How did the Stilyagi movement shape Soviet culture?
The example of the Stilyagi subculture proved that persistence in one’s beliefs can bring about change. Western fashion and music served as tools for expressing collective dissatisfaction, emotions, thoughts, and ideas in a country that forbade individualism and free thinking. Read more!
After the Second World War ended in 1945, it left destruction all across Europe. Young soldiers from countries behind the Iron Curtain had a difficult time readjusting to their old lives in their homeland. The main culprit? The big, bad West. Soldiers had enjoyed Western Culture so much that they found it hard to leave it behind. Youngsters, however, never really intended to abandon it. Instead, they chose rebellion, as young people often do. So, unsurprisingly, the Stilyagi movement (from style or stil in Russian; Stilyaga is the singular form) was born.
It was an underground movement rooted in the search for independence and self-identity. Older generations did not support it, but that was hardly shocking; older people criticizing teens and young adults is nothing new. Things truly took off after Stalin’s death in 1953, and the Stilyagi subculture spread like a viral video. The number of foreigners visiting the Soviet Union increased, which further amplified Western influence.
The real weapon against government oppression lay in American-inspired flamboyant outfits: bright colors, tight trousers, wide ties, and thick-soled shoes. Western hairstyles such as the Ivy League, Pompadour, and Ducktail also made their way through the Iron Curtain. Although the Stilyagi movement was predominantly oriented towards men’s fashion, female stilyagi did exist, though they were less visible. Their style was heavily influenced by American fashion trends of the 1950s, such as the "New Look", characterized by cinched waists and full, flared skirts. They also wore pantsuits and, by the 1960s, miniskirts. Alongside their outfits, women used bright makeup, particularly red lipstick, and wore distinctive hairstyles, such as high coiffures or short hair with a pronounced fringe.
Not only were Stilyagi dudes fashionable, but they were also creative. Once Western music was obtained, brave individuals began engraving old X-ray films and reproducing smuggled music onto plates depicting broken bones. Now imagine listening to music while staring at some babushka’s broken leg. It is no wonder these records were nicknamed “bones” or “ribs”. However, there was real danger in purchasing forbidden music, because if caught, you could end up in the Gulag-as some unlucky individuals did.
While in the second half of 1950’s and during the 1960’s the Soviet Union slowly began opening to the West, it still had a long way to go. The example of the Stilyagi subculture proved that persistence in one’s beliefs can bring about change. Western fashion and music served as tools for expressing collective dissatisfaction, emotions, thoughts, and ideas in a country that forbade individualism and free thinking.
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Sources:
Nowaki Rochelle, American Idol: American Pop Culture and Soft Power in Cold War Europe, University of Hawaii, 2014
Vainshtein Olga, “Orange Jackets and Pea Green Pants: The Fashion of Stilyagi in Soviet Postwar Culture”, Fashion Theory, 22:2, 2018