of grunge begins to wane in the mid-nineties. Of the great bands that gave birth to the movement, are only active in 2008 Pearl Jam, Mudhoney and the Melvins, although it is hoped an upcoming meeting of Alice in Chains.

Despite this, the influence of grunge was decisive in further development of the rock.

They rebel against the consumer society which is guided by what the television tells them to do, listen, be, think, read and view.

Urban tribes: MANGA (They aren’t freaks)

Manga consist of comics and print cartoons and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th century. In their modern form, manga date from shortly after World War II, but they have a long, complex pre-history in earlier Japanese art.

In Japan people of all ages read manga. The genre includes a broad range of subjects: action-adventure, romance, sports and games, historical drama, comedy, science fiction and fantasy, mystery, horror, sexuality, and business/commerce, among others.Since the 1950s, manga have steadily become a major part of the Japanese publishing industry, representing a 406 billion yen market in Japan in 2007 (approximately $3.6 billion). Manga have also become increasingly [vague] popular worldwide. In 2008, the U.S. and Canadian manga market was $175 million. Manga are typically printed in black-and-white, although some full-color manga exist (e.g. Colorful).

"Manga" as a term used outside Japan refers specifically to comics originally published in Japan. However, manga-influenced comics, among original works, exist in other parts of the world, particularly in Taiwan ("manhua"), South Korea ("manhwa"), and the People's Republic of China, notably Hong Kong ("manhua"). In France, "la nouvelle manga" has developed as a form of bande dessinée (literally drawn strip) drawn in styles influenced by Japanese manga. In the United States, people refer to manga-like comics as Amerimanga, world manga, or original English-language manga (OEL manga).



Demographic groups

KODOMO

"Kodomo" works are noted for stories that are often very moralistic, teaching children how to behave as good and considerate people. The episodes are generally standalone and non-episodic in order to appeal to a child.
Doraemon by Fujiko F. Fujio is one of the most notable examples for this manga/anime genres.

SHONEN

The term shōnen, refers to manga marketed to a male audience roughly between the ages of 10 and 18. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic". The complete phrase literally means "young person's comic." Examples include Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Saint Seiya, Rurouni Kenshin, InuYasha, YuYu Hakusho, Flame of Recca, Detective Conan, Yu-Gi-Oh and Fullmetal Alchemist

SHOJO

The term shōjo, refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10 and 18. The name romanizes the Japanese (shōjo), literally: "little girl". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction often with a strong focus on human and romantic relationships and emotions. Strictly speaking, shōjo manga does not comprise a style or a genre per se, but rather indicates a target demographic. Examples include Cardcaptor Sakura, Fushigi Yuugi, Sailor Moon, and Romeo x Juliet.

SEINEN MANGA

Seinen manga is a subset of manga that is generally targeted at an 18–30 year old male audience, but the audience can be older with some comics aimed at businessmen well into their 40s. In Japanese, the word Seinen means "young man" or "young men" and is not suggestive of sexual matters. The female equivalent to seinen manga is josei manga. It has a wide variety of art styles and more variation in subject matter, ranging from the avant-garde to the pornographic. Seinen manga is distinguished from shounen, or boy's manga by having a stronger emphasis on realism and also by having a more well developed storyline. Because of the emphasis on storyline and character development instead of action many seinen series are often confused with shoujo, or girl's manga.

JOSEI MANGA
Josei manga is a term that refers to the target demographic of manga created mostly by women for late teenage and adult female audiences. The male equivalent to Josei is seinen. In Japanese, the word josei means simply "female" and has no manga-related connotations at all. Manga branded as "Ladies' Comics" has acquired a reputation for being low-brow and the term Josei was created to move away from that image
The Spanish youth confuses the world of Manga. They aren't freaks.

Urban Tribes: GOTHS

GOTHS

History: Goth can be traced back to Victorian ages. But it was launched in the UK by punk bands like Siouxsie Sioux who began wearing bondage clothing and topics of Victorian age and gothic literature and art and more intelligent thoughts.
Gothic literature: Literature primarily about horror and romance, and includes supernatural and Victorian themes.
Writers: Edgar Allen Poe, Anne Rice
Goth Music: Music including dark atmospheres.
Examples include and genres:
Post Punk: Siouxsie Sioux, The Cult
Goth Rock: Clan of Xymox, London After Midnight, The Cure, Bauhaus
Deathrock: Christian Death, 45 Grave, Frank the Baptist, Alien Sex Fiend
Dark Cabaret: Voltaire, Emilie Autumn
Gothtronic: Anders Manga, Gary Numan, Blutengel
Fashion:
There are many kinds of gothic fashion. But the basic things are boots, mostly dark attire, pale skin, hair that isn't brown. The "do it yourself" is a heavily emphasized part of the culture.
General Pieces: Fishnet, Black nail varnish, colored hair, dark eyeliner, leather, metal (steel), buckles, bondage pants, hobble skirts, dress shirts, ties, top hats, red lipstick, black lipstick, dress shoes, combat boots.
TRUTHS AND FALSE.
From the point of goth creation, its been morphed many times. Goth has been hit by many different accusations such as violence and satanic rituals.

