high price, and the ability to afford it: real training shoes were bought in real sports
shops with their higher associated symbolic value. We can also see Ollie’s recognition of
the transient nature of fashion.
|
JS: |
Why are Gola so bad then? |
|
Leanne: |
‘Cos they’re just a terrible make...there’s no fashion in [them] |
|
Ollie: |
That’s the sort of thing you’d buy off a market, Gola/ |
|
Leanne: |
Yeah, I know, they’re so out of fashion |
|
Ollie: |
[...] You wouldn’t get a pair of Gola in ‘Compton’s Sports’ |
|
Leanne: |
They’re too terrible |
|
JS: |
What are the best ones then? |
|
Leanne: |
Erm, Reeboks, they’ve got classic/ |
|
Ollie: |
Reebok, Adidas, Puma |
|
JS: |
Is that just ‘cos of the name, or it is because they/ |
|
Ollie: |
The style |
|
Leanne: |
Yeah |
|
Ollie: |
The fashion. It’s just fashion at the moment ain’t they? It’s just |
|
JS: |
All part of the look? |
|
Ollie: |
Yeah |
It was ‘the look’, style, and expense of clothing that seemed to come before
considerations of practicability and/or comfort. Those who did not conform to the right
‘look’ at Westmoor Abbey were categorised as ‘other’, and this could lead to rejection
and/or peer-group ostracism. It was the whole look, the whole package, that was
required, and put simply, there was a cultural need to conform and perform to the
masculine boundaries in play. This was policed by the boys from the dominant groups: if
a Year 6 boy wore anything associated with the regulation school uniform, apart from the
sweat shirt, they would often be called either ‘boff’ or ‘gay’, and they were used on an
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