Raggare

Two stereotypical raggare at the Power Big Meet 2005
When no American tailfins are available, raggare are sometimes forced to improvise, like using a Mercedes.
A lot of raggare on the roof of a 1960s car during Power Big Meet in 2005

Raggare is a subculture found mostly in Sweden and parts of Norway[1][2] and Finland,[3] and to a lesser extent in Denmark, Germany, and Austria.[citation needed] Raggare are related to the American greaser and rockabilly subcultures and are known for their love of hot rod cars and 1950s American pop culture. Loosely translated into English, the term is roughly equivalent to the American "greaser", English "rocker", and Australian "Bodgie" and "Widgie" culture; all share a common passion for mid-20th-century American cars, rockabilly-based music and related fashion (blue-collar in origin, consisting of the likes of white T-shirts, loose fitting denim trousers with rolled cuffs, and canvas top sneakers such as Keds or Converse Chucks, or low-topped boots of an industrial nature).[original research?]

While the raggare movement has its roots in late 1950s youth counterculture, today it is associated mainly with middle-aged men who enjoy meeting and showing off their retro American cars. However, the subculture retains its rural and small-town roots as well as its blue collar and low brow feel. The original phenomenon unleashed moral panic but the contemporary raggare subculture tends to be met with amusement or mild disapproval by mainstream society.

  1. ^ The Police Journal, v. 38 1965, page 58
  2. ^ OA: Råning og ragging på utstilling
  3. ^ "Historiaa". Stadin Raggarit (in Finnish). Retrieved 20 March 2022.