Dr Robyn Gibson
Robyn co-ordinates the Bachelor of Education (Primary) Program in the Faculty of Education. She lectures in Visual Arts Education at both the undergraduate and graduate level and also lectures in Costume History at UTS, Sydney.
Deconstructing Australian Beach Culture
The beach, like the bush before it, has enormous mythic power in the Australian consciousness. Not surprisingly, the beach remains a dominant image of what Australians think life should be about. As a result, a distinctive beach culture has evolved that comprises of two subcultural groups - the lifesaver and the surfer. The essentially oppositional nature between the two is evidenced in both the attitudes and appearances of these individuals. Historically the lifesaver - the 'bronzed Aussie god' complete with yellow and red cap - has dominated our mythology of the beach, in comparison, the surfer only reached significance in the late 1950s. And while the "Vigilance and Service" of the lifesaver was acknowledged and admired, the Australian surfer was quickly branded as a 'problem.' The surfer's adopted dress and behaviour challenged the conventions of mainstream society. In fact, "the surfer in Australia has articulated and developed the most coherent and continuous discourse of opposition to the dominant, and is unique amongst the subcultures of youth" (Fiske, Hodge and Turner 1988:66). Current research however suggests not just disparate behaviours but differences in detail between these two surfing subcultures. Specifically surfers tend to pay more attention to appearances - short hair vs long hair, speedoes vs boardshorts, slim bodies vs conditioned physiques. Not only do lifesavers and surfers think differently about the beach, they look differently while at the beach!
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