Guys in a strange style: Subcultural masculinity of Soviet Stiliagi

Abstract

This article examines the subcultural Soviet movement Stiliagi from its appearance in 1948 to the early 1960s. The movement created countercultural fashion styles for men for the first time since the Communist Revolution in 1917. I argue that the movement and the lifestyle that were associated with it contributed to a change in the representation of masculinity in the Soviet Union by introducing a type of urban man interested in fashion and contemporary music. Stiliagi is represented in literary works and memoirs, along with the satirical press of the time. This study uses these sources along with personal interviews conducted by the author to show the full range of the movement. Using Connell’s notion of hegemonic masculinity, I look at Stiliagi as a type of alternative masculinity and argue that the fashion style and adherence to the movement were used strategically to navigate the dangerous landscape of Soviet ideological reality.