The most common urban tribes of Colombia include metalheads, punketos, rappers, skinheads, rudos, hipsters, among others.
Some of these tribes are seen less frequently, while there are others whose popularity is increasing according to technological trends and fashions of the moment.
The term" Urban Tribe "Was first coined by the French sociologist Michel Maffesoli in 1988 as a way of defining those small groups of young people living in cities and sharing common interests (Dictionary, 2007). These interests are usually different from the rest of the individuals in society.
In Colombia , these urban groups are composed mainly of adolescents or young people who share common habits and tastes.
They are different from the rest of social groups thanks to their striking clothes that, according to some fashion or new trends in the country.
Some urban tribes in Colombia tend to disappear by losing their followers. while others remain intact for generations and remain valid over time.
In Colombia, Europe and other parts of the world, urban tribes are born of the need of young people to express their ideologies.
Belonging to an urban tribe is a way to get away from what is considered common. Generally, normal young people who belong to these tribes are not attractive to them.
The 10 most important urban tribes in Colombia
1 - Metaleros
The tribe of the metalheads in Colombia it is composed mostly of middle and upper-class youth.
Its ideology is characterized by being atheistic, rebellious and with a high value by diverse ecological principles. Consequently, for an individual to be accepted into this tribe must be an atheist. On the other hand, it must seek the care and conservation of the environment.
The term"metalero"derives from the musical genre they hear most often: metal. Therefore, it is common to see them gathered in bars and concerts where this musical genre is exposed.
2 - Rappers
Rappers are an urban tribe characterized by rap and hip-hop music. This tribe was born in New York in the 70's and eventually expanded. Today we can find rappers all over the world.
Being a movement born in the poorest neighborhoods of the big cities, its ideology is focused on spreading a social message, which criticizes the injustices of the system (Urban, 2017).
For this reason, many rappers are considered social chroniclers, since through their music are recorded events of social importance.
In Colombia, rappers can be identified by wearing wide sweatshirts, oversized t-shirts (from North American sports teams) and striking tennis from well-known brands. Usually, they are responsible for carrying out street graffiti in the cities.
This urban tribe has been one of the few that over time has remained in force in Colombia, gaining more and more supporters.
3 - Punketos
As the name implies, the punks in Colombia are an urban tribe that shares a common taste for punk music.
Its origin goes back to the 80's and its aesthetics can be seen clearly represented in Colombian films such as Rodrigo D no future (1991) or Los nadie (2016).
His style is characterized by being sloppy and even careless. They usually wear black clothes and sometimes leather pants or torn jeans.
Ideologically they defend anarchism as an ideology that promotes individual development and the disappearance of the state.
4 - Rudos
Rude boys are a group of young people who share a common taste for ska and reggae music.
Its ideological principles include rejection by the capitalism and the oligarchy (Álvarez & Guzman, 2013). They are also advocates of equality and the union of races. They are anti-bulls and defend the rights of animals.
In Colombia the rudos are defined as the nonconformists, those who reject consumerism and institutions. For this reason, they are attributed multiple vandalism and even violent acts against other social groups.
5 - Skinheads
The skinheads are an urban tribe made up of young people who are known mainly for wearing their heads shaved, wearing military clothes and for their taste for punk and oi music.
They are a group strongly associated with neo-Nazi movements, since they share a similar ideology of cleansing the species (Urbanas, Tribos Urbanas, 2017). In that sense, they are an urban tribe with ideas opposed to the punketos.
They can be homophobic, racist and fascist. However, there are groups of peaceful skin heads that do not exhibit any kind of violent behavior.
In Colombia they are recognized for consuming large amounts of beer, walking in large groups, worshiping neo-Nazi icons and always ready to start a fight against another group.
6 - Hipsters
Hipsters are an urban tribe that can be found all over the world. They have a vintage style, made up of tight jeanes, T-shirts with colorful prints and flashy accessories with a retro style.
They have as ideology to defend the nature and care for the environment . For this reason, they often promote environmental causes, consume organic and local products, and their main means of transportation is the bicycle.
Hipsters are referred to as educated people who reject consumerism.
7 - Muppies
The term"muppies"was coined for the first time by the American writer Michelle Miller, as a way to group the terms millennials and hippies.
In Colombia, muppies are an urban tribe that follows trends and dresses in branded clothing. They have an informal style, far from the label and the preserves. They usually wear trendy Jeans, casual and casual style gifts.
Muppies use various accessories to decorate their mobile devices. Among its ideology is the responsible consumption of resources, the defense of nature and the pursuit of happiness.
In this sense, muppies prefer to have jobs they love regardless of pay.
8 - Emos
The urban tribe of the we had a great boom in Colombia about 10 years ago. However, over time it was losing adherents until it was extinguished (Holguín, 2015).
The members of this tribe took elements of the aesthetic punk and gothic . His dress consists of tight black jeans, with low waist. They wore striped shirts and colored laces on their shoes.
The most distinctive element of the Emos was his hair, dropping a lace bangs abundant over one eye. In general, they were considered as a fashion rather than a culture.
9 - Skaters
The skaters in Colombia are a tribe made up of young people who love extreme sports, especially skateboarding. However, today is called skater to the young people who also practice BMX.
They usually dress comfortably, with piped pants, wide T-shirts and flat-soled tennis shoes (to ensure proper grip on the table surface).
They are recognized for wearing long, scruffy hair. They do not carry many accessories and usually wear hooded sweaters and T-shirts with brand logos.
10 - Geeks
The geeks in Colombia are characterized by being a group of young people who share the unbridled taste for video games, table games, flashy costumes, and certain movies, comics and television characters.
They are defined by adoring everything that comes from series and films of science fiction.
References
- Álvarez, A., & Guzman, N. (May 7, 2013). Urban Tribes in Bogota . Obtained from Rudos: tribusurbanasbogot.blogspot.com
- Dictionary, U. (October 12, 2007). Urban Dictionary . Retrieved from"Urban Tribe: urbandictionary.com"
- Holguín, C.A. (May 18, 2015). The Colombian . Obtained from urban tribes that went out of style in Colombia: elcolombiano.com
- Urban, T. (2017). Urban tribes . Obtained from Rapper / Hip - Hop Culture: todas-las-tribus-urbanas.blogspot.com
- Urban, T. (2017). Urban tribes . Retrieved from"Skin Heads / Culture skin": todos-las-tribus-urbanas.blogspot.com.