Like their tribal ancestors, teenagers today learn to understand who they are by defining themselves through social

bonds and affiliations with a peer group. As they grow from child to adult, they forge a personal identity by first creating a social identity. Music tastes and appearance are the obvious ways to define oneself, but the ways in which young people talk about themselves to their peers also helps them to create a sense of self. Some teen subcultures are described below. The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in the United ingdom during the early !"#$s in the gothic rock scene, a derivative of the post%punk type. The goth subculture has associated tastes in music, aesthetics, and fashion, whether or not all individuals who share those tastes are in fact members of the goth subculture. &othic music includes a number of different styles. 'ommon to all is a tendency towards a depressing, mystical sound and outlook. (tyles of dress within the subculture range from death rock, punk, medieval, some )enaissance and *ictorian style clothes, or combinations of the above, most often with black clothes, makeup and hair.

Chav: slang term used in the United ingdom for a subcultural stereotype derived from
American +ip%hop fi,ated on fashions such as imitation gold -ewellery and designer clothing. The defining features of the chav clothing are a baseball cap and a variety of other casual and sportswear brands. Tracksuits and hoodies are also associated with this stereotype.

Preppy, also spelled prep: The

taken on an often offensive people, /prep/ more generally with the appearance and wealth. 0reppies are people who schools, often boarding schools. athleticism, sociability and wealth.

more recent slang derivation prep has meaning. .specially used by young denotes superficiality and preoccupation attended elite college preparatory 0reppy culture ideali1es intelligence,

The punk subculture is a subculture that is based around punk rock music. It emerged from the larger rock 2n2 roll scene in the mid%to%late% !"3$s in the United ingdom, the United (tates and Australia. Today the punk movement has spread around the globe and developed into a number of different forms. The members belonging to this movement can be recognised by their spiky hair, black clothes, chains, piercings and dark make%up. 0unk culture encompasses distinct styles of music, ideology, and fashion, as well as visual art, dance, literature, and film. 0unk also lays claim to a lifestyle and community. The punk movement has had a tumultuous relationship with popular culture and struggles to resist commerciali1ation.
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Skinheads, named for their close%cropped or shaven heads, are a working%class

subculture that originated in the United other parts of the world. ingdom in the late !"4$s, and then spread to

)acist attitudes have become predominant in the skinhead sub% culture, although some skinheads remain apolitical or aligned to the 5ar Left. Tattoos have been popular among many of them. (ome of the symbols chosen may be a swastika, spider webs, flags etc.

Nerd6 it refers to a person who

intellectual knowledge rather than as participating in organi1ed sports activities. A nerd is often considered

passionately pursues engaging in social life, such or other mainstream social a loner by peers.

Hippie (sometimes spelled "hippy"): This movement was also called

75lower 0ower8. +ippies re-ected established institutions, critici1ed middle class values, opposed nuclear weapons, the *ietnam 9ar, embraced aspects of .astern religions, were often vegetarian and eco%friendly, promoted the use of psychedelic drugs to e,pand one2s consciousness, and created intentional communities or communes. They usually wore long hair, colourful clothes and they spread the message 7Make love, not war8.

Nu-metallers :boys only;: They wear oversi1e rock%band T%

shirts, three%<uarter%length trousers and can=t live without a skateboard. They listen to U( heavy metal such as Limp >i1kit, Linkin 0ark, >link !#?.

Graffiters These people wear baggy clothes and have <uite a

sloppy look. &roups that live in industrial or poor areas may use graffiti for various purposes, especially if many groups populate one specific area or city. The main use is to mark either territory or /turf/ by tagging a space such as a wall on building near or on the boundaries of a gang2s turf to inform other gangs of their presence. Usually, this type of tag will have the name of the gang. They are also used to communicate with other gangs, usually to warn them of a coming assassination of a certain member, by either writing the member2s street name and crossing it out, or by finding tags by the member and crossing them out. If a gang overwrites another gang2s tag, it is also the symbol of a takeover of a gang2s turf or a sign of aggression towards the gang. 9hile most cities now take measures to prevent this, such as washing or erasing tags, it was much more common in the mid !"#$s when crime waves ran high.

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