Chav

Caricature of a stereotypical chav

Chav (Template:PronEng, with 'ch' as in chair) also Charv/Charver (Template:PronEng) are mainly derogatory slang terms in the United Kingdom for a subcultural stereotype fixated on low quality or counterfeit goods.

The term appeared in mainstream dictionaries in 2005. There are regional variations; in the North East of England the variant charv / charva is most commonly used (particularly in Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland areas, where the term originated.) and has been used since the early 1990s, while in the South East of England and South West of England chav is the usual form. The term differs depending on area and dialect; in Scotland, they are known as "neds" What is unusual is that the vowel in charver is ɑ (as in 'far') and the mainstream UK equivalent uses the a (as in 'cat') vowel in chav which goes against the usual North-South (a/ɑ) vowel distinction.

Response to the term has ranged from amusement to criticism that it is a new manifestation of classism. The term has also been associated with juvenile delinquency, the "ASBO Generation", "Hoodie culture", and "Yob culture".

Etymology

The accepted etymology for "chav" is that it derives from the Romani word "chavi", meaning a child. Related words derived from the same source include "charva" meaning prostitute (used in north-east England in a similar sense). In modern Spanish "chaval", "chavo" or "chavón" means "lad" (eg: El Chavo, a Mexican television comedy whose principal character is a street orphan).

Many folk etymologies have sprung up around the word. These include backronyms such as "Council Housed And Violent". It has also been suggested that pupils at Cheltenham Ladies' College and Cheltenham College used the word to describe the younger men of the town ("Cheltenham Average"). Similarly, it has been thought to originate from the Medway Towns where it was used to describe people from the town of Chatham ("Chatham Average").

Fashion

The "Chav Look" is typified by cheap, often counterfeit clothing and accessories.

• Jewellery

Jewellery, particularly half-sovereign rings, large "hoop" earings, and heavy necklaces or chains are often worn, frequently in amounts that might be thought excessive. This jewellery tends to be poorly made, and composed of either low-carat gold or imitations such as coated brass or gilding metal.

• Sports Clothing

Sportsware such as trainers, hoodies, polo shirts, Tracksuits and baseball caps are common in British street fashion. In the chav sub-culture these are emphasised, with a number of distinct characteristics;

• Tracksuit bottoms are far more prevalent, and are tucked well into the socks
• Trainers, particularly white, tend to be preferred.
• While the face is rarely concealed, hoods, caps and scarves are often kept in a manner that might conceal the face if desired. Baseball Caps are therefore more common than in mainstream fashion.

• Brand awareness

Clothing will often be prominently marked with the signature-devices of high-end brands, although these are often counterfeit and not products of the implied brand. Notably "Burberry" is often copied on such clothing.

Chav as an Epithet

Within the UK "chav" is often used to indicate a person(s) perceived or accused of openly exhibiting many antisocial or irresponsible tendancies, particular examples include.

• Habitual, willing, unemployment,
• Truancy (if of school age)
• Underage sexual activity, particularly if resulting in underage pregnancies,
• Promiscuity and children conceived in casual relationships,
• Assault or incitement to violence, including so called Happy slapping and co-ordinated intimidation.
• Theft,
• Criminal Vandalism,
• Profoundly hubristic behaviour including queue jumping, and enhanced sense of entitlement.
• Public Nuisance, in particular spitting, shouting or playing loud music on the street or on public transport.

Requests to keep the noise down, or to move along, are often met with aggression, assault and in some cases murder . Such individuals often have ASBO's imposed on them for their behaviour.

The issues of respect and authority are common points of contention, it is often claimed that chavs exhibit such behaviour because they aren't shown enough respect, and that society at large has yet to earn their respect. This is typified by a cavalier attitude to police and legal matters, (Indeed many "ASBO"s are considered badges of pride rather than meaningful warnings from society) and ignorance of medical advice.

Such people are likely to sport Chav Fashion, associating that fashion with antisocial behaviour.

Relation To British Working Class

While the majority of Chavs can be found in what is traditionally thought to be the "working class", they constitute only a fraction of even the most restricted definition of that class.

As such "Chav" is not necessarily a synonym for "working class", indeed many people identifying themselves as working class, themselves apply "Chav" as an insult with the semantics described above. Many comments have been made such as "Non-Working Class" or "Would be working class, but they don't work" to illustrate this distinction.

Popularisation in the media

From its origins as a slang term, use of the word spread so rapidly that by 2004 it had become a hugely popular word in national newspapers and common parlance in the UK. Susie Dent's Larpers and Shroomers: The Language Report, published by the Oxford University Press, designated it as the "word of the year" in 2004. A survey in 2005 found that in December 2004 alone 114 British newspaper articles used the word. The popularity of the word has led to the creation of sites devoted to cataloguing and mocking the "chav" lifestyle.

