1942

Andrew James McNulty

1942

I wanted 1942 to serve as an experiment, questioning what stereotype if any surrounded the ‘skinhead.’ Within days I received comments of ‘racist’ and ‘Nazi’ signifying prejudice against a shaven head, when in modern day society diversity is usually praised and encouraged. The origin of the term ‘skinhead’ is not rooted in racism, the term being corrupted in the 1970’s by the neo-nazi movement. The term actually stems from the Jamaican skinheads such as Bunny Wailer, who populated Reggae in the1960’s, some decade previous. By 1968/69, the ‘skinhead’ wasn’t just a hairstyle but a way of life. To these working class people, cleanliness, stylish clothes and good music were dominant. The increasing popularity of Ska music, a branch of reggae bred the skinhead in their straight jeans, large boots, white shirts, braces and nylon or leather jackets and were regularly seen at Judge Dread gigs. Doc Marten, Ben Sherman, and Vespa scooters were typical designers of the ‘skinhead’ movement, which dwindled in the mid 70’s. This is around the time the neo-nazi movement became prominent, as the ‘mod generation’ became divided and those racist, political hating, violent youths were the new face, the new stereotype. They popularised themselves throughout the 80’s and 90’s with bands such as ‘Skrewdriver’ and were akin to increased violence on Adolf Hitler’s birthday. The number of ‘skinheads’ in Britain today is in decline, as in essence the skinhead is a youth organisation for the youth. Thus upon reaching full maturity, starting a family and encompassing different values the need to be in such a group no longer exists and without the experience and knowledge of older members their ‘skinhead’ values are degenerate. This is why I felt my experiment was necessary. Would the youth of day, born after the domination of the neo-nazi still be aware of their values and the attributes, which contribute to their stereotype? The answer lies within you the spectator. Consider what you first felt upon viewing 1942. Did it bring back fond memories of dancing to reggae, Bob Marley and the ‘Chelsea haircut’ or did it make you envisage violent racists? Movements begin, grow and they pass. The real reason the ‘Mods’ shaved their head was to avoid lice, for hygiene. Surely the time close cut hair symbolising a racist has passed.

This was a series i took a while back for a project i was doing on fashion and surrealism I must have took around 30 or so photographs to get the best images at different stages.
to take these shots i used a canon 20d propped up on a tripod with a self timer.

1942 belongs to the following groups:

All Things Poetic, Artistic, Philosophical, Art Students and Beginners, Current Issues, Fashion and Editorial Photography, Self Portrait, Theatrical and Staged Photography and This is England Available for sale as

Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints, Canvas Prints, Framed Prints and Posters

1942 by Andrew James McNulty
  • moonstone

    moonstone

    whoa this is different but i like it

  • Andrew James McNulty

    Andrew James M...

    thank you very much

  • SharonAHenson

    SharonAHenson

    Well done.

  • Christopher Davies

    Christopher Da...

    sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet! Weird seeing you with a shaved head!!

  • Jen Cannella

    Jen Cannella

    Fantastic…love it!

  • Charlie Sedanayasa

    Charlie Sedana...

    i love it! really well done!

  • Paul Vanzella

    Paul Vanzellafounder

    Cool work – love it!

  • berndt2

    berndt2

    Clever idea and execution!

  • u03ajp4

    u03ajp4

    full metal jacket

  • Rob Passmore

    Rob Passmore

    Mate that is such a good idea!! Great shot(s)

  • Andrew James McNulty

    Andrew James M...

    hehe cheers rob, thanks for everyones comments :))

  • Nathan Dooley

    Nathan Dooley

    A great idea pulled off wonderfully.

    Well done.

  • Nausinora

    Nausinora

    My guess, considering the title, and possibly stating the obvious here as I do at times, this is regarding conscription or the like at the time of ww2?

    Then again i could be way wrong…..as I am at times. :)

  • Darren Burdell

    Darren Burdell

    Cool concept, nice one.

  • jerry  alcantara

    jerry alcantara

    really cool buddy! welldone i like it!

  • Jeff  Burns

    Jeff Burns

    very well done

  • Andrew James McNulty

    Andrew James M...

    thank you all for your comments there much appreciated. makes it worth the time and thought taking these images.

  • Jemma Bracken

    Jemma Bracken

    i love the documentary style, i love the concept. This is quite powerful.

  • Heather Loster

    Heather Loster

    great job.

  • docophoto

    docophoto

    Great concept, really well executed. I think that it is a strong documentary piece.

  • LisaB  entity

    LisaB entity

    strong work James !!

