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Greasers are a working class youth subculture that originated in the 1950s among young eastern and Southern United States street gangs, and then became popular among other types of people. In the 1950s and early 1960s, these youths were known as hoods.[1]
Their name came from their greased back hair, which involved combing back hair with wax, gel, creams, tonics or pomade. Other popular greases used were olive oil or petroleum jelly. Some greasers worked at gas stations or shops that repaired cars or motorcycles. The greaser style was imitated by many youths not associated with gangs, as an expression of rebellion. The term greaser reappeared in later decades as part of a revival of 1950s popular culture. Films and TV shows that feature the greaser subculture include: Last Exit to Brooklyn, American Graffiti, Roadracers, Cry-Baby, both films of the Grease and Eddie and the Cruisers duos, Happy Days, The Outsiders, The Wanderers and American Hot Wax.
The greaser subculture was largely an American youth phenomenon, and the 1950s and 1960s British equivalent to the greaser was the rocker, who evolved from the Teddy Boys and Ton-Up Boys. In the United Kingdom, the term greaser only came into use in the 1970s, when Hells Angels and hippie bikers became prevalent. Members of rival subcultures in the UK, such as skinheads, sometimes referred to greasers simply as grease.
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