Analysis Of Oosterhoff's Article 'Stilyagi'

Style as a Challenge to Society Have you ever wanted to be different from others? So did "Stilyagi" in USSR. In the postwar years on the streets of Soviet cities were strange young people who were defiantly different from others; they were easily recognized by their colorful clothes and fancy hairstyle. After a series of local fashionistas, as flâneur and dandy, Stilyagi took their place. Their history - is a truly unique history of free and bold people in a country of slaves. In the article, "The Stylehunters of Soviet Russia," Oosterhoff introduces how a rapidly rising skepticism replaced the euphoria of the first post-war years. Life in the USSR has become a meaningless existence, where everything was monotonous (Oosterhoff …show more content…
In the article, "Stilyagi - Subcultures," Pozdeyeva states the roots of the history of Stilyagi. The increase in the number of diplomatic staffs automatically increased the number of family members living in other "Soviet" reality (abroad) associated with success and prosperity (Pozdeyeva). Moreover, if the official propaganda continued to ignore the facts of borrowing the Soviet Union Western scientific and technological advances, at the household level, Soviet engineers are forced to copy foreign models, and economists who study the market situation "of capital" for exports to commodities and equipment purchases, did not experience piety (desire or willingness to pay obeisance on anything) to the Soviet ideology and pass these sentiments to the younger generation (Pozdeyeva). Those, in turn, contributed to their dissemination to the general urban youth. If the children of the Soviet elite addicted to western culture have been an element of protest and demonstration that they are "Special". However for most young people of that time a new subculture has become a psychological protection from poverty and chaos of the postwar years. Nonconformance of the miserable reality with colorful cinema world, captured in a so-called "trophy films", caused in young people feelings of discomfort (Pozdeyeva). Also, the soldiers returning from Europe brought with them an enormous amount of trophy clothing, shoes, jewelry and fashion magazines (Karpova). These out of fashion in the West subjects became the basis for the creation of Stilyagi. Besides to the things in the Soviet Union after the war became popular overseas records with jazz compositions and unknown dance (Karpova). Thus, the dance boogie was first seen by the Soviet people during the meeting on the Elbe with American soldiers (Karpova). Author, Eduard