Hungarians Puzzled By Teen-agers’ Dress

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29389, 16 December 1960, Page 20

Hungarians Puzzled By Teen-agers ’ Dress

[Sv o Reuter Corrtspondent} BUDAPEST. Hungarian Communists are scratching their heads over one of the most puzling problems to parents the world over: why do their teen-age sons and daughters insist on wearing “impossible” clothes? The reason: they are worried lest their children be mistaken for “Japipecek,” the local anti-social, and often anti-Communist, Teddy Boys.

According to the Hungarian Communist newspaper, “Nepszabadsag” (“People's Freedom”), the typical attitude of many adults in Hungary on teen-age fashions is: “We really should not tolerate this. Are we raising hooligans or self-respecting young people for the development of socialism? Why do we need the Teddy Boy and the female of the species?” Like Western teen-agers, young Hungarians are in open revolt against what they consider to be the stuffy, conventional clothes worn by their elders. In spite of official and parental frowns, many teen-agers dress in Western-style casual clothes, often gaudily coloured. Drainpipe trousers and Italiancut jackets, painted Italian shoes, black or brightly colourful shirts and black Tyrolean hats are the height of under-22-year-old male fashion in Budapest.

Girls favour clinging matador pants or black tights worn under a skirt, Italian shoes, and an “urchin” hair-do—though most of them have to wear drab blue uniforms at school. American-styled blue jeans known as "cowboy pants,” and sweatshirts are popular in summer, though teen-agers are not allowed to wear them at school. Parcels from the West Some of these clothes can be bought in the shops. Others filter into Hungary in parcels sent by relatives living in the West, It often takes a year or more fot a Western teen-age fashion to take a hold in Hungary. “Nepszabadsag” said the most probable reply from Hungarian youths to criticism of the way they dress would be: “Leave us alone. Why can’t we wear colourful, interesting and striking clothes? What has the colour of our shirts or the width of our trousers to do with socialist morality?” The Communist newspaper was inclined to agree with the teenagers, though with some strong reservations. “We must not confuse socialist morality with Puritanism,” it commented.

“Nepszabadsag” sympathised with teen-agers who want to set their own fashion styles but was worried lest young Hungarians who kick over the sartorial traces may not also revolt against their parents in other matters, arjd even against the Communist regime. As in most countries, Hungary has a juvenile delinquency problem. But crimes committed by young people often have political overtones. Some youths join the Teddy Boy gangs to flaunt their antagonism to the present Government. Though crime is given little

publicity in the press, there are frequent stories in Hungarian newspapers of drunkenness, brawling, stealing and refusals to work by young people. A psychologist consulted by the newspaper depicted the TeddyBoy mind as completely lacking Jn ideals and having an “oceanlike emptiness.” He thought that there was a link between this mentality and teen-age clothes, but refused to make any sweeping diagnosis. “All teen-agers, who wear loudly coloured shirts, tight trousers, or blue jeans are obviously not “Jampecek,” he said, “but it is true that the real hooligans do dress something like that.”