Of Russian origin: Stilyagi
Screen shot from the movie "Stilyagi"It’s the
1950s, it’s
But outside influences are beginning to slip through the cracks. Through the mediums of fashion and music, the rock-n-roll phenomenon began to
take root in the guise of
Against the grey backdrop of a cold war USSR, these daredevil teenagers sported
daring, modern haircuts and makeup with brightly colored Western ties, jackets
and pompadour trousers. An underground movement, they listened to the
subversive, forbidden strains of American jazz and rock.
When Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock” hit airwaves around the world in
1954, teenagers everywhere began change, not only in the way they dressed and
the type of music they listened to, but also in attitude.
Screen shot from the movie "Stilyagi"Like London’s “teddy boys”, Moscow’s hipsters defied social convention and the
oppressive monotony of their everyday lives. But the drama of their unique
historical context makes the stilyagi
a uniquely fascinating cultural phenomenon. Unlike their contemporaries in
Europe and the US, these youngsters risked not only the wrath of their parents,
but the risk of arrest with the Russian police systematically organizing round-ups.
But for them it was worth it, for the stilyagi
believed fervently in freedom of expression; not only for themselves but for
all those around them and they resented the control with which the Soviet government
ruled all aspects of their public and private lives.
In 2008, their mark was forever immortalized in the history books when
acclaimed director Valery Todorovski dedicated his hugely popular 2008 film to
its namesake, “Stilyagi”. It’s a nostalgic, feel-good romp of a musical. But
the movie sets out to prove that rock-n-roll is not only about music – it is
about a lifestyle and the need of all young people the world over to imprint
their own personality on the way they live.
Written by Alice Hibbert , RT news anchor and correspondent
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