Probably any person living in the post-Soviet space, at least once heard the word "gopnik". The subculture appeared in the twentieth century and became extremely widespread after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Most often, gopniks are called young people, however, noticeable features of this social group can be observed in more age categories. Due to the lack of clear self-identification and denial by the gopniks themselves of belonging to a certain subculture, it is quite difficult to name the number of “gops” in the CIS countries. Some Russian politicians have suggested that a quarter of Russia's youth are gops.
Origin
At the beginning of the 20th century, the expression of the gopnik appeared. The subculture was not yet clearly formed, and this definition was applied only within St. Petersburg. In the 1920s, on the outskirts of the city (which was already called Leningrad), there was a district for street children and teenage hooligans. "City hostel of the proletariat" among the inhabitants of the city was called by the abbreviation GOP. From here came the name, which gradually spread throughout the Soviet Union.
Spread
Already in the late 80s, among the youth of large cities, Gopniks began to stand out clearly. Subculture was the most common among youth movements. However, the difficulty of a detailed study of it lies in the fact that the gopniks themselves do not associate themselves with belonging to a particular social group. Moreover, such a generalization causes them aggression. The appearance of the Gopas is associated with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Along with the severe economic crisis, a fundamental change in the value system has occurred. In the 90s, the criminal situation sharply worsened. Many people chose to make money illegally. And most often they related to the criminal world, living according to the so-called zonovskim concepts.
The desire to assert oneself aroused the desire among the poorly educated and poor strata of the population to be like "authorities, " and this is how the gopniks appeared. Subculture immediately acquired certain features. Most often, all youth movements have certain external signs that set them apart from other members of society. This is primarily the style of clothing, hairstyle, slang, manners.
Who are the gopniks: appearance
Gopnik have a certain style of clothing. Due to the mass character and lack of self-identification as a member of a certain social group, there are no special shops or brands for gopniks (as in the situation with punks, rappers and other cultures). Clothing is the opposite of neatness and "intelligence" - the canons of clothing accepted in society. Any person dressed in unnecessarily, according to the gopniks, stylish clothes causes them aggression. The gops themselves wear mostly sportswear. These are trousers and a sweatshirt (sometimes with a hood). As shoes - sneakers or pointed shoes (often just a tracksuit). Due to their low financial situation, they cannot afford expensive clothes of famous brands. Therefore, most often they wear fake things from brands such as Adidas, Nike, Reebok and others.
A classic black leather jacket worn over a tracksuit is also a symbol of clarity. This style came from the criminal circles with which the gops associate themselves. The youth subculture of the gopnik denies and despises any fashionable hairstyles. Therefore, as a haircut, they choose uncomplicated hairstyles for themselves. Most often it is “boxing” or just a haircut “bald”. Girls, on the contrary, dress too contrastingly and defiantly to emphasize their gender.
Behavior
Who such gopniks became known thanks to their behavior. Most often they are on the street within their area. In large cities, fights often took place between representatives of different regions on far-fetched occasions. Gops walk in groups of several people. Favorite places - this is a poorly lit area with the presence of benches or tables. As an entertainment, the gopniks drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes. A plastic bottle of cheap beer, a package of sunflower seeds and a cigarette behind the ear are the constant attributes of a typical gopnik.
