Module 3B Be a Sport! When adults talk about youngsters they make generalisations which not correspond to the facts Many different styles can be found under this common heading Some young people worry a lot about music, buy fashionable clothes or footwear, and some others go against these trends and think that all this is irrelevant Often youngsters identify themselves with a certain group and they imitate a particular look, but not all teenagers share the same values, preferences or attitudes For some, fashion is sacred; others wear shabby clothes and show a careless appearance to express their disapproval of the latest fashion trends Sociologists say that there are different subgroups of youngsters and that they are determined by age, sex, education or social class In 1985, a French sociologist, Michel Maffesoli, coined the term urban tribe to refer to groups with common interests in metropolitan areas Nowadays, some worldwide urban groups are punks, hippies, EMOs, goths, headbangers, visuals and skaters In Argentina, there are also floggers and rollingas Each tribe has its distinctive style which is reflected in their clothes, accessories and hairstyles They get together in shopping malls, parks, or keep in contact through the Internet, using different social websites or taking photographs to post on the Web There is even a strong rivalry between these tribes, which can sometimes end in fights Youth culture has many faces and each group expresses its identity in a different manner Activities 1 Scan the text and answer the questions a What are the main ideas in the magazine article? b What’s your personal attitude towards fashion? c How are subgroups of young people determined, according to sociologists? d Give some examples of contrasting life experiences among teenagers e Why can we say that teenagers have their own culture? English Toolkit - Social Sciences Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 Youngsters’ Styles Module 3B 2 Scan the text and find the opposites a sell: e careful: b old-fashioned: f approval: c essential: g similar: d brand-new: h few: 3 Correct any wrong ideas from the text a Nowadays, teenagers share the same values all over the world b According to teenagers, they belong to a different subgroup in society c The idea of youth culture is related to various styles of young people 4 Look at the pictures Match the name of the tribe with the corresponding picture a Hippy b Punk c Goth d Rasta e Skater f Visual g Headbanger Choose two urban tribes and describe their styles Look at the clothes, accessories and hairstyles 5 Discussion: share your ideas with the class a What you think of urban tribes? Do you belong to any of them? b Do you know any other urban tribe that is not mentioned in the text? What is it like? c Apart from the ideas in the text, why you think that some teenagers belong to urban tribes? English Toolkit - Social Sciences Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011