Greaser (subculture)

[2]: 31  It is speculated that the word originated in the late 19th century in the United States as a derogatory label for poor laborers, specifically those of Italian, Greek or Mexican descent.

[3][4] The similar term "greaseball" is a slur for individuals of Italian or Greek descent,[4] though to a lesser extent it has also been used more generally to refer to all Mediterranean, Latino, or Hispanic people.

[5][6][7] Academic Jennifer Grayer Moore wrote in her book Street Style in America that the term was not used in writing to refer to the American subculture of the mid-20th century until the mid-1960s, though in this sense it still evoked a pejorative ethnic connotation and a relation to machine work.

[12][13][14] The greaser subculture may have emerged in the post–World War II era among the motorcycle clubs and street gangs of the 1940s in the United States, though it was certainly established by the 1950s, when it was increasingly adopted by ethnic urban youth.

[22] The most notable physical characteristic of greasers was the greased-back hairstyles they fashioned for themselves through use of hair products such as pomade or petroleum jelly, which necessitated frequent combing and reshaping to maintain.

[10] Males sported coiffures adopted from early rock 'n' roll and rockabilly performers such as Elvis Presley, among them the Folsom, Pompadour, Elephant's trunk, and Duck's ass, while females commonly backcombed, coiffed, or teased their hair.

Female greaser dress included leather jackets and risque clothing, such as tight and cropped capri pants and pedal pushers (broadly popular during the time period).