  • Mohammad Khaksar

    Mohammad Khaksar

    Vraiment beau …
    Andrew! Vous avez de bonnes idées!
    Buddy Bravo!

  • Rosie Collins

    Rosie Collins

    Very nice ;) xxx

  • Andrew James M... replied

    haha thanks rosie..

  • Ian  James

    Ian James

    cool collection of images and great concept.

  • Michael J Armijo

    Michael J Armijo

    Great “CLIPS”...literally. ;)

  • Craig Goldsmith

    Craig Goldsmith

    Very interesting, I like the presentation of the series and the concept behind the experiment, nice to see someone really putting themselves into their art.

  • Andrew James M... replied

    thankyou very much, its nice to hear that – i feel ive writen more then people want to read.. so thanks for sparing a few mintes of your time!

  • Craig Goldsmith

    Craig Goldsmith

    I really enjoy reading the descriptions, but some prefer to let the art speak for themselves. I personally like to look at the art let it sink in and then check the description to see if there’s additional information on what I”ve been looking at.

  • Amy-lee Foley

    Amy-lee Foley

    This is effing awsome! :o)
    Well done

    Amy-lee
    xXxOoO

  • Daniel Rayfield

    Daniel Rayfieldcommunity host

    Indeed a fantastic take!!!

  • Kelsey Miner

    Kelsey Miner

    i really like this! i love conceptual art…

  • Rinkydink

    Rinkydink

    brilliant

  • Luckyvegetable

    Luckyvegetable

    this is brilliant Andrew, I really enjoyed what you wrote as well.

  • Paul Suryawinata

    Paul Suryawinata

    Very cool work, Andrew!

  • Alice .

    Alice .

    I love these shots !! and very good idea !!

  • Anaa

    Anaa

    Cool … what a dramatic transformation from ‘boy-next-door’ look to trendy shaved head …. very interesting composition & collage ! :)

  • Pascale Baud

    Pascale Baud

    great serie !!

  • kidi

    kidi

    longest description award

  • Andrew James M... replied

    thanks kidi i think i deserve it too :D

  • kidi

    kidi

    you sure do;)

  • garrityphotog

    garrityphotog

    My husband shaves his head every summer when it gets hot here in Colorado and he gets the same looks and comments. So, it happens here in the US as well. I love how you have featured this as a photo collage.

  • Lila Alias

    Lila Alias

    You are one cool guy! I loved what you wrote >
    Awesome sequence!

  • Jan Cain

    Jan Cain

    rocks!

  • Rosina  Lamberti

    Rosina Lamberti

    I love the look of this

  • aglaia b

    aglaia b

    this is cool….every picture tells a story!

  • JLHopgood

    JLHopgood

    Hard work paid off and the experiment makes me think. It’s wrong that we’re judged by our appearance but it will never change. We can only take pleasure in surprising people when they realise we’ve different layers which change their initial opinion.

    We’re onions – like Shrek! ;o) Had to lighten the atmosphere! lol

  • Specular

    Specular

    Great shots Andrew, real interesting read, ive got a shaved head still, kept it as its easy, and it suits me apparently, not had any accusations about being a Nazi yet, lol. You keeping it for a while or growing it out? Chris.

  • Andrew James M... replied

    well i grew it a while ago and had a mohawk but i decided to cut it off as you can see, i now have a skin head again :D

  • Sean Crease

    Sean Crease

    This is great, a nice peice art!

  • Vicky Byron

    Vicky Byron

    Wow! Thats fantastic! Great idea, great images. Love your work

  • Zaldy Infante

    Zaldy Infante

    clever series mate

  • sticky

    sticky

    My husband was a ‘mod’ in the 60’s, not a revivalist one…............. appearance was everything and they didn’t have shaved heads as a rule (check out what Roger Daltry had to do to keep his in check) !!! Mohair suits and a proper barnett !!!! Generalisations are tricky and should be used with caution !!! Now all men of a certain age have a ‘skinhead’..............

  • Andrew James M... replied

    thanks for the comment sticky, the mod culture is starting to interest me abit at the moment, ive seen magazines with mod fashion starting to come about.. maybe its coming back in?

    it would be great to see some photos of you husband during the 60’s if you do post some up drop me a line and ill be right over :D

    thanks again andrew.

  • Denis Dalby

    Denis Dalby

    I think the ‘skinhead’ look has lost most of the connotations of racism here in Britain. Many men shave their heads now… me included – not that I have much to shave off now! My first reaction to the serieswas “What a great idea, I may try that myself”.... and I might, but you will get the credit! Great series AJM.

