Mod is a 1960's British youth subculture. The focus and emphasis of the sub-culture was on music and fashion, with mod being the clipped form of the word "modern", or "modernists". They were given this term because they listened to modern jazz - it was a term coined not by themselves, but others.
What is the historical context of the Mod?
As previously stated, Mods are a subculture that were prominent within the 1960's. However, in the late 1950's, young and stylish men who listened to modern jazz music were coined modernists, which is where the label originated from. By 1960, the Mods had attained minor cult status, but had not yet been discovered by the media, the movement having only a few thousand adherents who were scattered throughout London. Two key factors are believed to have been reasonable for transforming them into the massive army they would soon become: affluence and education. As wages generally improved after the war, working-class families became much better off and were no longer relying on their children to help support the family, as had been tradition. Consequently, youth became financially independent, with a large disposable income and suddenly nowhere to spend it. This was especially true of inner-city youth. According to Dick Hebdige, 1963 saw that the mod subculture had begun to find symbols that they were associated and identified with. However, just three years later in 1966, the mod scene was in sharp decline which is theorised to be because of its increasing commerciality and loss of vitality. As the subculture continued to become less prominent, there was also an argument that the original mods were reaching the age where they were getting married and having children, which resulted in the loss of time and money that could be spent on leisurely activities and past-times such as record shopping and scooter rallies.
What are the "fashions, mannerisms and music" that "signal...membership" of this youth subculture?
Fashion
Paul Jobling and David Crowley called the mod subculture a "fashion-obsessed and hedonistic cult of the hyper-cool" young adults who lived in metropolitan London or the new towns of the south.
The Royal Air Force roundel became a symbol of mod culture, and was used within fashion and other mediums:
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| The film Quadrophenia is a 1979 British film that details the events that occurred between the Mods and the Rockers on Brighton beach in 1964. The "Q" in Quadrophenia is designed to look like the roundel, and the text's colour is navy, like the outer circle of the roundel. The tag line is written in red, like the inner circle of the roundel. This highlights the association between the symbol and the Mods. |
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| For example, this Vespa has a sticker of the roundel on its side. Plus, the bag attached to the Vespa is also the roundel. |
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| Lambretta. |
Male mods adopted a smooth and sophisticated look that included tailored suits with narrow lapels (sometimes made of mohair), thin ties, button-down collar shirts, wool or cashmere jumpers (crewneck or V-neck), Chelsea or Beatle boots, loafers, Clarks desert boots, bowling shoes, and hairstyles that imitated the look of French Nouvelle Vague film actors.
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| Beatle boots. |
The original and enduring mod style is a slim-fitting dark coloured suit, worn with a lighter coloured shirt and thin, dark tie, along with a pair of dark shoes. Of course this is a style that can be worn by many a person walking along the street but the beauty is in the details. Mods usually prefer a two-tonic coloured suit, made of a light material and fronted by three buttons (with the bottom button being left undone). The jacket has a breast pocket which can be adorned with a handkerchief in a variety of styles. The shirt is usually a button down with the most popular make being the ‘Ben Sherman’ incorporating a small button at the back of the collar. This style was reciprocated by mods of the early 80’s with the only modification being that the trousers had became narrower and were often short enough to show the dreaded white socks that were initially popular at the time.
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Early mods listened to the "sophisticated smoother modern jazz" - musicians included Dave Brubeck and the Modern Jazz Quartet. In addition, they would listen to American R&B.
The mods were also influenced and listened to artists such as The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds. Particularly, mods loved to listen to bands such as The Who, who were specifically more mod - orientated. Interestingly, The Who's changed their name to The High Numbers to appeal and suit to the mod market. It was swiftly changed back.
Despite The Beatles styling and fashion looking very like mod fashion, their music was never popular among mods as opposed to British R&B.
Mannerisms
Mods would often have a lot of free leisurely time, which they would spend clubbing, dancing and shopping. The original mods gathered at all-night clubs such as The Flamingo and The Marquee in London to hear the latest records and show off their dance moves. As the mod subculture spread across the United Kingdom, other clubs became popular, including Twisted Wheel Club in Manchester.
To fuel the all-night dances at clubs like these, mods took amphetamines for recreational use. Newspaper reports described dancers emerging from clubs at 5 a.m. with dilated pupils. Some mods consumed a combined amphetamine/barbiturate called Drinamyl, which was nicknamed "purple hearts".
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