Book Review: Skinhead Girls Around The World Vol. 2 and 3

The Skinhead Girls Around The World three part photobook series was compiled and edited by Estrella and Xose, published by Apalanqued Productions. Each volume is approximately 60 pages long. The first volume was released in October 2006 and only 500 copies were made. Sadly, I missed out on that one and so I am unable to review the series as a whole! Bummer. (if anyone has a volume 1 they would be willing to part with, please contact me!)



I do, however, own the rest of the series. Volume 2 was published in May 2007, with only 700 copies being printed, and Volume 3 has been available since October 2008.

The back cover of Volume 3 truly gives you a sense of what the series is about.
To quote it directly: " 'Skinhead Girls Around The World' is the third book in a trilogy started back in 2006. After publishing a skinhead book of photographs called 'Cropped Heads' (Flashware Publishing- 2003), the editors decided it was time for a book showing the feminine side of the skinhead cult. All the photographs in the book were sent in by the girls themselves and from those photographs we decided to compile an overview of the actual skinhead scene around the World.

The girls into the skinhead culture have changed their look, their crops and their lifestyle. Each country has its own way of living the movement and so we wanted to show in our books the development of the movement from the 1980s through to the present day."



The books are heavily loaded with photographs, but what I like the best is that there is a diverse range of girls shown. It is clearly shown that within a subculture such as the Skinhead culture, no two people are exactly the same. The photos are sectioned into the countries where the girls are from, and at least 30 different countries are named. This truly shows how widespread this movement is. The photographs provides a true snapshot of Skinhead Girl culture today, and the lifestyle being led by these girls. The similarities show that it is more than a fashion trend.

In each volume, there is a section dedicated to old photographs from previous decades. This indicates how this subculture, which is dating back 40 years or so now, is longlasting and is by no means a 'fad' or passing interest for these girls, but it is in fact their lifestyle. The girls pictured are from a spectrum of ages, displaying that the movement is not more relevant for any particular generation, and that age is not an important factor.



I love flicking through these books, skinhead girls have such a distinct and polished look, yet each individual has something different about them. It is amazing to see a lifestyle shared across the whole world in photographic evidence. I believe these girls share a great bond because they have similar ideals and passions in life- not just similar haircuts and clothes.

You can purchase Volume 3 from the Skinhead Girls Photobook myspace page: www.myspace.com/skinheadgirlsbook

And I've seen some copies of Volume 2 floating around on ebay, just run a search for it.

I highly recommend purchasing the series if you are interested in Skinhead culture, or in subcultures as a whole.

Written by Sally Kingsley