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Chav

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Look up chav or charva in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Chav is a slang term in the United Kingdom which appeared in mainstream dictionaries in 2005[1][2] .

The term “chav” refers to a subcultural stereotype of people fixated on fashions such as flashy “bling” jewellery (generally gold) along with designer clothing in the Burberry pattern (most famously a now-discontinued baseball cap) and from a variety of other casual and sportswear brands. Musically, chavs tend to like rap, dance, happy hardcore and RnB. Response to the term has ranged from amusement to criticism that it is a new manifestation of classism.

Etymology

There are a large number of synonyms and regional variations of “chav,” including “scally,” “townie,” “ned,” “Mallie,” and “charva.”[3] It has been suggested that “charva” (or “charv”) predates “chav” as a dialect word in North East England (where the term would be used in referring to an unruly young mine-worker) and Edinburgh, Scotland, and that “chav” may be a derivative term. Both words at least appear to share the same possible etymology in the Romani word “chavi”[4].

The Cockney term “chavvy” for a baby or toddler has been in use for decades and almost certainly derives from “chavi.” In some regions, chavs are referred to as “Burbs,” given their association with Burberry clothing. The term “ned” is the widely accepted term commonly used throughout Scotland to describe a “chav” and is sometimes explained as an acronym of “non-educated delinquent.” The use of the word “chav” can also be traced to the town of Chatham, Medway in Kent, where the word has been in use for several generations to describe a person on the dole. To be “on the dole” was to be “on the chav.” It was a local joke that people from Chatham dressed a certain way and were frequently on the dole, which led to the term “Chatham Chav.”

Many folk etymologies have sprung up to explain the origins of the word. These include backronyms such as “Council Housed And Violent”[5] and “Council House Associated Vermin.” Another common citation derives from school slang that pupils at Cheltenham Ladies College and Cheltenham College supposedly used to describe the younger men of the town – “Cheltenham Average” or “Ch-av”[6]. That article claims that few were aware of this connection in either the school or the town. However some locals would dispute that, claiming that the word was in widespread use long before it was popularised by the media.

The word “chav” was in common usage in and around the town of Faversham in Kent from at least the early 1980s. It was a noun used to describe young local males of working/under class origin. Amongst this group “chav” was also employed as a form of address, more or less synonomous with “mate” in modern Estuary English dialect. The girls were sometimes called “chavettes,” though this was a much rarer usage and employed, albeit pejoratively, in jest. Indeed, the use of the word “chav” was so prevalent at that time that the town became known in certain circles as “Chaversham.” In the early part of the 20th Century the term “young shaver” was often used to describe a young man. It has been argued that “chav” evolved via “shaver.” However, it seems more likely to come from the Romani word “chavo” meaning boy.

In modern Spanish “chaval” means “lad.” [2]

Derived Words

  • Chavtastic: Related to chavs
  • Chavmobile (or "chavrolet"): A car which has been pointlessly modified with only cosmetic issues in mind
  • Chavette: Female chav

Usage

“Check out those chavs on the streetcorner there.”

“That chavmobile is chavtastic.”

Elements of the stereotype

A caricature of a stereotypical chav

The essential credentials of being a chav is of someone conspicuously “common” as defined mostly by taste rather than actual social class. Elements/symptoms of the stereotypical chav are someone who:

  • Wears particular clothing, such as:
    • brand-name athletic clothing and shoes. Stereotypically, this might include white trainers and tracksuits.
    • designer clothing and accessories (usually counterfeit), in particular the distinctive tartan of Burberry
    • bling or fake gold jewellery — in particular conspicuous earrings and trinkets on chains for women, and gold sovereign rings for men.
    • sports caps or burberry caps and hoodies (for males). Often both are worn at once, with the hood pulled up over the baseball cap.
    • sports or jogging trousers, especially white. These may be worn tucked into sport socks, but more commonly they are worn with one trouser leg pulled slightly above the ankle. These trousers are also referred to as “tracky Bs,” “trackies” or “tracky bottoms,” worn falling down.
  • If female, wears thickly applied make-up and large hoop earrings; makes heavy use of fake tan; and has a hairstyle in which the hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail (called a “Croydon facelift”[7] or “council-house facelift”).
  • Owns a modified car, usually with a basic original specification, but decorated in a gaudy style. The Vauxhall Nova is one of the many small hatchbacks associated with this group.[8] It is therefore associated with Max Power magazine.
  • Aspires to the latest mobile phone and other mobile gadgetry. Typically these include the Motorola RAZR series phone (particularly in the pink colour) and iPod Shuffle music player.[9]

A charva is someone from the “unworking class” – living off benefits and not actively seeking work. It is also often used to specifically refer to the children of such people and not the parents themselves. Typically, a charva is someone who:

Criticism of the stereotype

The widespread use of the chav stereotype has come under criticism; many argue that it amounts simply to classism, and that 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,”[12] and that its increasing popularity raises questions about how British society deals with social mobility and class.[13] 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.[14] 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. They also scaled back the use of their patented chequered/tartan design to such an extent that it now only appears on the inner linings and other very low key positions of their clothing.[15][16] 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.”[17] 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.[18]

Additionally, the fall in the sale of thongs has been attributed partially to their association with female “chavs”[19].

