Black Skinheads... Fashion Risqué
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 11:11AM 
Way back when, in 1991, I met a black skinhead. I was a little confused at first, since the last "faux skinheads" I had met in a city park before "B Day" had tried to beat me up just cuz I was hanging out with a black dude. Thankfully, a skateboard to the head had convinced'em otherwise (I'm not trying to justify violence here, but I still had to explain to me ma' why I needed a new board). Probably due to my young age and influenced by my teenage identity crisis, I developped a fixation for this lad. Nowadays, some of you call this a boy crush, but it was more of a big brother type thing for me. His style; the clothes he wore, his vibe; the music he listen too and his immense knowledge of the different subcultures from the U.K. circa 1950's 1960's and 1970's sorta launched my interest in trends and fashion amongst other things. Didn't some one say that everyone wants to imitate the black man anyways? Like on the Chappelle Show??
February is Black History Month. I'll agree that writting a piece on Black Skinheads can seem a tad peculiar on it's own (I can imagine how it does seem during BHM), but that's only because a large misconception was built through time around this movement born in the late 60's. During my "online" research, I have stumble upon some major bullshit about Skinheads (like ALL skins are white supremacist and skin gangs do not accept girls to enter their clicks), so I want to give you a bit of history first.
;)
Here's what I found on Wikipedia that provides good overall background info about the subculture:
A Skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian (specifically Jamaican) rude boys and British mods, in terms of fashion, music and lifestyle.[1] Originally, the skinhead subculture was primarily based on those elements, not politics or race.[2] Since then, however, attitudes toward race and politics have become factors in which some skinheads align themselves. The political spectrum within the skinhead scene ranges from the far right to the far left, although many skinheads are apolitical. Fashion-wise, skinheads range from a clean-cut 1960s mod-influenced style to less-strict punk- and hardcore-influenced styles.
This essay is ment simply to clarify things and allow people to understand that the skinhead and suedehead cultures have their roots in black history. It's all about the Jamaicans residing in the U.K. that brought their music and rude boy culture to the old world, the working class; people that earn their living, the dancehalls; the boogie music from New Orleans that became ska and early reggae music and a sense of style that evolved from the 1960's mod culture. Most of all, it was Blacks and Whites mixing it up.
There was still and element of racism, against Pakistanian workers in the UK, I'll give you that much. Maybe this is why the movement could never fully get rid of the race card...
Watch these videos:
Do I believe you can still be a skinhead in 2010? With the same original mission and all?? Well maybe it's possible. There's still a working class in this world right????
If you wanna do it for fashion's sake, because you like the style, sure go ahead.
Any other "obvious" or "cracker" reason doesn't make any sense to me... Enough was done to ruin the image of this culture already!
I understand this piece can shock a few of our readers, so I ask you to read on it a little more if you want. Here's something interesting about the Belgium Black and White Skins exhibition and Interview and something here on the Mexican Skinheads that was publish in Vice Magazine (Check out: Skinheads made ion China).
Wanna read about girl skinheads: Skinbird
One Love to all Colors of The Benetton
**This is open to discussion people
By Philippe
BHM, Black Skinhead, Fashion, Music, Trends, Vice Magazine 
;)
