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Chav

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Chav is a slang term, usually derogatory, used in the United Kingdom to define lower-class youths seen as tawdry hooligans.

The word Chav is thought to be from the mid-19th century Romany word chavi, meaning child. It is sometimes, incorrectly, claimed to be an acronym of "Council Housed And Violent". Others suggest it originates from a nickname used of people from Chatham.

Similar terms include Pikey and Townie, as well as Bam, Barry Boy, Bazza, Charver, Chavalier, Chavette, Chavster, Dumbo, Gazza, Hood Rat, Janner, Kappa Slapper (as portrayed in the BBC comedy series Little Britain by Matt Lucas as Vicky Pollard), Kev, Knacker, Ned, Ratboy, Rudeboy, Rudie, Scally, Schemie, Scutter, Shazza, Skanger, Spide, Steek, Stig, and Yarco.

Key concepts

This stereotyped subculture is defined by outsiders and could be cited as an instance of classism. Essentially no one self-identifies with these labels and groupings, but rather they are used by those on the outside to categorize those labelled in this way. The similarity of trends in clothing and behaviour enable the group to be clearly stereotyped in this way.

The essential stereotype is of being loudly lower-class, with 'class' defined by aesthetic rather than income considerations. The key features of the stereotype are:

  • The wearing of brand name athletic clothing and shoes (stereotypically, white Reebok classic trainers), 'tacky' gold jewellery (particularly hoop ear rings, large pendant necklaces, and 'gaudy' sovereign rings, often from Elizabeth Duke at the catalogue shop Argos), are quite important.
  • Sports caps and/or "hoodies" (hooded tops) worn with sports/jogging trousers, that may be tucked into socks. The Burberry clothing brand in particular acquired sufficient chav connotations that it ceased production of its branded baseball cap (one colloquial collective noun for chavs is Burberry).
  • Associated with low level criminal activities and other crass/drunken misbehaviour, especially late at night after pubs and clubs have closed.
  • Found on housing estates and other low-income neighborhoods.
  • Regardless of location (cinema, restaurant, etc.) their frequent use of mobile phones is a common complaint against them.
  • Musically, a chav might enjoy Rap and a chavette R&B, with pop and dance music a common ground between them. The rap group Goldie Lookin' Chain have satirised the chav aesthetic and a typical stereotype of chav culture.
  • The ownership of large, dangerous attack dogs
  • A lower-end car, (the mark one Vauxhall Nova is a particular favourite), which has been "souped-up" or "tricked out" with an impressive paint job, tail fin and/or flashy rims (hubcaps), they tend to call these modifications 'mods', although they prefer to spell it with a 'Z' instead of an 'S' (Mods should be as similar as possible to those found in the film The Fast and the Furious, and its sequel) can also be seen as key. The bible for this style of vehicle is the magazine, Max Power, a blend of vehicle customisation and semi-clad glamour models.
  • If, for some reason, a chav should find himself without a vehicle or dog of this sort, the acquiring of such will likely be a major focus for him/her.
  • Recent experiments with using classical music to repel chavs have had promising results.

Related terms for urban or suburban miscreants include spide (Northern Irish), kappa slapper, (a combination of a brand of sportswear and a pejorative colloquialism for a promiscuous girl or woman) (see VIcky Pollard in Little Britain, Ned (Scottish), Scally (Liverpudlian), Scuffer (West Oxfordshire), Barry Boy (East Anglia), Yob (or yobbo backslang for "boy") and Scrote. The popularity of these terms has grown since the 1980s, and their usage reflects both serious and light-hearted issues arising from changes in British urban life.

The more affluent side of society is not free from the chavs' influence; the trashy youngsters of the, perhaps, upper class are known as Ultras (Ultra-chavs). Prince William has recently been cited, due to his penchant for baseball caps and sportswear. David and Victoria Beckham are particular chav role models.

The act of adding superfluous and cosmetic modifications to something is known as chavving up, and is particularly relevant if the modifications actually decrease performance. Sometimes this has been used - sometimes derogatively but usually as a joke - of the case modding scene.

See also

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