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A bovver boot is a type of
boot that has been associated with
violence
Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened ...
. Such boots are generally of sturdy design and may be
steel-toed. They have been considered as
offensive weapon
An offensive weapon is a tool made, adapted or intended for the purpose of inflicting physical injury upon another person.
Legality England and Wales
Under England and Wales' Prevention of Crime Act 1953, Section 1(1) states it is an offence to ca ...
s used by
hooligans
Hooliganism is disruptive or unlawful behavior such as rioting, bullying and vandalism, usually in connection with crowds at sporting events.
Etymology
There are several theories regarding the origin of the word ''hooliganism,'' which is a ...
for kicking opponents while
street fighting
Street fighting is hand-to-hand combat in public places, between individuals or groups of people. The venue is usually a public place (e.g. a street) and the fight sometimes results in serious injury or occasionally even death. Some street fig ...
.
The boots became known in the late 1960s in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, and continue to be a fashion statement associated with rebellion.
History
The term ''
bovver'' in the UK developed as a
th-fronting
''Th''-fronting is the pronunciation of the English "th" as "f" or "v". When ''th''-fronting is applied, becomes (for example, ''three'' is pronounced as ''free'') and becomes (for example, ''bathe'' is pronounced as ''bave''). (Here "fron ...
slang term (probably
Cockney
Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or ...
) for "bother", and was used in connection with
aggro (aggressive behaviour) by
skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture which originated among working class youths in London, England, in the 1960s and soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working class skinhead movement emerging worldwide in th ...
s and
hooligans
Hooliganism is disruptive or unlawful behavior such as rioting, bullying and vandalism, usually in connection with crowds at sporting events.
Etymology
There are several theories regarding the origin of the word ''hooliganism,'' which is a ...
in the late 1960s.
Heavy
steel-toe boot
A steel-toe boot (also known as a safety boot, steel-capped boot, steel toecaps or safety shoe) is a durable boot or shoe that has a protective reinforcement in the toe which protects the foot from falling objects or compression. Safety shoes a ...
s were stereotypically worn by skinheads, and were termed bovver boots.
Initially, heavy black
army surplus
Military surplus are goods, usually matériel, that are sold or otherwise disposed of when held in excess or are no longer needed by the military. Entrepreneurs often buy these goods and resell them at surplus stores. Usually the goods sold by t ...
boots were worn, but later, yellow-stitched
Dr. Martens
Dr. Martens, also commonly known as Doc Martens, Docs or DMs, is a German-founded British footwear and clothing brand, headquartered in Wollaston in the Wellingborough district of Northamptonshire, England. Although famous for its footwear, Dr ...
were adopted as the boots of choice.
Use in
football hooliganism
Football hooliganism, also known as soccer hooliganism, football rioting or soccer rioting, constitutes violence and other destructive behaviours perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism normally involves ...
was countered by warnings to fans that they would have to remove such boots in order to attend football matches.
Punk rockers were seen in the 1970s to "
tamp
A tamp is a device used to compact or flatten an aggregate or another powdered or granular material, typically to make it resistant to further compression or simply to increase its density.
Examples
* Small, handheld tampers are used to compres ...
their bovver boots",
with the boots being part of their "sartorial expressions of violence and disgust".
Punk rockers continued to be associated with bovver boots until the mid-1980s.
Punk fashion
Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewellery, and body modifications of the punk counterculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited to the dressed ...
and the "years of teenage boot-wearing rebellion" since the 1960s gave way to
trainers
Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used fo ...
, with the arrival of
Britpop
Britpop was a mid-1990s British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music and to the ...
in the mid-1990s.
In 1998, UK high street chain
Boots
A boot is a type of footwear.
Boot or Boots may also refer to:
Businesses
* Boot Inn, Chester, Cheshire, England
* Boots (company), a high-street pharmacy chain and manufacturer of pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom
* The Boot, Cromer St ...
promoted a
ladette
Lad culture (also the new lad, laddism) was a media-driven, principally British and Irish subculture of the 1990s and early 2000s. The image of the "lad"—or "new lad"—was that of a generally middle class figure espousing attitudes typically at ...
cosmetics range with a model "dressed in combat trousers, bovver boots and goggles".
The journalist
Laura Barton
Laura Barton (born 1977) is an English journalist and writer. She writes mainly for ''The Guardian'', and wrote a novel, ''Twenty-One Locks'', published in 2010.
Biography
Barton was born in and grew up in the village of Newburgh in Lancash ...
wrote in ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' in 2008: "After years in the wilderness, the bovver boot is back".
The journalist Karen Kay wrote in ''
The Express'' in 2010 that "
Dr Martens boots" have been worn by
The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...
,
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...
,
Madness,
Madonna, the
Spice Girls,
The Sex Pistols
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
,
Avril Lavigne and
Gwen Stefani.
Cultural references
* Bovver boots were worn by the violent street-gang "The Droogs" in the film ''
A Clockwork Orange
''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to:
* ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess
** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel
*** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...
(1971)
* The use of the boots in an attack was referenced in the song ''
Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
"Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" is a single by The Jam, and was the second single from their third album, ''All Mod Cons''. Released in October 1978, it reached No. 15 in the UK Singles Chart. The single was backed by a cover version of Th ...
'' (1978) by
The Jam
The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1 ...
.
*
The Nipple Erectors
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
released a song titled "Venus in Bovver Boots".
in (1977).
* A pair of Bovver boots were worn in the early 1980s British TV series ''
The Young Ones'', by the
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
character Vyvyan Basterd.
* Musician
PJ Harvey was noted as "appear
ngimmersed in " around the time of her album ''
Dry'' in 1992, due in part to her "leather apparel, hair in a bun and black bovver boots".
* In 2000, the ''
Birmingham Mail
The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts of Warwickshire, Worcestershire a ...
'' referred to broadcaster
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster, journalist, game show host and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for the motoring programmes '' Top Gear'' and '' The Grand Tour'' alongside R ...
as "old bovver boots".
* In 2017, U.S. punk band
Rancid (band) released a song titled "Bovver Rock And Roll" on their album ''
Trouble Maker''. Lyrically, the song laments early 1970s cultural references.
See also
*
Combat boot
Combat boots are military boots designed to be worn by soldiers during combat or combat training, as opposed to during parades and other ceremonial duties. Modern combat boots are designed to provide a combination of grip, ankle stability, an ...
References
{{Clothing, state=collapsed
Boots
Footwear
Punk fashion