Dags (subculture)
Encyclopedia
Dag is an Australian
and New Zealand
slang
term. In Australia, it is often used as an affectionate insult for someone who is, or is perceived to be, unfashionable, lacking self consciousness about their appearance and/or with poor social skills yet affable and amusing. In New Zealand, it is used to describe an amusing person (as in, "He's a bit of a dag") and is non-pejorative.
Differentiated from bogan
where accents are presumed to indicate working class or uneducated origins, dag refers to being unfashionable, eccentric and fool-like and, hence, has no necessary ties with social class or educational background.
This colloquial use of the term 'dag' was first recorded in the Anzac Songbook in 1916 but has been popular since the 1970s. It has also been used interchangeably with the term 'wag' as in 'what a wag', which refers to the amusing aspect inherent in 'dag' but without referring to fashion or style.
This use of the word dag comes closest in meaning to the UK slang 'pillock' (meaning fool
) but 'dag' is differentiated from terms like dork, nerd
or geek
by virtue of having no particular association with a drive for intellectual pursuits or interest in technology and no particular tendency towards being a loner. It is also used differently in that it can be an affectionate term as much as, or even more than, an insult. However, one can simultaneously fit the archetype for a dag and a geek, dork or nerd.
Whilst 'bogan' refers to being unfashionable in the slovenly sense, it is distinguished from dag in that the term bogan has no necessary links with being eccentric, idiosyncratic or amusing. Similarly, the more antisocial behaviours associated with bogans are usually not found amusing and are more associated with terms like yobbo
.
characters are often portrayed as dags in terms of being socially inept and oblivious to fashion. In the film Rain Man
, the main character's, fixations on labels and tendency to say the socially unacceptable and his rather stiff dress sense with his top shirt button always done up is an archetypal example of 'daggy' behavior demonstrating his lack of awareness of mainstream dress codes and style. Similarly, the klutzy, quirky, socially naive behaviors of the main characters with ASD in the film Mozart and the Whale
follows this same line.
TV series like Ugly Betty
(in which Betty portrays a blend of Geek and Dag) present her as the hero who ends up inspiring and changing others. Films and characters where the central dag character becomes the hero include Rachel Griffiths
in Very Annie Mary
, Toni Collette
in Muriel's Wedding
, Jane Horrocks
in Little Voice
, Julie Walters
in Educating Rita
, Amanda Plummer in The Fisher King
and Audrey Tatou in Amélie
.
Similar male dag-as-hero characters in film have included Adam Sandler
in The Wedding Singer
and Punch Drunk Love, Robin Williams
in The Fisher King and Tom Hanks
in Forrest Gump
. Often the dag is portrayed as the lovable sidekick
such as Rupert Grint
as Ron Weasley
in the Harry Potter
films.
Sometimes the dag as hero must transition to an admired superhero to be of best use to the world as exemplified in characters like Clark Kent
in the Superman
franchise, Robin
in Batman
, Peter Parker in Spider-Man
and Wonder Woman in Wonder Woman
.
The more usual storyline featuring a dag character is that in which the dag is helped to change by developing more usual social skills and style such as Anne Hathaway
's character in The Devil Wears Prada
, Drew Barrymore
's character in Never Been Kissed
, and Lindsay Lohan
's character in Mean Girls
and such story lines also have their male equivalents.
Other media personalities have fitted the dag archetype by nature more than role. Comic and naturalist Bill Oddie
, environmentalist and TV personality Steve Irwin
, and comedians Eric Idle
and Spike Milligan
have all displayed the idiosyncrasies commonly associated with affable dags.
The embarrassing nature of dag demeanor makes them disliked by some and loved by others for the same reasons. When Steve Irwin died, some Australians spoke of him as an embarrassing reflection on Australian culture whilst other Australians stood up for him as a lovable dag and particularly his overseas audience, celebrated his naturalness and affable nature.
