Teddy Boy Terror The British Subculture That Invented Teen Angst

The manic exploits of the Teddy Boys made the whole of Britain fear teens through the ’50s.

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1 of 26Teddy Boys seen here at the Thirteen Canteen, Elephant and Castle, London, 1955.Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images 2 of 26Youths in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, 1959.Terry Fincher/Mirrorpix/Getty Images 3 of 26A group of Teddy Boys enjoy an evening out at the Mecca Dance Hall in Tottenham, London, 1954. Picture Post /Hulton Archive/Getty Images 4 of 26Two Teddy boys in typical fashion, one with striped waistcoat and the other with a velvet collared jacket. Juliette Lasserre /Getty Images 5 of 26Teddy Boys and girls at London Airport (Heathrow) to greet rock and roll singer Bill Haley.George Stroud/Getty Images 6 of 26Dapper looking Ted, 1955. Haywood Magee/Picture Post/Getty Images 7 of 26A group of young Teddy boys smoking cigarettes, 1954. Joseph McKeown/Picture Post/Getty Images 8 of 26A young Teddy Boy takes a moment out from the Mecca Dance Hall in Tottenham, London, to show off his suit, 1954. Joseph McKeown/Getty Images 9 of 26Rock and roll star Gene Vincent, 1960. Dieter Radtke - K&K/Redferns 10 of 26The Beatles display their early Teddy Boy style.Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images 11 of 26A Teddy Boy wearing a typically smart jacket and quiff giving his train ticket to a ticket collector at the station, 1955.Hulton Archive/Getty Images 12 of 26Tony Reuter, leader of the Elephant Boys gang, seen here having a pint, 1955. WATFORD/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images 13 of 26A young pre-Beatles Ringo Starr sports a quiff, 1959.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 14 of 26Portrait of some London Teddy Boys, 1954.Bettmann/Getty Images 15 of 26Paul McCartney in a stylish hat and suit, 1963.Fiona Adams/Redferns/Getty Images 16 of 26Youths modelling the latest fashion: Edwardian suits, 1955. Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images 17 of 26A youth is arrested in the streets of Copenhagen after a rock-n-roll concert which gathered 4,000 young people, 1956. Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images 18 of 26A Teddy Boy jiving at a jazz and hot gospel concert in Leeds town hall, 1955. Carl Sutton/Picture Post/Getty Images 19 of 26Teddy Boys at a rock-n-roll concert at Wembley Stadium, 1960.PA Images via Getty Images 20 of 26A Teddy Boy revivalist and his girlfriend going to a rock and roll festival at Wembley, London, 1972. Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 21 of 26Young Teds on the dance floor, April 13, 1976. Evening Standard/Getty Images 22 of 26Audience members get into the spirit of the London rock-n-roll Revival at Wembley Stadium, 1972. Anwar Hussein/Getty Images 23 of 26Two rockabilly fans wearing retro Teddy Boy fashions and with prominent quiff hairstyles, London, 1980s. Virginia Turbett/Redferns 24 of 26Teddy Boys at the Adam & Eve pub, London, 1976. PYMCA/UIG via Getty Images 25 of 26Dressed for the occasion, these friends managed to secure their tickets for the ‘Bill Haley and the Comets’ concert at Bedworth Civic Hall, Feb. 4, 1974. Staff/Mirrorpix/Getty Images 26 of 26Like this gallery?Share it:

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25 Rocking Images Of 1950s Britain’s ‘Feral Youth’, The Teddy Boys View Gallery

In 1953, a sweeping trend in fashion took over Britain’s teen boys. It was an adaptation of Edwardian romanticism; tailored velvet blazers and button-down shirts coupled with drainpipe jeans or trousers, skinny ties, and chunky leather shoes. Top off the outfit with a quiffed up hairdo, and you have the look of a classic Teddy Boy.

