Youth identity and Genre. Hybridity? Where do you draw the line?

Interesting.

I think i most closely agree with Dennis here out of the replies that i have read.

In terms of the theory of Sean Ebare '"expressions of youth identity are inscribed in music fan culture".. i find it quite complex and something that every individual would understand and comprehend differently.

For instane, if there was an average New Zealand 20 year old rugby player whom spends most of his time drinking and playing rugby then he probably wouldn't know the distinction to somone whom listens to punk music or hardcore music in terms of fashion sense. Of course the dress sense of "punks" has greatly changed over the last couple of years and i think the distinction to which you label someone belonging to a music sub-genre is limited.

It simply depends on the person's understanding and complexity of music to which they've been subjected to and influenced by.

I think you could say by looking at someone what sort of music they'd tend to listen to ,as in my opinion, i think people dress in accordance to create a sort of connection with them and the image associated with the genre of music they liken to.

I think this is evident in the new "emo" trend. Noone is really to judge, but since i myself listen to some loosely "emo" music, i find that these younger kids dress in likeness to perhaps their favourite bands.

At the end of the day, Everyone, to some degree, wants to fit in. Even punks because they are dressing a certain way and acting in a certain way in accordance to be associated with a particular group or scene.

I think that people that don't see music as a big interest in their lives lie behind a barrier in terms of really being subjected to dressing like their music taste. Ie- Serious rugby players would generally have that sense to their normal dress sense etc.

As image becomes more of a focus every day, image and fashion is consistently re-constituting itself and is becoming more apparant in the music scene.

The driver=acceptance.
And that is avid in any sort of community or group.

But if Sean Ebare are completly true in the mainstream pop sense. Then that is a sad future for the youth. With songs, as i mentioned in an earlier blog, mainly revolving around sexualised themes- including Nelly Furtado selling out BIG TIME ... is this the future of pop music? What ever happened to the good old days of Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls Hanson?

Hybridity exists as alot of music genres are influenced by those before them. Ie- alot of Punk is jazz influenced as is Ska etc. There is a theory of Heavy Metal being a form of classical 'virtuousity'. And so a punk can be a punk but underneath that they can exist to liken towards Jazz for example. The question is where do you draw the line?

I suppose your dress sense is either influenced, in some way or another, by a musical taste, income level, sport community or not associated with anything at all. Personal expression. The choice is to express or not to express.

I guess at the end of the day selling these popularised ideas of the easily influenced youth is the sale sign to identity.

~Sarah McElwain