José María Moran Aburto

I.D 45175392
Music Subcultures and the Media
Final essay
Dr. James Lewandowski-cox
University of Queensland
04/06/2018

Directioners as a subculture: Who are One Direction and the “Directioners”?

One Direction was a pop boy-band conformed by 5 teenagers -now young adults-. Each of
them auditioned individually at The X Factor TV show, although some got rejected and
auditioned twice, they all eventually got accepted and put together, without knowing each
other, into a group that would as well compete in the show. Finally, they made it to the
finals and tied with the opposing girl-band. As winners, both groups would be supported
and introduced into the respective music industry: this is how One Direction came to life.

It is undeniable that One Direction (1D) was a product that emerged from the pop,
commercial industry, were figures such as Simon Cowell took great part, and eventually
reward, in making it happen for the band. In other words, they were a business. None the
less, the band would provoke a worldwide phenomenon and would generate a notable
connection with the fans: consequently, known as “Directioners”, hence the need to
propose such analysis. It is important to mention that this essay will focus primarily in fans
from Mexico and Latin-America while using as a contrast the well-established punk culture
within Mexico City. The traditional use of the term “subculture” might seem, at first, unfit
to apply to such group; whose realm lies in the mainstream industry. Regardless, this essay
will draw on several concepts to analyze it and propose why it still conserves a
foundational element that characterizes subcultures, and that is deviancy.

“Directioner” is the term used to refer to One Direction’s fans. There are always
exceptions, but the population lies mostly between twelve to sixteen-year-old girls,
although it could be said that the commercial aim for 1D’s music was destined to “tweens”
(eight to twelve-year-old’s); social class may have implications as well, but they do not
seem relevant for this analysis. Directioners do not seem to share characteristic styles,
fashions or ideologies that unite them other than the music itself, 1D’s merchandise and the
personalities of the band members. Directioners also lack a physical place to interact with
each other in large congregations aside from concerts, which happen rarely, and the option
of gathering in the street can pose certain dangers for this population (Firth, McRobbie and
Gardner as referenced in Baker, 2004). In consequence, the bedroom (Baker, 2004)
becomes a place that shapes processes in the construction of identity, while internet access
becomes a gateway to social media, where they can find virtual spaces to meet other fans,
as well as music and videos, and compliment such processes.

Subcultures, Gender and Cultural capital

Sarah Baker (2004) points out important factors that happen within a specific
population of young girls in South Australia but depict experiences very similar to the ones
lived by their peers throughout Latin-America. She says: “popular music can provide a
pathway to the understanding of “self” in wider cultural contexts” (p.76), which, added to
the trivialization of girls’ musical preferences on behalf of male peers, siblings or parents
and the historical use of pejorative terms such as “Teenybop” (Baker, 2004) result in a
restricted and channeled construction of identity. There are social expectations that define
what young girls, and boys alike, can wear, be engaged in and like. This has strong
implications that affect the construction of gender identity.

Howard Becker (1963) explains how “all social groups establish rules (…) These
social rules define the situations and behaviours considered appropriate, distinguishing the
‘correct’ actions from the ‘incorrect’ or ‘forbidden’.” (p.21). In the construction of gender,
there usually is an imposition that strictly ties sexuality with gender, through these, women
are subdued not only to men but to heteropatriarchy (Wittig 1992). In consequence, there is
a perpetuation of stereotypes that affect both men and women. In the case of the latter, even
when sympathizing with the music, women usually must prove themselves to other
integrants to be accepted (Riches, 2015); while men would be judged if an inclination for
“girly” music, fashion, etc. is shown. In Latin-America, both men and women are strongly
subdued to heteronormativity standards and are heavily judged, sometimes even by the
family, when breaking the social conventions. Perhaps young men and boys are
perpetuating female margination by being themselves unaware victims of such conventions.

Subcultures, judged by traditional standards, belong to a stereotyped youth of

dissatisfied, angry and energic individuals, it also provides a construction of identity
through which adolescents can relate themselves with their peers. It is through a selected
consumption that a person or group acquire cultural capital (Bordieu, 2001) and the concept
“cool” comes in, a widespread and broad term that ultimately confers recognition, in this
case, through which subcultures can identify and keep negotiating their position and rules
(Becker 1963) in relation to the other.

Directioners vs. Punks: Mexico City

Now, having in mind the trivialization of girls’ music and predilect fashion; gender
imposition and cultural capital in mind, we can start by stating that, by not considering
either “cool”, “serious” or “appropriate” anything related to One Direction, groups or
individuals will quickly disregard it. The band could be judged by others as superficial,
mainstream, commercial and manufactured for consumption, all for the sake of money.
Subcultures, at their core, have built their identities to reject everything that One Direction
represents at first glance.