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1 of 26Teddy Boys seen here at the Thirteen Canteen, Elephant and Castle, London, 1955.Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images

2 of 26Youths in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, 1959.Terry Fincher/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

3 of 26A group of Teddy Boys enjoy an evening out at the Mecca Dance Hall in Tottenham, London, 1954. Picture Post /Hulton Archive/Getty Images

4 of 26Two Teddy boys in typical fashion, one with striped waistcoat and the other with a velvet collared jacket. Juliette Lasserre /Getty Images

5 of 26Teddy Boys and girls at London Airport (Heathrow) to greet rock and roll singer Bill Haley.George Stroud/Getty Images

6 of 26Dapper looking Ted, 1955. Haywood Magee/Picture Post/Getty Images

7 of 26A group of young Teddy boys smoking cigarettes, 1954. Joseph McKeown/Picture Post/Getty Images

8 of 26A young Teddy Boy takes a moment out from the Mecca Dance Hall in Tottenham, London, to show off his suit, 1954. Joseph McKeown/Getty Images

9 of 26Rock and roll star Gene Vincent, 1960. Dieter Radtke - K&K/Redferns

10 of 26The Beatles display their early Teddy Boy style.Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images

11 of 26A Teddy Boy wearing a typically smart jacket and quiff giving his train ticket to a ticket collector at the station, 1955.Hulton Archive/Getty Images

12 of 26Tony Reuter, leader of the Elephant Boys gang, seen here having a pint, 1955. WATFORD/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images

13 of 26A young pre-Beatles Ringo Starr sports a quiff, 1959.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

14 of 26Portrait of some London Teddy Boys, 1954.Bettmann/Getty Images

15 of 26Paul McCartney in a stylish hat and suit, 1963.Fiona Adams/Redferns/Getty Images

16 of 26Youths modelling the latest fashion: Edwardian suits, 1955. Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images

17 of 26A youth is arrested in the streets of Copenhagen after a rock-n-roll concert which gathered 4,000 young people, 1956. Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

18 of 26A Teddy Boy jiving at a jazz and hot gospel concert in Leeds town hall, 1955. Carl Sutton/Picture Post/Getty Images

19 of 26Teddy Boys at a rock-n-roll concert at Wembley Stadium, 1960.PA Images via Getty Images

20 of 26A Teddy Boy revivalist and his girlfriend going to a rock and roll festival at Wembley, London, 1972. Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

21 of 26Young Teds on the dance floor, April 13, 1976. Evening Standard/Getty Images

22 of 26Audience members get into the spirit of the London rock-n-roll Revival at Wembley Stadium, 1972. Anwar Hussein/Getty Images

23 of 26Two rockabilly fans wearing retro Teddy Boy fashions and with prominent quiff hairstyles, London, 1980s. Virginia Turbett/Redferns

24 of 26Teddy Boys at the Adam & Eve pub, London, 1976. PYMCA/UIG via Getty Images

25 of 26Dressed for the occasion, these friends managed to secure their tickets for the ‘Bill Haley and the Comets’ concert at Bedworth Civic Hall, Feb. 4, 1974. Staff/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

26 of 26Like this gallery?Share it:

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25 Rocking Images Of 1950s Britain’s ‘Feral Youth’, The Teddy Boys View Gallery

25 Rocking Images Of 1950s Britain’s ‘Feral Youth’, The Teddy Boys

View Gallery

However, the Teddy Boy was much more than just a fashion statement — it was an entire British subculture. Born from post-war gloom in the early 1950s, Teddy Boys (Teds, as they preferred to be called) were Britain’s original teen subculture. All others; mods, rockers, and punks, can be traced back to this phenomenon. Indeed, even the Beatles have the Teddy Boy fad to thank for their signature styles.

Origins Of The Teddy Boy

The tabloid newspaper Daily Express coined the term “Teddy Boy” in 1954 by shortening Edwardian to Teddy. These fashion-forward working-class teens had their roots firmly secured in music and dancing. Their style was closely identified with their youth and Teddy Boys built their culture around Jazz and skiffle music. However, when early rock-n-roll entered America’s scene with the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Elvis, and Buddy Holly, the Teds found their true sound.

In fact, when MGM released the controversial film Blackboard Jungle featuring rebellious youth and its rock-n-roll soundtrack, Teddy Boys threw chairs and danced in the aisles. Bill Haley’s film Rock Around The Clock took Britain by storm next in 1956 and over-exuberant Teds slashed theater seats, lit fireworks, and threw bottles.

The frightening scenes of police battling the rioting kids caused Britain to fear the fad. Subsequently, this ignited a moral panic centered around the so-called “feral youth.” Indeed, some who identified as Teddy Boys routinely incited violence. This likely caused dismay for the innocents who just wanted to look cool and dance.

Hooligans And Criminals

The Edwardian Teddy BoyA typical report of Teddy Boy mischief in The Evening Standard.