The cultural confusion between the dag and bogan archetypes in the media is exemplified by the 1998 film, Dags, which whilst incorporating a few features of archetypal dag clothing style for the men, i.e.: long socks, Hawaiian shirts, sandals, has the women in tank tops and hot pants quite unassociated with the dag archetype, and portrays typical bogan archetypes throughout the film of slovenliness, substance abuse and indiscriminate sex.
A film with a dag as hero is very different from a daggy film. Daggy, being an adjective meaning unfashionable and silly, in the context of film, would be a film which is unfashionable to watch and of a silly or laughable nature.
A dag may, for example, choose to wear textures that feel nice regardless of how they look or wear something they have become attached to even if it's old and worn out. The emphasis, however, is on being unconventional rather than the slovenly archetype associated with the term 'bogan'.
Dags are considered amusing just by being themselves and attract feelings of either embarrassment or endearment from others.
Dag music tends to be that which one's age peers wouldn't accept or would find out of date. Similarly, dags may wear hair and clothing styles they enjoy even where these are considered unfashionable or ridiculous.
The tendency of dags to stick with what they like regardless of the opinions or pressures from others wins respect from some but pity, scorn or bullying from others for the same reasons.
Dags are seen as enjoying activities regardless of their appearances to others. An example may be that teenage and adult dags may skip down the street or sing in the street just because it's fun regardless of the social consequences.
Australian English
Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....
and New Zealand
New Zealand English
New Zealand English is the dialect of the English language used in New Zealand.The English language was established in New Zealand by colonists during the 19th century. It is one of "the newest native-speaker variet[ies] of the English language in existence, a variety which has developed and...
slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
term. In Australia, it is often used as an affectionate insult for someone who is, or is perceived to be, unfashionable, lacking self consciousness about their appearance and/or with poor social skills yet affable and amusing. In New Zealand, it is used to describe an amusing person (as in, "He's a bit of a dag") and is non-pejorative.
Differentiated from bogan
Bogan
The term bogan is Australian slang, usually pejorative or self-deprecating, for an individual who is recognised to be from a lower class background or someone whose limited education, speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour exemplifies such a background....
where accents are presumed to indicate working class or uneducated origins, dag refers to being unfashionable, eccentric and fool-like and, hence, has no necessary ties with social class or educational background.
History
Originally a word meaning the dried faeces left dangling from the wool on a sheep's rear end, the word dag is more commonly used in colloquial Australian English to refer to someone's unfashionable, often eccentric or idiosyncratic style or demeanor together with poor social skills and amusing manner.This colloquial use of the term 'dag' was first recorded in the Anzac Songbook in 1916 but has been popular since the 1970s. It has also been used interchangeably with the term 'wag' as in 'what a wag', which refers to the amusing aspect inherent in 'dag' but without referring to fashion or style.
This use of the word dag comes closest in meaning to the UK slang 'pillock' (meaning fool
Stupidity
Stupidity is a lack of intelligence, understanding, reason, wit, or sense. It may be innate, assumed, or reactive - 'being "stupid with grief" as a defence against trauma', a state marked with 'grief and despair...making even simple daily tasks a hardship'....
) but 'dag' is differentiated from terms like dork, nerd
Nerd
Nerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
or geek
Geek
The word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...
by virtue of having no particular association with a drive for intellectual pursuits or interest in technology and no particular tendency towards being a loner. It is also used differently in that it can be an affectionate term as much as, or even more than, an insult. However, one can simultaneously fit the archetype for a dag and a geek, dork or nerd.
Whilst 'bogan' refers to being unfashionable in the slovenly sense, it is distinguished from dag in that the term bogan has no necessary links with being eccentric, idiosyncratic or amusing. Similarly, the more antisocial behaviours associated with bogans are usually not found amusing and are more associated with terms like yobbo
Yobbo
Yobbo or yob is a slang term for an uncouth or thuggish working-class person. The word derives from a back slang reading of the word "boy" .-Britain:Dr. C. T...
.