  • Andrew James M... replied

    Haha, thanks for the comment Denis, i would have to say your probably right, it could have been the type of people i had around me during Sixth form.. it would be great to see you do a series similar to this one.. i always like seeing other people perspectives when comparing it to my work.

    regards.

  • Joanne  Bradley

    Joanne Bradley

    Clever concept! Congrats on homepage feature!

  • Laura Cutmore

    Laura Cutmore

    ooooooh Andy you’re on the homepage :0 awesome mate, defo deserve it! :]

  • Andrew James M... replied

    thanks laura, i only found out because you said. haha i cant believe it!

  • Miriam Dobson

    Miriam Dobson

    thanks for the description here, great concept and it’s turned out very well!

  • Shannon Rene' Justice

    Shannon Rene' ...

    this is really cool! :)

  • JHopgood

    JHopgood

    good to see this on the home page hon!

  • Claire Armistead

    Claire Armistead

    wow! I loved reading the story connected to this image. Upon viewing, it didn’t conjure up any negative emotions for me at all and i find it sad that anyone would be deemed as racist just because of their haircut. Maybe it’s because i grew up in the 90’s where i was so glad “curtains” were taken out of fashion by shaving your head and men became fit again …Amen to the clippers!!! Beautifully executed piece and well done on HP x

  • Andrew James M... replied

    thanks Claire, the story with the photo is nothing without comments like yours, its always nice to see people actually read the text associated with the photo. thanks so much!

    booooo to curtains haha.

    regards andrew.

  • jemimalovesbigted

    jemimalovesbigted

    Good on you! Great idea, thanks for sharing… wicked way of presenting your shots too =D

  • thickblackoutline

    thickblackoutlinet-shirt and design aficionado

    this is the most beautiful thing i’ve ever seen!!

  • Mechellerene

    Mechellerene

    Well…I could just look at this for hours.

  • shadowzone

    shadowzone

    great concept, well done

  • greeneyes

    greeneyes

    the imagery is strong, but adding the text made it intelligent social inquiry! thankyou for thinking outside the square!

  • Andrew James M... replied

    thank you for reading Greeneyes, and thanks for the wonderful comment.

  • onefourseven

    onefourseven

    Great thought provoking images and written work!!
    Took me back a few years!!

  • MuscularTeeth

    MuscularTeethVoted Most Helpful Bubbler

    i reallly like this. grabs your attention instantly.

  • Tania Rose

    Tania Rose

    It makes one think, doesn’t it. Bravo for your experimentation, and for your documentation. It provides good discussion

  • Dayonda

    Dayonda

    Congratulations for being featured on redBubble’s Home Page!
    So you’re a student of human kind?

  • Fotopsyche

    Fotopsyche

    brilliant – photographs and text. the skinheads i talked with in the 80’s were intellectually on the left, this surprised me at the time.

  • Jenni77

    Jenni77

    Great concept and very well executed

  • Alexandru Valentin Iedu

    Alexandru Vale...

    EXCELLENT

    BEST REGARDS,
    ALEX

  • Liz  Wohlrab

    Liz Wohlrab

    great idea “i wouldn’t do it because i love my hair so much but this is fantastic i love the center shot the angle is perfect

  • Marcella Chestnut

    Marcella Chestnut

    very cool way to visually express the question/statement! Creative and well done. The subject is one that i’ve been interested in since a youth in the mid 80’s (in Kansas City, USA). Enjoyed stopping by!

  • Kaimarie

    Kaimarie

    very cool. good idea and well researched. nice one

  • essencearyawan

    essencearyawan

    Very provocative series of meaningful images.

  • Joaquin Loyzaga

    Joaquin Loyzaga

    great series! and i agree that the time of the prejudice against skinheads has passed. the unanimously voted greatest man at David Beckham sported the hair (or lack of) hairstyle for quite a while and still does!
    so ii think the evidence is there to say that its not a big issue anymore. i guess the only people who would worry about that have thier heads in the past.
    a great set of photos with a great meaning behind them!
    great work!

  • Andrew James M... replied

    Thank you for your lovely comment Joaguin.

  • Lulabell

    Lulabell

    Lurv this shot…really well done!!

  • Christian Hartung

    Christian Hartung

    great series of shots. well done

  • Donna Raymond

    Donna Raymond

    i have also just recently shaved my head.. something i always wanted to experience.. as a female it is quite an interesting experience…

  • Stephen Mitchell

    Stephen Mitchell

    You’re a brave man to do this yourself. I let my wife shave my head.

  • steffen

    steffen

    :-) great

  • stephani

    stephani 17 days ago

    Interesting work

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