Cultural Influence
Outlaw motorcyclists and their clubs have been frequently portrayed and parodied to the point of victimization in movies and the media generally, giving rise to an "outlaw biker film" genre. It generally exists as a negative stereotype in the public's subconscious and yet has inspired fashion trends for both males and females, as "biker babes". The appearance has even been exploited by the fashion industry bringing it into legal conflict with some clubs. A fetishistic look which conveys sex, danger, rebelliousness, masculinity and working class values.
The biker style has influenced the look of other sub-cultures such as punk, heavy metal, gay leather subculture and cybergoth fashion, and, initially as an American subculture, has had an international influence. Bikers, their clothing and motorcycles have become cultural icons of mythic status, their portrayal generally exaggerating a criminal or deviant association exploited by the media for their own often financial interests.
On television, the series Sons of Anarchy portrays a multiracial outlaw motorcycle club, founded mainly by Vietnam War veterans, which is involved in various crimes, its interactions within their community and with underworld gangs. The show's creator thought it was too obvious to have them be methamphetamine dealers, and so instead they deal in illegal guns.
Software developers Rockstar North produced Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned, a downloadable add-on to their main game, where players can attempt to become the leader of an outlaw motorcycle gang.
Read more about this topic: Outlaw Motorcycle Club
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“Quite apart from any conscious program, the great cultural historians have always been historical morphologists: seekers after the forms of life, thought, custom, knowledge, art.”
—Johan Huizinga (1872–1945)
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