Poseur

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A poseur or poser is a person who adopts the dress, speech, and/or mannerisms of a particular group or subculture, generally for attaining acceptability within the group. A poseur may not share or understand underpinnings of the group he or she is trying to identify with. Some subcultures may view what they regard as poseurs with varying degrees of mistrust and scorn.

[edit] Subcultures

[edit] Punk Rock

The insult "He/she is such a poseur", is considered a derogatory slur amongst punk rockers or anarchists.^{[citation needed]} In fact, one illuminative story about the treachery of poseurs involves the punk rock music industry. This particular version originated in the Seattle scene of the late 1980s. The story says that various large unnamed record labels saw an immense opportunity for profits present in the punk rock movement. In order to exploit it, executives sent producers dressed as punks to shows, thinking that the musicians would be more likely to cut cheap deals with one of their own.^{[citation needed]}

The use of this term has since gone out of fashion in the punk culture, possibly because the line between real punks and fashion punks has become blurred. It is often used by teenagers, referring to not only pose as a punk, but other subcultures such as an "emo poseur". "Poseur" is much preferred over "poser". Even though the term is seldom used, it can be quite important thing for someone trying to prove him/her self to be one of the established punks. Being branded a poseur by other subcultures can be the equivalent to being branded a fag by jock subcultures in American high schools.

The term 'wannabe' is also used, but in a slightly different context. For Example:

• Poseur: A person who perceives themselves to be a "punk", but is neglected and possibly verbally or physically assaulted by other punks for not being authentic.
• Wannabe: A person who is not yet considered a punk themselves, and who is not under the illusion that they are. They have a wish to become a punk, but either haven't found a way into the subculture or are going about gaining entry the wrong way.

The term is also becoming increasingly common in Hip-hop circles, as many teens try to follow urban examples in an effort to associate with the mainstream culture in many high schools.