Dags in the media
In film, adult autisticAutism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
characters are often portrayed as dags in terms of being socially inept and oblivious to fashion. In the film Rain Man
Rain Man
Rain Man is a 1988 drama film written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass and directed by Barry Levinson. It tells the story of an abrasive and selfish yuppie, Charlie Babbitt, who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his other son,...
, the main character's, fixations on labels and tendency to say the socially unacceptable and his rather stiff dress sense with his top shirt button always done up is an archetypal example of 'daggy' behavior demonstrating his lack of awareness of mainstream dress codes and style. Similarly, the klutzy, quirky, socially naive behaviors of the main characters with ASD in the film Mozart and the Whale
Mozart and the Whale
Mozart and the Whale is a 2005 romantic comedy-drama film starring Josh Hartnett and Radha Mitchell, and directed by Petter Næss.-Plot:...
follows this same line.
TV series like Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
(in which Betty portrays a blend of Geek and Dag) present her as the hero who ends up inspiring and changing others. Films and characters where the central dag character becomes the hero include Rachel Griffiths
Rachel Griffiths
Rachel Anne Griffiths is an Australian film and television actress who came to prominence in the 1994 film Muriel's Wedding and her Academy Award nominated performance in the 1997 film Hilary and Jackie....
in Very Annie Mary
Very Annie Mary
Very Annie Mary is a 2001 comedy film and musical from the United Kingdom, written and directed by Sara Sugarman and starring Rachel Griffiths and Jonathan Pryce. It is a coming-of-age tale, set in south Wales, about a woman in her 30s who lives with her verbally abusive father...
, Toni Collette
Toni Collette
Antonia "Toni" Collette is an Australian actress and musician, known for her acting work on stage, television and film as well as a secondary career as the lead singer of the band Toni Collette & the Finish....
in Muriel's Wedding
Muriel's Wedding
Muriel's Wedding is a 1994 Australian-French romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by P. J. Hogan. The film, which stars actresses Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Sophie Lee, and Bill Hunter, focuses on the socially awkward Muriel whose ambition is to have a glamorous wedding and improve...
, Jane Horrocks
Jane Horrocks
Barbara Jane Horrocks is an English voice, stage, screen and television actress, voice artist, musician, and singer. She is best known for her role as "Bubble" in the TV series Absolutely Fabulous as well as her distinctive voice....
in Little Voice
Little Voice (film)
Little Voice is a 1998 British drama film with music written and directed by Mark Herman. The screenplay is based on the play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright.- Plot :...
, Julie Walters
Julie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
in Educating Rita
Educating Rita (film)
Educating Rita is a 1983 film of Willy Russell's play of the same title directed by Lewis Gilbert and stars Julie Walters, Michael Caine, and Maureen Lipman with a screenplay by Russell.-Premise:...
, Amanda Plummer in The Fisher King
The Fisher King (film)
The Fisher King is a 1991 American comedy-drama film written by Richard LaGravenese and directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda Plummer and Michael Jeter...
and Audrey Tatou in Amélie
Amélie
Amélie is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume Laurant, the film is a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre...
.
Similar male dag-as-hero characters in film have included Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
in The Wedding Singer
The Wedding Singer
The Wedding Singer is a 1998 romantic comedy film written by Tim Herlihy and directed by Frank Coraci. It stars Adam Sandler as a wedding singer in the 1980s and Drew Barrymore as a waitress with whom he falls in love....
and Punch Drunk Love, Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
in The Fisher King and Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
in Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic comedy-drama romance film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise...
. Often the dag is portrayed as the lovable sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
such as Rupert Grint
Rupert Grint
Rupert Alexander Lloyd Grint is an English actor, who rose to prominence playing Ron Weasley, one of the three main characters in the Harry Potter film series. Grint was cast as Ron at the age of 11, having previously acted only in school plays and at his local theatre group...
as Ron Weasley
Ron Weasley
Ronald Bilius "Ron" Weasley is a fictional character and one of the three protagonists in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. His first appearance was in the first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the best friend of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger...
in the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
films.
