The Teddy Boy: Public Reaction



In the beginning the media treated the Teddy boys as a joke and questioned their sexuality due to the absence of their father’s during the war. It wasn’t long before the term ‘Teddy boy’ was synonymous with juvenile delinquent, so much so that they are the basis for the costumes of the thugs in The Clockwork Orange. This reputation was mainly due to the Notting Hill Race Riots that took place in late August and early September 1958. These were racially motivated attacks on members of the black community by white Teddy Boys. The riots were influenced by groups like the White Defense League attempting to ‘Keep Britain White’ after an increased number of Caribbean migrants arriving in Britain after World War II.

Also some Teddy Boys formed gangs initiating public fights with their rivals. This could be seen as the start of the media’s sometimes negative attitude towards youth culture. Having said this, most people in today’s society do not read the term ‘Teddy boy’ as a negative. We mainly view it as a style of dress with references to rock ‘n’ roll. This amnesia of the negatives is due to the 1970’s revival of the subculture. The Teds came back to life as a sort of nostalgia for the time before drug-taking hippies and aggressive skinheads. This was made more attractive in the media when the Punks came along with their desire to shock, the Teds were from a much more harmless, comfortable era.