In 2005, Bluewater Shopping Centre banned hooded tops from anywhere in their complex.[20] Pubs in Leicester announced that they would ban young people wearing certain fashion brands due to an association between these brands and football hooliganism.[21]

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.”[22]

Media characterisation

The “chav culture” has been portrayed extensively in British media:

  • The character Vicky Pollard, as portrayed by Matt Lucas in the BBC comedy series “Little Britain”, is perhaps the most iconic charva caricature. She is often seen in a pink Kappa tracksuit, and describes — at an almost incoherently fast pace — her activities of under-age drinking and sex (leading to her having several children), mindless gossip, petty crimes and playing truant. She also has no respect for any form of authority. Matt Lucas himself has admitted that the character was based on the youths he saw in Bristol when he was a student[23].
  • The BBC Three sketch show “Tittybangbang” also features three “chavette” characters called Colleen, Melanie and Natalie, who all speak in thick Jamaican “Yardie” dialects, even though all three of them are white.
  • Other portrayals include that of the notorious “Devvo” on the popular website Fat-Pie and E4. Devvo epitomizes the behaviour of a typical charva, with his violent behaviour and constant swearing. Such comical attributes as his driving ban without having ever held a licence and his begging for money whilst denouncing Third World charity hold similar pretexts in reality with regard to “chavvish” lifestyle. Occasionally thought to be genuine, Devvo actually is played by Crust, a friend of David Firth (the owner of Fat-Pie), and he lends his voice to several of the flash animations on the site.
  • The British magazine Viz includes a character called Tasha Slappa, an exaggerated teenage female charva. The strip has satirised charva culture since its inception in the 1990s. (The character was originally called “Kappa Slappa” until the Kappa company filed a lawsuit against “Viz”. The term “Kappa Slappa” was used in the North East prior to its adoption by “Viz” to describe a female charva. “Slapper” itself is an older British slang term for a sexually promiscuous female.)
  • Lottery millionaire Michael Carroll is the self-proclaimed “King of the Chavs” due to his lifestyle and antics. He is frequently derided in the tabloid press for his anti-social behaviour, and is often referred to as the “Lotto Lout” in the British media.
  • The Welsh rap group, Goldie Lookin' Chain, have been described as both embodying and satirising the chav aesthetic, though the group themselves deny any such agenda[24].
  • British magazine Tatler ran a story with the tagline “Prince Harry and his chavistocracy” at the apex of Harry's party antics.
  • Indie/Brit Pop band Arctic Monkeys' song “A Certain Romance” describes the aesthetic of “chav” with the lyrics “although they might wear classic Reeboks / or knackered Converse / or tracky bottoms tucked in socks.”
  • British band The Libertines have also expressed their distaste of chavs. Their song “Time for Heroes” includes the observation, “There are fewer more distressing sights than that of an English man in a baseball cap.”

See also

Social categorisation

UK subcultures

Similar stereotypes from outside the UK

Rest of Europe
North America
Caribbean and Latin America
Other

References

  1. ^ "'Asbo' and 'chav' make dictionary". BBC News. 2005-06-08. Retrieved 2006-09-02.
  2. ^ Tweedie, Neil (2005-08-10). "Don't be a plank. Read this and get really clueful". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2006-09-02.
  3. ^ "Word of the Month". Oxford Teachers' Club. Retrieved 2006-01-19.
  4. ^ Quinion, Michael. "World Wide Words".
  5. ^ Anoop Nayak and Steve Drayton. "To charv or not to charver - that is the question". Inside Out - North East. BBC. Retrieved 2006-01-19. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Tweedie, Neil (2004-12-13). "Cheltenham ladies and the chavs". Daily Telegraph. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "The true hair to the chav throne?". Croydon Guardian. 2005-01-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ a b c Barton, Laura (2004-10-02). "This week". The Guardian. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Shuffle takes Chav gadget award". Tech Digest. 2005-12-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  10. ^ Ward, David (2004-10-19). "Get hip to chav as this year's wizard word". The Guardian. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Alexander, Hilary (2005-01-01). "Burberry boss is happy with the chav cheques". The Daily Telegraph. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Bennett, Oliver (2004-01-28). "Sneer nation". The Independent. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ a b Smith, Alison (2005-06-14). "Media student 'expert on chavs'". BBC News. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Burchill, Julie (2005-02-18). "Yeah but, no but, why I'm proud to be a chav". The Times. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "The £16m woman takes on Burberry". The Times.
  16. ^ "Check out the height of ferret fashion. Burberry has". The Telegraph.
  17. ^ King, Ian (2005-01-12). "Burberry not chavin' it". The Sun. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ Kwintner, Adrian (13 September 2006). [[1] ""Burberry drives tuk-tuk off road""]. Brighton & Hove Argus. Retrieved 18 September 2006. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  19. ^ "The fall of the thong". 7days. 2005-08-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Mall bans shoppers' hooded tops". BBC NEWS.
  21. ^ "Pub-goers facing 'Burberry' ban". BBC news.
  22. ^ "ASDA tries to trade mark "chav"". AOL NEWS.
  23. ^ DooYoo DVD review. URL accessed 2006-03-26
  24. ^ "Goldie Lookin' Chain: Chain reaction". The Independent. 2004-08-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ Wheeler, Brian (2005-06-30). "Leave chavs alone, say MPs". BBC News. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ Patrick, Guy (2005). "Chav a merry Xmas, Roo". The Sun.
  27. ^ Davis, Johnny (2006-04-15). "Lady Sovereign : The country's fourth biggest chav". The Independent. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ Byrnes, Sholto (2005-09-11). "Say cheese! Camilla and the Queen of Chav enjoy two right royal". The Independent. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ McVeigh, Karen (2004-10-19). "Doff your caps to the chavs ...they're THE word of 2004". The Scotsman. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Further reading

  • Keith Hayward and Majid Yar (2006). "The "chav" phenomenon: Consumption, media and the construction of a new underclass". Crime, Media, Culture. 2 (1): 9–28. doi:10.1177/1741659006061708.

Articles

Other

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