Myth: Goths are violent
Truth: Its wrong to accuse a whole group based on one person's action, so its a maybe. But goth does not support violence.

Myth: Hot topic is goth
Truth: No, hot topic is a corporation. Goth originates from punk, and punk has emphasized on anti-corporation/government. In short terms, hot topic markets for mass appeal and attention, so no its not.

Myth: Goths are satanic.
Truth: Although many arts can depict vampires and death, even Satanist do not stand for evil or harm to others. Some goths could be satanic, but goth has no real links between satanism. Most goths are secular, but some are religious.

Myth: Goths have tattoos and piercings from head to toe.
Truth: Some have them, some don't.

Myth: Goths are sad
Truth: Not all of them, sure goth emphasizes the darker things in life, but not all of them are sad people, normal people can be sad, sadness is an emotion, emotions make you human. And goths are human.

Myth: Goth is nothing but a clique.
Truth: This is apart of the "morphing and warping". Goth was never centered around excluding others or trying to be different. Like many counter-cultures, its about being yourself and doing what you like, yet has similar interest and beliefs.

GOTH-RELATED TERMS AND PEOPLE

The Batcave: A club in England where goths have met since its creation
Columbine: A violent shooting that presented the first so called "goth violence" (NOTE: shooters were not goths)
Rozz Williams: The frontman of Christian Death, who founded american goth, and founded the Deathrock genre.
Siouxsie Sioux: The godmother of Goth, one of the first post-punk/goth bands that influenced bands later on.
Dinah Cancer: The frontwoman of 45 Grave, one of the first deathrock bands. "The Queen of Deathrock"
Bela Lugosi: Not a goth, but played and had a cult following in his horror movies, even after death.

Personality: There is no "rule" of personality, but most goths are open minded, witty, anti-prejudice, deep, quiet and artistic.

CONCLUSION.
Goth is a culture that emphasizes the darker, deeper and romantic sides of life that strays away from the mainstream and pays attention to individuality.

Urban tribes: EMOS

"Emo" really is just a confused teenager. The entire Emo subculture is rooted in music. Emo is short for "emotional" or "emotional hardcore." This type of music came about in D.C. in the 80's (before most self-proclaimed emos were even born.) The type of people who listened to this music had common tastes in fashion, and like many other fashion eras, they all began dressing the same way. Now the term Emo is associated more with behavior and style than it is with music. Simply don a pair Converse, a studded belt, head-to-toe black, and angled bangs, and voila--you're an Emo. Of course, there is the debate over real and wannabe Emos, but really they're all the same. They purposely choose to dress a certain way, act a certain way, listen to (or pretend to listen to) certain music, despite what their motives are. Whether their motives are sincere or superficial, all Emos have chosen to conform to a group of people they feel safe with. They would rather be called "weird" than be themselves and think for themselves. The ones that call themselves real Emos look and act (on the surface) like wannabe Emos. The only difference may be that they are truly admirers of the music scene, or that they truly have difficult family lives. Either way, they are all just this generation's subculture. Just like the Grunge group of the 90s or the Hippies of the 60s, the Emos have found their stereotypical shoe, their theme song, their color, and their attitude, and they will fight for it until the death (or until they grow weary of cutting themselves). If they do cut themselves, you will know it. The entire point of cutting is to garner sympathy and attention. Never will you find an Emo who secretly cuts him or herself. Emos are really just searching for a place to call home. Every teenager has to find some group to associate with, lest they be left out. In this way, Emos are no different than the Chavs. The Chavs are just looking for a group to fit into as well. While the Chav group may be much more dim-witted and emotionally numb, they too are just a group of scared teenagers looking for a family. One day, both Emos and Chavs will look back on their silly little phases and laugh.
"Hey Emos, you're never going to get a date if you keep wearing that same black hoodie every day."



