Dres

For other uses, see Dres (disambiguation).

Dres [drɛs] or dresiarz [drɛɕaʂ] (plural dresy [drɛsɨ] or dresiarze [drɛɕaʐɛ]) is a term used in Poland to describe a specific subculture or class of young males. Dresiarze stereotypically live in urban tower blocks or tenement houses. They are usually portrayed as undereducated, unemployed, aggressive and anti-social.^[1] The dresiarz phenomenon was first observed in the 1990s. It would later partially merge with the hooligan subcultures, especially football hooligans.

The term refers to tracksuits, which in Polish is dres. ^[2] Kark (pl. Polish: karki - napes) and blokers (pl. Polish: blokersi - block-people) are related but not synonymous terms.^[3]. The term has a pejorative connotation in Polish mass-media^[1] * Their female counterparts are known as dupy,^[4] suczki^[5] or blachary^[6], with all these terms having a pejorative connotation.

Dorota Masłowska's novel White and Red^[7] is one of the first books published featuring the dresiarz phenomenon. Dresy have been a theme of (usually critical) songs by Dezerter and Big Cyc. They are also popular negative characters in the comic strip Jeż Jerzy.

Characteristics

The following traits are typically attributed to the dresiarz stereotype:

• Wearing tracksuits along with a hoodie and trainers; usually cheap counterfeit imitations of popular brands.
• Shaved head.
• Weight lifting and/or strength training in gyms.
• Affection for automobiles, especially older versions of the BMW 3, BMW 5, VW Golf (most likely Mk2, recently also newer generations), or the Opel Calibra, but also other older German cars (as e.g. Mercedes W124 or Audi 80), or — in the case of the poorer dresiarze before accession to the European Union — a modified Polish Fiat 126p.
• Keeping aggressive dog breeds, such as the Pit Bull or American Staffordshire Terrier as pets (sometimes used in dog fights).
• Their female counterparts often have excessive solarium tans, bleached platinum blonde or pitch black dyed hair, and wear artificial nails, mini-skirts and crop tops^[6].

Related terms

• Kark, meaning "neck" and a short for byczy kark ("bull neck"), is most used in connection with weight lifting; a person perceived as a kark may be wearing neither trainers nor a tracksuit, but shares most other elements of stereotypical dres behaviour. The term may also refer to lower-ranked members of gangster groups.
• Blokers - a term for a young person exhibiting anti-social behaviour, living in towerblocks (blok in Polish). This term was used first time circa 1995 by Robert Leszczyński, a Polish music critic and journalist.

Other countries

Outside Poland the following words describe people from this social group:

• Australia: Bogan
• Chile: Flaite
• France: Racaille
• Ireland: Skanger (Spide or Millie in Northern-Ireland)
• Israel: Ars
• Mexico: Naco
• Netherlands: Tokkie
• Norway: Harry
• Russia: Gopnik
• Scotland: Ned
• Singapore / Malaysia: Ah beng
• United Kingdom: Chav
• United States: Wigger or White trash

External links

• (Polish) Wojciech Orliński, MUZEUM NARODOWE KULTURY MASOWEJ: Dresiarze

References

1. ^ ^{a b} (Polish) Dialogi polityczne, O tym, dlaczego dresiarze noszą dresy. Rozważania nad antropologią odzieży sportowej w subkulturach chuligańskich
2. ^ (Polish) Poradnik pedagogiczno - resocjalizacyjny: "(...) określenia odnoszą się do młodzieżowych subkultur dewiacyjnych, których powstanie jest efektem ubocznym procesów transformacji ustrojowej i zmian społeczno-politycznych zachodzących w naszym kraju w latach 90."
3. ^ (Polish) Newsweek.pl, Dresiarz ściąga dres 2002-09-22
4. ^ From a vulgar term dupa, (Polish) Słownik języka polskiego
5. ^ Dimunitive of a vulgar term suka, (Polish) Słownik języka polskiego
6. ^ ^{a b} (Polish) Wprost.pl: Blachary atakują
7. ^ Wojna polsko-ruska pod flagą biało-czerwoną. Warsaw 2002: Lampa i Iskra Boża, ISBN 83-86735-87-2 (UK edition: White and Red, Atlantic Books, ISBN 1-84354-423-7; US edition: Snow White and Russian Red, Grove Press, ISBN 0-8021-7001-3)