Chav Culture

[Kalista]

people can still rise above the way they where brought up or the surrondings they where brought up in. its the whole debate of nature nuture. being anti-social does not really come around just because you were born into it

That's true but a lot of us tend to follow the example our parents set for us. I can't speak for all chavs but from what I've seen, their parents aren't exactly as well-mannered as their children are.

 

[uberwench]

^^

That's true to a point -most chavs are born into a culture of chavdom, and I totally agree that, in those places, most people are 'soft-chavs' by default (wearing pink knockoff Juicy tracksuits and a lot of Kappa, white puffa jackets, gold chains and burberry -drinking white lightning).

I do think it takes effort to be a hardcore chav though -because it's a state of mind. It's a state of mind which includes being contemptuous of non-chavs, flashing 'status' items (£350 phones, most important, I have never met a chav who had a phone that was older than 6 months), and, for girls, wanting to show as much flesh as humanly possible -seeing everything as a means to pull (eg, the dummies all the chav girls were sucking a few months ago were meant to imply fellatio ).

That's why there are some affluent and educated chavs -I go to a private all-girls' school, and about half of the year are 'middle-class chavs', who wore Jersy ra-ras with white court shoes, bare legs and Von Dutch caps in December. The Sunday Times Style mag did a feature on chav access (they dressed a reporter up as a SuperChav and sent her down Bond Street to gauge reactions), and used Paris Hilton as their model -and she's certainly not working class.

Choosing to be a chav is different from choosing to be a mod or a punk because mods and punks go into it with their eyes open -a punk knows they're choosing to subvert mainstream trends in a way that most people don't like. Everyone pretty much has the same idea of what punk is, which isn't true of chaviness.

We might see Chaviness as an expression of supreme naffness, tacky flashiness and vulgarity -but chavy people don't get that. They think that they're fashionable, and at the height of cool. It's not so much a trend, but having an entirely different perspective. What they love, I hate, for example -and, accordingly, what I love, they hate.

Whilst this is definitely tied into class -the majority of people with a chavvy perspective are working class, and the majority of anti-chavs are middle class -it's not a direct product of it, and it's not like chavs are only chavs because they can't afford not to be. Chavs don't aspire to dress in Comme des Garcons, and go to art galleries one day -if they were the richest people in the world, they'd just buy real louis vuitton and burberry to replace their fakes. Case in point -Victoria Beckham, and Coleen MacLoughlin.

Obviously I've generalised a lot -and mean no offence . I just think that most chavs would be astonished to find people leaping to their defence -if you don't own a burberry scarf and a LV murakami bag, it's not like you understand fashion anyway...

 

[Kalista]

That's why there are some affluent and educated chavs -I go to a private all-girls' school, and about half of the year are 'middle-class chavs', who wore Jersy ra-ras with white court shoes, bare legs and Von Dutch caps in December. The Sunday Times Style mag did a feature on chav access (they dressed a reporter up as a SuperChav and sent her down Bond Street to gauge reactions), and used Paris Hilton as their model -and she's certainly not working class.

Yep, like I've pointed out before, there is a Chavistocracy.
To quote a previous issue of Tatler:

Take what's known as a chav. In fact, take Colleen McLoughlin, Wayne Rooney's girlfriend and tabloid chav queen. Add any or all of the following: some loud, colourful language, a talent for flipping the middle finger as a default reaction to anything vaguely irritating, and a thirst for champagne and alcopops. Oh, and make her rather grand, with an expensive education and some family money behind her. Suddenly she's a member of a growing tribe of posh oiks otherwise known as the chavistocracy.

 

[uberwench]

Sorry, my post was actually in reply to stilista -this thread grows fast!

 

[Kalista]

Sorry, my post was actually in reply to stilista -this thread grows fast!

Oh, I didn't want to make it sound like I was arguing with you. I was just agreeing with something you said

 

[stilista]

I think this debate is difficult just because there is definitely a "Nouveux Chav" trend, with the likes of Beckham and McLoughlin, but also the "Real Chavs" that everyone all over Britain has known for years who just wear lots of gold, trainers, caps etc.

As far the "Chavistocracy" - all these kids should be ashamed of themselves. They are given the best of everything, mainly education and they throw it back at their parents. At least those who don't have a moneyed or educated background have an excuse...

I despair...

 

[Elegance.Is.Refusal.]

everyone keeps mentioning these high profile chav's and such. but the charv's im talking about buy things that have fallen off the back of vans or have been nicked. theres a big difference between the two.

i hate talking about them because im trying to block them from my mind Newcaslte is a wonderful place but every so often a charv pops up and spoils it!

 

[Mr-Dale]

OMG, looking through this thread and www.chavscum.co.uk I just realised that Holland is like the Chav capital of the world! There's so many Butberry wannabe's here and guys and girls completely hung with gold gold and gold. It's terrible. We just called the girls sluts and the guys players and baptised them as 'camp-people' but now they should be called Chavy people....eww.

 

[shadow]

Every country has its Chav!

In Spain the girls carry fake Carolina Herrera bags and big bold plastic necklaces (!!). And SEVERAL polo shirts at once, in contrasting colors, with the collars sticking out (hot!!!) And Star Converse shoes. A Chav shop is Pimkie.

In Holland guys wear any jacket with huge logos on the back: Boss, Gaastra, Helly Hansen. Also jeans falling off their hips, showing immaculate white Calvin Klein underwear.

In México they are called Nacos.

 

[fab_fifties_fille]

hehe^ several polo tops at one time? wow i've never seen that before I've been into pimkie before though, i see where your coming from

 

[boho_babe]

Me and my friends used to have a word before this Chav trend came along which was the equivalant of Chav. OUr definition of a chav would be someone who wears all the sovereign huge rings on every finger and those cheap horrible clown necklaces (you english people know what I mean). Additionally, high ponytails and scrunchies sometimes add to the look!

 

[impossibleprincess]

i think the rise of the footballers wife was a major impetus for the chav suddenly becoming tabloid fodder.

 

[Elegance.Is.Refusal.]

you mean these? they are so gross and scary!

picture from http://www.shoppinganimal.com/buy-unique-merchandise/Chains-and-pendants.html

 

[fab_fifties_fille]

Nooooooooooooooooooooo anything but the jointed clown! *cries*

 

[boho_babe]

^spot on those!
We used to talk about it all the time, it was along time before this chav culture exploded and it just made me laugh. It was as if they had only just come around but infact they'd always been their!

 

[vintage_princess]

I was wondering....do chavs know they are chavs?

 

[shadow]

I would add that Chav- spotting is one of the highlights of any trip abroad.
L'imagination au pouvoir!

 

[fab_fifties_fille]

I think some of them do vintage princess, and some try to be a charve, and some deny it

 

[Kalista]

Me and my friends used to have a word before this Chav trend came along which was the equivalant of Chav. OUr definition of a chav would be someone who wears all the sovereign huge rings on every finger and those cheap horrible clown necklaces (you english people know what I mean). Additionally, high ponytails and scrunchies sometimes add to the look!

AND those chunky hoopy earrings !

 

[boho_babe]

AND those chunky hoopy earrings !

Oh yeah, and huge unnecessary ones a la Jlo.
In fact as much as I like Jlo I sometimes think she looks like a bit of a chav. Like those awful white cropped trousers she wore at the Sweetface (is that right) launch. And I saw the behind the scenes and she was making everyones baby hair prominant and some chavs do this and gel it.