EMO BOYS

Emo boys are guys the choose to not follow the ideas of the maintstream society. emo boys dress in tight pants and shirts. they also wear eyeliner and have shaggy hair that hangs in there face. although some people have the misconception that emo boys only makeout with each other, cry and cut their wrist this is very wrong!!! emo boys are guys who are in touch with their emotions!! because society has thaught us that guys should not cry and always be strong is why alot of people shun the emo lifestyle. emo boys are very special they are the sweetest type of guy you could ever meet! they express there self through art and music and speak very lyrical.

EMO GIRLS

Emo girls are like an emo boy, only obviously, a girl. Cords, pants roled up at the bottom, emo bandshirts, emo band pins, and of course, an emo ex-boyfriend. Hornrimmed glasses, or glasses with thick blak rims, and bangs that cover at least half their face. Lastly, a pair chucks, and matching belt of course, cause we all know, your belts HAVE to match your shoes.

urban tribes: HEAVIES

Heavy metal fashion is the style of dress, body modification, make-up, hairstyle, and so on, taken on by fans of heavy metal, or, as they are often called, metalheads.

Origins

The clothing associated with heavy metal has its roots in the biker, rocker, and leather subcultures. Heavy metal fashion includes elements such as leather jackets; hi-top basketball shoes (more common with old school thrash metallers); blue or black skinny fit jeans, camouflage pants or shorts, and denim jackets or kutte vests, often adorned with badges, pins and patches. As with the bikers, there is a fascination with Germanic imagery, such as the Iron Cross.

Distinct aspects of heavy metal fashion can be credited to various bands, but the band that takes the most credit for revolutionizing the look was Judas Priest, primarily with its singer, Rob Halford. Halford wore a leather costume on stage as early as 1978 to coincide with the promotion for the Killing Machine (Hell Bent for Leather in the USA) album. In a 1998 interview, Halford described the leather subculture as the inspiration for this look Shortly after appropriating the leather look, Halford started appearing onstage on a roaring motor bike. Soon, the rest of the band followed.

It was not long before other bands appropriated the leather look; Iron Maiden's original singer Paul Di'Anno began wearing leather jackets and studded bracelets, Motörhead innovated with bullet belts, and Saxon introduced spandex. This fashion was particularly popular with followers of the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) movement in the early 1980s, and sparked a revival for metal in this era.

The studded leather look was extended in subsequent variations, to the wearing of combat boots, studded belts and bracelets, bullet belts, spiked gauntlets, etc. The codpiece, however, appears to have been less popular among the general public.

Other influences

The style and clothing of metal has absorbed elements from influences as diverse as the musical influences from which the genre has borrowed. It is from this linking of different sub-styles of clothing and music influences that one can sometimes determine a person's specific taste in music simply from overall appearance. However, such signs are not hard and fast rulings in the majority of cases. This uncertainty is what makes the first key aspect of the metalheads' identity below so important.

Some of the influences of modern military clothing and the Vietnam War can be seen by the fans and bands of thrash metal, with the members of thrash metal bands of the 1980s like Metallica, Destruction, and Megadeth wearing bullet belts around their waists on stage[7][8] (it is likely that the thrash metal bands got the idea of wearing bullet belts from NWOBHM bands such as Motörhead, who have incorporated the bullet belt as part of their aesthetic since their inception, since many thrash metal bands in the 1980s were influenced by Motörhead). This style is often connected to punk-metal and anti-fashion, as akin to the hardcore punk scene, as the formentioned style reflects similar attitudes.

The imagery and values of historic Celtic, Saxon, Viking and Chivalric culture is reflected heavily in metal music, by bands such as Blind Guardian, and has its impact upon the everyday fashion and especially the stagegear of metal artists. The independence, masculinity and honor of the warrior ethos is extremely popular amongst metalheads, as is the rejection of modern day consumerist and metrosexual culture. Folk metal, viking metal, black metal and power metal fans often grow long thick hair and beards reminiscent of a stereotypical Viking, Saxon and Celt, and wear Thor's Hammer pendants and other neopagan symbols. On stage, in photoshoots, and in music videos, it is very common for bands of these genres such as Turisas and Moonsorrow to wear chain mail, animals skins, warpaint (such as woad) and other Dark Ages themed battle gear. Power metal fans and musicians such as Rhapsody of Fire often wear attire reminiscent of the Renaissance and the Middle Ages including tight black or brown leather trousers and wide sleeved, bottomless shirts of various colors. The imagery of bards and minstrels as well as knights is a popular part of power metal fashion.

Nowadays, Metalheads/ Headbangers have also started wearing makeup much like the Goth culture but a little more subtle. Artists such as Alexi Laiho from Finnish Melodic Death metal band Children of Bodom, Chrolls and James Banister from british Black Metal Band Decaying Thornes are some examples, as they all wear both eyeliner and black nail varnish.