The "chav culture" has been portrayed extensively in British media:

• The Welsh rap group, Goldie Lookin' Chain, have been described as both embodying and satirising the chav aesthetic, though the group themselves deny any such agenda, simply making a mockery of the subject. The British car tuning magazine Max Power once had a beige Mk3 Vauxhall Cavalier stickered to make it look like the Burberry check, named it the "Chavalier" and gave it to the band.

• Footballer Wayne Rooney and girlfriend Coleen McLoughlin, rapper Lady Sovereign, glamour model Jordan, actress Danniella Westbrook, and former Big Brother contestant Jade Goody have also been labelled "chavs" by British tabloids.

• The popular character Lauren Cooper and her friends Lisa and Ryan from the BBC's comedy series The Catherine Tate Show exhibit clear Chav style clothing, behaviour, mannerisms and musical interests, along with surly attitudes. Fellow sketch comedy series Little Britain features a character with some similarities, Vicky Pollard.

• In the 2005 ITV reality TV programme Bad Lads Army: Officer Class, a number of small time thieves and street brawlers underwent 1950's style National Service Army training to see which of them would be worthy of becoming a British Army officer. The motto of the show was to convert "chavs" into "chaps".

Criticism of the stereotype

The widespread use of the chav stereotype has come under criticism; some argue that it amounts simply to snobbery and elitism, and that serious social problems such as Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, teenage pregnancy, delinquency and alcoholism in low-income areas should not be scoffed at. Critics of the term have argued that its proponents are “neo-snobs,” and that its increasing popularity raises questions about how British society deals with social mobility and class. In a February 2005 article in The Times, Julie Burchill argued that use of the word is a form of “social racism,” and that such “sneering” reveals more about the shortcomings of the “chav-haters” than those of their supposed victims. The writer John Harris argued along similar lines in a 2007 article in The Guardian.

Burchill also produced a Sky One television programme on the topic where she sought to link the word with the entire working-class population. The controversy around the term was also the subject of a Channel 4 documentary in July 2005, simply entitled Chavs.

Commercial effect

In 2005, Bluewater Shopping Centre banned hooded tops from anywhere in their complex. Pubs in Leicester announced that they would ban young people wearing certain fashion brands due to an association between these brands and football hooliganism. (although this is primarily a reaction against casuals, who since the 1980s have worn distinctive designer brands such as Stone Island which have been subsequently subsumed into chav culture)

The large supermarket chain ASDA has attempted to trademark the word "chav" for a new line of confectionery. A spokeswoman said: “With slogans from characters in shows such as Little Britain and the Catherine Tate Show providing us with more and more contemporary slang, our Whatever sweets — now nicknamed chav hearts — have become very popular with kids and grown-ups alike. We thought we needed to give them some respect and have decided to trademark our sweets.”

Burberry

Burberry's trade-marked tartan was been very popular in the garments favoured by the Chav Fashion. As such the brand is often thought to be synonymous with Chav Culture.

Burberry has argued that all chavs are associated with counterfeit versions of the clothing: "They’re yesterday’s news", stated Stacey Cartwright, the CEO of Burberry. "It was mostly counterfeit, and Britain accounts for less than 10% of our sales anyway."

Despite the dismissive form of that announcement, Burberry has taken a number of steps to distance itself from the stereotype. It ceased production of its own branded baseball cap in 2004. And has scaled back the use of its trademarked checkered/tartan design to such an extent that it now only appears on the inner linings and other very low-key positions of their clothing. It has also taken legal action against high-profile infringements of the brand; In August 2006, a company introducing tuk-tuk vehicles into the south coast resort of Brighton, England named one the "Chavrolet" which had it painted in the distinctive Burberry tartan. However, the company soon had to withdraw this vehicle after being threatened with proceedings for breach of copyright by the Burberry company.

See also

• Stereotype
• Social class
• Moral panic
• Folk devil
• Lumpenproletariat
• Underclass
• Subculture
• Deviancy
• Hoody

Further reading

• Keith Hayward and Majid Yar (2006). "The "chav" phenomenon: Consumption, media and the construction of a new underclass". Crime, Media, Culture. 2 (1): 9–28. doi:10.1177/1741659006061708.

External links

Articles

• Larcombe, Duncan (2006-04-10). "Future bling of England". The Sun Online. Retrieved 2007-03-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
• Ward, David (2004-10-09). "Get hip to Chav as this year's wizard word". The Guardian. Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2007-03-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Jackson, Melissa (2005-01-10). "Music to deter yobs by". BBC News Magazine. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-03-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• "End Of 'Hooligan' Cap". Sky News. 2004-09-10. Retrieved 2007-03-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Lewis, Jemima (2004-02-01). "In defence of snobbery". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-03-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Harris, John (2007-03-06). "So now we've finally got our very own 'white trash'". The Guardian. Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2007-03-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Burberry