Chav


Chav or Charv/Charver even Chavster (male) and Chavette (female) ('ch' pronounced as in chair) is a mainly derogatory slang term in the United Kingdom for a subcultural stereotype fixated on fashions derived from American 'Hip-Hop' (African-American) and 'Guido' (Italian-American) fashions and stereotypes such as gold jewellery and 'designer' clothing combined with elements of working class British street fashion. They are generally considered to have no respect for society, and be ignorant or unintelligent. The term appeared in mainstream dictionaries in 2005.[1][2]

The defining features of the stereotype include clothing in the Burberry pattern (notably a now-discontinued baseball cap) and from a variety of other casual and sportswear brands. Tracksuits, hoodies, sweatpants and baseball caps are particularly associated with this stereotype. Response to the term has ranged from amusement to criticism that it is a new manifestation of classism. [3] The term has also been associated with 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.[4] Related words derived from the same source include "charva" (used in northern England in a similar sense) and perhaps the obsolescent "young shaver" (meaning a boy). In modern Spanish "chaval" means "lad".[5]

There are a large number of synonyms and regional variations of "chav", including "scally", "townie", "pikey" "ned", "kev", "sket", "yarco", "dobber", "Mallie",[6] "Meader".[7]

Many folk etymologies have sprung up around the word. These include backronyms such as "Council housed And Violent"[8] and "Council House Associated Vermin" and "Cheap And Vulgar". 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").[9] It is similarly thought to refer to Chatham Average.

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"[10] in 2004.[11] 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.

Elements of the stereotype

Elements/symptoms of the stereotypical chav are someone who:

Criticism of the stereotype

The widespread use of the chav stereotype has come under criticism; some argue that it amounts simply to snobbery and classism,[24] 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,”[25] and that its increasing popularity raises questions about how British society deals with social mobility and class.[26] 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.[27] The writer John Harris argued along similar lines in a 2007 article in The Guardian. [28]

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

The Burberry clothing brand, which quickly became synonymous with the chav subculture, ceased production of its branded baseball cap in 2004, in an attempt to distance itself from the stereotype. It also scaled back the use of its patented 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.[29][30]

The company 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.”[31]

In August 2006 a company introducing tuktuk vehicles into the south coast resort of Brighton, England named one of the vehicles the “Chavrolet” and 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.[32]

Additionally, the fall in the sale of thongs has been attributed partially to their association with female chavs.[33]

In 2005, Bluewater Shopping Centre banned hooded tops from anywhere in their complex.[34] Pubs in Leicester announced that they would ban young people wearing certain fashion brands due to an association between these brands and football hooliganism.[35]

The large supermarket chain ASDA has attempted to trademark the word “chav” for a new line of confectionery. ASDA spokeswoman Rebecca Liburd 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.”[36]

Media characterisation

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

See also

Social categorisation

Similar stereotypes from outside the UK

Rest of Europe

United States and Canada

The Pacific

Asia

Further reading

External links

Articles

Other

Citations