chav

 

Chav, Charv/Charver (male) and Chavette (female) ('ch' pronounced as in chair) are mainly derogatory slang terms in the United Kingdom for a subcultural stereotype fixated on fashions derived from American hip hop such as imitation gold poorly made jewellery and fake designer clothing, combined with elements of working class British street fashion. The term appeared in mainstream dictionaries in 2005.^[1][2] in scotland they are called neds

There are regional variations; in the north east of England (particularly in Newcastle and Gateshead), the variant charv or charver/charva is most commonly used and has been used since the early 1990s, while in the south east chav and chavette are the usual forms. What is unusual is that the vowel in charver is ɑ (as in 'far') and the mainstream UK equivalent uses the a (as in 'cat') vowel in chav which goes against the usual North-South (a/ɑ) vowel distinction.^[3]

The defining features of the chav clothing is the Burberry pattern (notably a now-discontinued baseball cap) and from a variety of other casual and sportswear brands. Tracksuits, hoodies, track suit bottoms and baseball caps are particularly associated with this stereotype. Response to the term has ranged from amusement to criticism that it is a new manifestation of classism.^[4] The term has also been associated with juvenile delinquency, the "ASBO Generation", "Hoodie culture", and "yob culture".

Etymology

The accepted etymology for "chav" is that it derives from the Romani word "chavi", meaning a child.^[5] Related words derived from the same source include "charva" meaning prostitute (used in north-east England in a similar sense). In modern Spanish "chaval" or "chavo" means "lad" (eg: El Chavo, a Mexican television comedy whose principal character is a street orphan).^[6]

Many folk etymologies have sprung up around the word. These include backronyms such as "Council Housed And Violent"^[7]. It has also been suggested that pupils at Cheltenham Ladies' College and Cheltenham College used the word to describe the younger men of the town ("Cheltenham Average").^[8] It is similarly thought to refer to Chatham Average.

The derivative "chavwagon" or "chavmobile"^{[citation needed]} seems also to be emerging as slang for both a Stretch limousine when hired for events by groups of chavs, and for small hatchback cars which have undergone extensive customisation.

Popularisation in the media

From its origins as a slang term, use of the word spread so rapidly that by 2004 it had become a hugely popular word in national newspapers and common parlance in the UK. Susie Dent's Larpers and Shroomers: The Language Report, published by the Oxford University Press, designated it as the "word of the year"^[9] in 2004.^[10] A survey in 2005 found that in December 2004 alone 114 British newspaper articles used the word. The popularity of the word has led to the creation of sites devoted to cataloguing and mocking the "chav" lifestyle.

The "chav culture" has been portrayed extensively in British media:

• 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 tabloid 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, simply making a mockery of the subject.^[11] The British car tuning magazine Max Power once had a beige Mk3 Vauxhall Cavalier stickered to make it look like the Burberry check, named it the "Chavalier" and gave it to the band.

• Footballer Wayne Rooney^[12] and girlfriend Coleen McLoughlin,^[13] rapper Lady Sovereign,^[14] glamour model Jordan^[15], actress Danniella Westbrook,^[16] and former Big Brother contestant Jade Goody^[17] have also been labelled "chavs" by British tabloids.

• In the Doctor Who episode “New Earth,” Rose Tyler is described as a “chav” and “chavtastic” by Lady Cassandra.

• The popular character Lauren Cooper and her friends Lisa and Ryan from the BBC's comedy series The Catherine Tate Show exhibit clear Chav style clothing, behaviour, mannerisms and musical interests, along with surly attitudes. Fellow sketch comedy series Little Britain features a character with some similarities, Vicky Pollard.

Criticism of the stereotype

The widespread use of the chav stereotype has come under criticism; some argue that it amounts simply to snobbery and classism,^[4] and that serious 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,”^[18] and that its increasing popularity raises questions about how British society deals with social mobility and class.^[16] 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.^[19] The writer John Harris argued along similar lines in a 2007 article in The Guardian.^[20]

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. It also scaled back the use of its trademarked checkered/tartan design to such an extent that it now only appears on the inner linings and other very low-key positions of their clothing.^[21][22]

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.”^[23]

In August 2006 a company introducing tuctuc 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.^[24]

A rise in the number of Stretch limousines for hire has also been attributed^{[citation needed]} to their use as "chavwagons" (see etymology above).

Additionally, the fall in the sale of thongs has been attributed partially to their association with female chavs.^[25]

In 2005, Bluewater Shopping Centre banned hooded tops from anywhere in their complex.^[26] Pubs in Leicester announced that they would ban young people wearing certain fashion brands due to an association between these brands and football hooliganism.^[27]

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.”^[28]

See also

• Stereotype
• Social class
• Moral panic
• Folk devil
• Lumpenproletariat
• Underclass
• Subculture
• Deviancy

References

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. 

External links

Articles

• Larcombe, Duncan. "Future bling of England", The Sun Online, 2006-04-10. Retrieved on 2007-03-06. 
• Ward, David. "Get hip to Chav as this year's wizard word", The Guardian, Guardian Unlimited, 2004-10-09. Retrieved on 2007-03-06. 
• Jackson, Melissa. "Music to deter yobs by", BBC News Magazine, bbc.co.uk, 2005-01-10. Retrieved on 2007-03-06. 
• "End Of 'Hooligan' Cap", Sky News, 2004-09-10. Retrieved on 2007-03-06. 
• Lewis, Jemima. "In defence of snobbery", Daily Telegraph, 2004-02-01. Retrieved on 2007-03-06. 
• Harris, John. "So now we've finally got our very own 'white trash'", The Guardian, Guardian Unlimited, 2007-03-06. Retrieved on 2007-03-06. 

• Burberry

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