Certainly, one of the goals of the Teddy Boys was to put a hardcore edge on the Edwardian style, but they also wanted to glorify the style found in early American gangster movies. As much as rock-n-roll was considered a bad influence on teens, imitating the look of mobsters was more in line with their behaviors. Some formed gangs and fought rivals in violent showdowns.

“You weren’t here when the Teddy Boys arrived on the scene in the Fifties,” a friend of Rolling Stone writer Jerry Hopkins said. “London doesn’t remember them with any fondness… Those crepe-soled shoes they wear, they had razor blades sunk in the toes. No, London doesn’t remember the Teds with any fondness.”

Historically, some Teddy Boys also held racist views and even attacked immigrants — most notably in the Notting Hill riots of 1958. They displayed hostility towards black families which was inflamed by far-right groups such as the White Defence League. The racial unrest and violent acts peaked that summer as judges handed down harsh sentences for these riotous Teds.

The Look

Teddy Boy fashion was often bespoke and quite pricey, but the upper-class teens who popularized it had disposable income. Wardrobe staples included mostly dark-colored drape jackets; reminiscent of American zoot suits from the 1940s like those worn by the Cotton Club’s Cab Calloway. Velvet trim adorned high collars and pocket flaps and narrow or western bolo ties completed the upper wardrobe.

High-waisted trousers often exposed socks, and footwear consisted of polished Oxfords or chunky suede leather shoes called “creepers”. Hairstyles included a greased back-and-up look with a quiff at the front and the side — molded to form something resembling a duck’s behind from the men’s hairstyling product, Brylcreem. Another popular hairdo was the “Boston”; greased straight back and cut straight across the nape of the neck.

Where there are Teddy Boys there are also Teddy Girls. Their style also included tailored jackets and they coupled them with pencil skirts, (later, American poodle skirts) rolled-up jeans, and flat shoes or espadrilles. Finishing touches could be straw boater hats or elegant clutch bags.

The Teddy Boy Fashion Influence On The Beatles

The Edwardian Teddy BoyA group of Teddy Boys and girls lounging outside in London, 1954.

At the time, most members of the soon-to-be Beatles dabbled in the fashionable style of the Teds. John Lennon once said he “was always torn between looking like Elvis and James Dean and looking like an artist.”

Original Beatles bassist Stuart Sutcliffe embraced the culture’s style and likely influenced the rest of the band to as well.

It was in 1961 that John Lennon and Paul McCartney visited friends in France and saw their hair combed flat over their foreheads. They decided to grow their hairstyle into the same mop-top style. Hence, the Beatle-cut was born.

Even if the Beatles adopted some of the Ted style, the fondness didn’t go both ways. By the time the Beatles were making radio waves, the Teddy Boy subculture of the 1950s was no more. Not that they would have appreciated it. Longtime Ted and revivalist William Jeffrey Jr. said, “We bloody loathed the Beatles. They absolutely murdered all the originals—Carl Perkins’ ‘Matchbox,’ ‘Long Tall Sally,’ the rest. We remembered how much better the originals were.”

Ted’s Dead

As the original 1950s rock musicians faded away or died, so did the Teds.

“By the end of the decade, it was all over. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper had gone down in flames in 1959 … in 1960 Eddie Cochran wrapped his car around a roadside marker … Elvis was in the Army, turning into the boy-next-door,” Hopkins wrote.

Perhaps the most lasting legacy of the Teddy Boys is becoming the predecessor for so many other British subcultures. What’s now known as “Rockabilly” style is still extremely popular — as far as the fashions and music are concerned — and is born right out of Teddy Boy fashion.

Photographer Chris Steele-Perkins has spent extensive time photographing Teddy Boy rock revivalists, especially in the 1970s. He said:

After learning about the Teddy Boy subculture, read about the post-war British Mod subculture, and then find out how gangster Frank Rosenthal made millions for the mob in Vegas and inspired a blockbuster film.

The manic exploits of the Teddy Boys made the whole of Britain fear teens through the ’50s.#

Origins Of The Teddy Boy#

Hooligans And Criminals#

The Look#

The Teddy Boy Fashion Influence On The Beatles#

Ted’s Dead#

The manic exploits of the Teddy Boys made the whole of Britain fear teens through the ’50s.

Origins Of The Teddy Boy

Hooligans And Criminals

The Look

The Teddy Boy Fashion Influence On The Beatles

Ted’s Dead