greaser
What was the greaser subculture?
What was the typical greaser style?
What did the term greaser mean in the 19th century?
Who are some iconic greaser characters in pop culture?
greaser, member of a youth subculture that was prominent in the United States in the 1950s and ’60s. Greaser culture was embraced mostly by young, white working-class men who either rejected or did not fit in with the “bright and shiny” facade of the Cold War era. By the late 1960s the subculture had all but disappeared as other youth subcultures developed. In the 1970s, however, many films and television shows peddling nostalgia to the baby boom generation, such as Grease (1978) and Happy Days (1974–84), included greaser characters.
American greaser style and British rockers
Aesthetically, greasers could be identified by their motorcycle leather wear, typically paired with blue jeans and a T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to expose their biceps and shoulders, and hairstyles that were “greased” and sculpted using pomade or petroleum jelly. Although pop culture has often linked greasers to hot rod racing, gangs, and motorcycle clubs, these activities and groups did not necessarily go hand in hand with being a greaser.
In some parts of the United States, particularly Baltimore, greasers were known as “drapes.” Most greasers were young men, but young women also adopted a unique, related aesthetic, usually consisting of “teased” or “ratted” hairstyles, off-the-shoulder tops, and tight sweaters or capri (cropped) pants.
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In the United Kingdom a similar youth subculture sprang up called the rockers, whose name came from members’ preferred choice of music: rock and roll. Like their American counterparts, rockers wore leather jackets and blue jeans and sometimes greased their hair, but they were more strongly identified with motorcycle culture. Rockers’ chief rivals were the mods, another group of teens who favored tailored European-style suits, Italian scooters (such as Vespas), rhythm and blues, modern jazz, ska, soul, and the music of British blues-based rock bands such as the Who and the Small Faces. In 1964, riots involving mods and rockers broke out in several coastal towns in southern England—clashes that would become legendary in British pop culture.
Across the Atlantic greasers were also often portrayed in the media and pop culture as outcasts of society or as rebels who intentionally strayed from the white-collar American Dream. As American society changed and new youth subcultures emerged, the greaser subculture became mostly extinct, although similar subcultures developed outside the United States and Britain, including the bōsōzoku (“reckless driving gang”) in Japan and the blousons noirs (“black jackets”) in France.
History
The term greaser was formerly a derogatory ethnic slur against Mexican laborers in the 19th century. One theory suggests that it derives from a mishearing of the Spanish word grosero (“rude”), while another posits that it references the hard labor these workers performed greasing wagon axles. In the 20th century the slur was used against other groups, including Italian, Greek, and Filipino immigrants.
The greaser subculture, however, developed after World War II, attracting young men and teenagers who were disillusioned with their economic prospects. While industry expanded greatly after the war, some communities, such as the working class and people of color, saw less benefit because of classism and racism. However, this industrial boom made it possible for more members of the middle and working classes to afford automobiles and motorcycles for the first time. The postwar era also saw the advent of rock and roll, which became the soundtrack for youth rebellion.
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Greasers in pop culture
The overlap in the public imagination between the greaser subculture and such groups as bikers and youth gangs was solidified through pop culture. In films of the 1950s and early ’60s, such as The Wild One (1953), Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Blackboard Jungle (1955), and West Side Story (1961), characters representing bikers, troubled teenagers, juvenile delinquents, and gang members resemble greasers in terms of their hairstyles and fashion. Many early rock singers, particularly Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, and Ritchie Valens, sported iconic looks that inspired the greaser aesthetic. In literature, S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders (1967) was acclaimed for portraying rival groups of teenagers, in particular the socially marginalized greasers, with sensitivity.
In the 1970s a wave of baby boomer nostalgia for that generation’s younger days spawned many films and TV shows set in the 1950s and early ’60s. Some feature memorable greaser characters. These included American Graffiti (1973), Happy Days (1974–84), The Lords of Flatbush (1974), Grease (1978), and The Wanderers (1979), the last of which is based on Richard Price’s 1974 coming-of-age novel about an Italian American youth gang in the Bronx in the early 1960s. In 1979 Franc Roddam adapted the Who’s 1973 album Quadrophenia into a film of the same name that depicts the notorious clash between the rockers and mods.
Greasers continued to show up in pop culture in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. For example, cult film director John Waters’s Cry-Baby (1990) features greasers (referred to as “drapes” according to the usage in Waters’s native Baltimore). The teen mystery drama series Riverdale (2017–23), which was inspired by the popular Archie comic books, also includes a greaser character, named Fangs Fogarty.
The following are some quintessential greaser characters in pop culture.
- Jim Stark (Rebel Without a Cause): Jim Stark is the main character of this romantic drama film that catapulted actor James Dean (who died one month before the movie’s release) to posthumous cult stardom. The story revolves around three teens (played by Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo) who form a tight bond based upon their mutual feelings of alienation from their families, classmates, and middle-class communities. Dean’s blue jeans, slicked hair, and angsty, rebellious attitude struck a chord with young audiences when the film was released. The movie is considered a classic.
- Ponyboy Curtis (The Outsiders): Ponyboy is the 14-year-old greaser protagonist and narrator of Hinton’s celebrated young-adult novel The Outsiders. The book follows a group of poor and working-class Oklahoma greasers in their conflict with their rivals, the rich Socs (short for “Socials”). Hinton wrote the book while she was a teenager, and she describes the greaser subculture with empathy for her rebellious teenage characters. The book does not shy away from the economic differences between the two gangs, fully exploring the class struggles and different opportunities afforded to its characters. In 1983 the novel was adapted into a film by Francis Ford Coppola, starring C. Thomas Howell as Ponyboy alongside up-and-coming actors of the time, including Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, and Emilio Estevez as the other greasers.
- Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli (Happy Days): The hit sitcom Happy Days played on baby boomers’ yearning for their idealized youth. Although the show centers on the Cunninghams, a wholesome nuclear family whose middle child, Richie (Ron Howard), represents the all-American teenager, the show’s breakout character was Fonzie (Henry Winkler). The Fonz represents everything popular about greaser culture: He wears a leather jacket, rides a motorcycle, and is too cool for school.
- Danny Zuko (Grease): Portrayed by John Travolta in the musical comedy film, Danny Zuko is perhaps the quintessential greaser character. Danny is the leader of the T-Birds, a hot rod club of high schoolers who care less about going to class and more about impressing girls with their souped-up rides. Danny’s leather jacket and slicked-back pompadour match the classic greaser look, and his devil-may-care attitude toward authority perfectly captures that of the rebellious greaser.