Cirrus@Austlit

'Skinheads are generally viewed, in contemporary western culture, as symbols of violence, white racism and bigotry. In fact, the term “skinhead” is taken by most academics and mainstream media consumers to be virtually synonymous with the term “Nazi,” and it has become almost automatic to associate images of young, white males sporting shaven heads with viciousness and racial intolerance. The media commonly utilize and exploit this iconic image in everything from television programs and commercials to magazine ads and movies, reinforcing and strengthening its evocative power. The skinhead has thus become one of this culture's most recognizable images of contemporary malevolence.' (Author's abstract)