Dick Hebdige Theory

Hebidge studied British youth subcultures in the late 1970s. His work is more focused on the reality of youth culture, than Giroux or Acland who are concerned with media representations of youth. Hebdige argues that youth subcultures are a way for young people to express their opposition to society, and to challenge hegemony. This is primarily expressed through style. In this context you may consider how the working class youths’ behaviour is a response to their position in society (e.g. the class envy of the characters in ‘Eden Lake’ who steal the signifiers of middle class wealth such as the 4x4 and the Ray Bans).
Hebidge also argues that representations of young people are quite limited showing them as either fun or trouble. Again this suggests media representations of young people do not really relate to reality.