The punk movement in Mexico City was inspired by the one originated in the UK
by the Sex Pistols. The task of defining the movement now-days would deem impossible,
as it has fragmented throughout the years and even, as said by Alvaro Detor Escobar “many
of its’ components have lost essence” (2016), due to normalization of deviancy. None the
less, the scene, as portrayed through the short documentary “Punks de Boutique” (Reporte
Indigo, 2016) shows an overall ideology of unconformity with the government, anti-
consumption and a critic against the system and the media, as well as showing sympathy
with anarchical ideas. Regardless of their inclinations, the most anti-system activity that can
be seen in one of the strongholds of punk in Mexico’s City, the market of “El Chopo”, is
the bartering of music in several formats. Aside from that, the punk essence merely lies in
dressing codes and music styles whilst being ruled by capitalism: they use the money to
buy clothes, hair dye, gel, Dr Marteens boots, alcohol, cigarettes, studded leather jackets
etc. And must work, as any other “normal” citizen, to obtain the capital which sustains the
commodities that make them belong to the Punk Culture.

Alvaro Detor (2016) mentions that, for him, the Sex Pistols where a fabricated product by
people that were interested in making money but “they never imagined the dimensions of
its’ repercussion”. The same phenomenon can be seen with One Direction: The intimate
relationship that the band would form with the fans would go beyond the expectations, even
supporting the musical projects of the individual members since the band broke up.

Directioners: the unaware deviants

Stuart Hall (as cited by Lewandowski-Cox) states that, through an industrialized process of
music production, the “rapport” between the performer and its’ audience is lost and
“popular music needs to re-establish a rapport to be valuable”, which definitely seems to be
the case regarding One Direction. As well as clearly stating “Subcultures are a
contradictory mix of the authentic and the manufactured” (as cited by Lewandowski-cox),
which would represent both Mexican Punks and Directioners, although punk emerged as a
more “authentic” movement that became normalized, whilst 1D emerged from
consumption to become, in a sense, “authentic”.

First, Directioners become deviant by transgressing the market to which 1D was originally
made for: “tweens”. Young girls would be expected to “grow out of it” and forget about the
band, which did not happen, as the fans continued to grow with their idols, following them
even after the band’s separation, as mentioned earlier. Secondly, Directioners did not give
into other kinds of more “authentic” music, as they constantly felt identified, represented
and understood through 1D’s music; neither giving in for “cooler”, more “alternative”
trends of which other subcultures presume, to have a sense of belonging and community.
Last but not least, young girls broke away from social expectations and conventions by
incurring in activities such as camping in the street, getting in line either for buying tickets
or attending concerts, in Argentina, Mexico and Chile, to name a few. Even calling the
attention of the authorities in the case of Chile, where the government specifically
prohibited fans to camp around the National Stadium for One Direction’s concert
(Starmedia, 2014). The latter feature depicts an intense struggle to attend an event which
provides with identity while losing all sense of conservative forms and manners expected
from young girls.

Added to this intense devotion, Directioners achieve all of this with the support of their
parents, which could be seen as an ultimate and intelligent, perhaps unintended, way of
rebellion: instead of fighting authority, they make the authority provide for them. In cases
where the fans camped for two to three days, they were being accompanied by their
parents. It will be up for the reader to decide if a working mother or father of family would
gladly accept to: lose hours of sleep while guarding their daughter for two days; providing
food and water for them; either bringing, buying or asking for somebody to borrow a tent
and sleeping bags, constantly moving the camp and finally spending a considerable amount
of money to buy tickets.

Conclusion

The value conferred in the act of sharing is one of the most important features that
any group can have. All the existing subcultures, scenes, tribes etc. Have had a common
ground with which the integrants can feel identified, heard, supported, encouraged or
motivated. It is true that there is an industry, merely designed as business, where income is
the first priority and musical value could be argued to be “fake” due to the industries’
original interests. None the less, there are hardly any subcultures that escape capitalism or
have congruent practices that meet their ideals, as seen with the Mexican Punk scene in this
essay. I felt the need and importance of valuing the authentic feelings Directioners display
with One Direction’s music, a music that connects with its’ audience, and even more
importantly, provides support to a population that, at least in Latin-America, and especially
in Mexico, constantly suffers from oppression and is disregarded based on gender. The
heteropatriarchal dominance is enrooted deep into the culture and affects large populations,
not only women or young girls. Through empathy and understanding of the other, society
will be able to take a step forward in developing and overcoming the hard challenges that is
currently facing.
Bibliography and references

Becker, H. (1963). Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance. New York: The Free
Press.

Bordieu, P. (2001). las estrategias de la reproducción social (The Strategies of Social

Reproduction). Argentina: Siglo Veintiuno Editores S.A.

Hall, S. as cited by Lewandowski-cox, J. Music Subcultures and the Media course,

University of Queensland, retrieved 04/06/2018

Riches, G. (2015). ‘A force to be reckoned with’ The role and influence of alcohol in Leeds
extreme metal scene. Routledge.

Reporte Indigo, 2016. Punks de Boutique, retrieved 04/06/2018.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWs3GWe9x90

Baker, S. (2004). Pop in(to) the bedroom: Popular music in pre-teen girls’ bedroom culture.
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Starmedia news, Starmedia. Retrieved 04/06/2018.

https://www.starmedia.com/entretenimiento/prohiben-directioners-acampar-para-
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Wittig, M. (1992). El pensamiento heterosexual y otros ensayos (The Straight Mind and
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