Music and fashion as resistance: The Swing Kids

February 4, 2010 by Lena · 2 Comments 

DieUnwertigen_Swingjugend-1Swing was exactly the kind of music Hitler and his fascist regime despised: deemed ‘un-German’, ‘negro’, ‘Jewish’ and ‘sexually perverted’, it was frowned upon and those listening to it risked their lives. Instead, young people were encouraged to listen to German folk music and military propaganda marches, which promoted the healthy, wholesome image favoured by the Nazis.

Nonetheless, the swing scene didn’t just disappear, it simply went underground and became a dangerous form of resistance and rebellion for a generation of Swing Kids. Lena Weber reports.

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We meet Hamburg’s Harbour Pearls burlesque trio

October 8, 2009 by Lena · 1 Comment 

helsinki 1Hamburg has always had the reputation of a sin city with its international harbour and famous red light district. But how does burlesque and a thriving vintage scene fit in between sex shops and seedy strip joints? We’ve met up with the city’s leading burlesque trio, The Harbour Pearls, to find out.
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