Sometimes the dag as hero must transition to an admired superhero to be of best use to the world as exemplified in characters like Clark Kent
Clark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
in the Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
franchise, Robin
Robin (comics)
Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
in Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, Peter Parker in Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and Wonder Woman in Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
.
The more usual storyline featuring a dag character is that in which the dag is helped to change by developing more usual social skills and style such as Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway (actress)
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. After several stage roles, she appeared in the 1999 television series Get Real. She played Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries...
's character in The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada (film)
The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 comedy-drama film, a loose screen adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel of the same name. It stars Anne Hathaway as Andrea Sachs, a recent college graduate who goes to New York City and gets a job as a co-assistant to powerful and demanding fashion magazine...
, Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
's character in Never Been Kissed
Never Been Kissed
Never Been Kissed is a 1999 comedy film directed by Raja Gosnell and starring Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, Michael Vartan, Molly Shannon, Leelee Sobieski, John C. Reilly, Jessica Alba, Marley Shelton, James Franco , Giuseppe Andrews, Jeremy Jordan and Garry Marshall...
, and Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
's character in Mean Girls
Mean Girls
Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have...
and such story lines also have their male equivalents.
Other media personalities have fitted the dag archetype by nature more than role. Comic and naturalist Bill Oddie
Bill Oddie
William "Bill" Edgar Oddie OBE is an English author, actor, comedian, artist, naturalist and musician, who became famous as one of The Goodies....
, environmentalist and TV personality Steve Irwin
Steve Irwin
Stephen Robert "Steve" Irwin , nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian television personality, wildlife expert, and conservationist. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series which he co-hosted...
, and comedians Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
and Spike Milligan
Spike Milligan
Terence Alan Patrick Seán "Spike" Milligan Hon. KBE was a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier and actor. His early life was spent in India, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He became an Irish citizen in 1962 after the...
have all displayed the idiosyncrasies commonly associated with affable dags.
The embarrassing nature of dag demeanor makes them disliked by some and loved by others for the same reasons. When Steve Irwin died, some Australians spoke of him as an embarrassing reflection on Australian culture whilst other Australians stood up for him as a lovable dag and particularly his overseas audience, celebrated his naturalness and affable nature.
The cultural confusion between the dag and bogan archetypes in the media is exemplified by the 1998 film, Dags, which whilst incorporating a few features of archetypal dag clothing style for the men, i.e.: long socks, Hawaiian shirts, sandals, has the women in tank tops and hot pants quite unassociated with the dag archetype, and portrays typical bogan archetypes throughout the film of slovenliness, substance abuse and indiscriminate sex.
A film with a dag as hero is very different from a daggy film. Daggy, being an adjective meaning unfashionable and silly, in the context of film, would be a film which is unfashionable to watch and of a silly or laughable nature.
Dag style
Dag style isn't by necessity slovenly.A dag may, for example, choose to wear textures that feel nice regardless of how they look or wear something they have become attached to even if it's old and worn out. The emphasis, however, is on being unconventional rather than the slovenly archetype associated with the term 'bogan'.
Dags are considered amusing just by being themselves and attract feelings of either embarrassment or endearment from others.
Dag music tends to be that which one's age peers wouldn't accept or would find out of date. Similarly, dags may wear hair and clothing styles they enjoy even where these are considered unfashionable or ridiculous.
The tendency of dags to stick with what they like regardless of the opinions or pressures from others wins respect from some but pity, scorn or bullying from others for the same reasons.
Dag friendships
The term dag can be a compliment from one dag to another.Dags are seen as enjoying activities regardless of their appearances to others. An example may be that teenage and adult dags may skip down the street or sing in the street just because it's fun regardless of the social consequences.
Dag vocabulary
In addition to dag (as noun) and daggy (as adjective) is dagging (a verb associated with behaving in a daggy way).External links
- http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/05/26/culture-soup-why-dags-arent-bogans/#more-236 blog entry about dags by Donna Williams
- http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/DAGGY online dag-related dictionary.
- daggy definition - Dictionary - MSN Encarta (Archived 2009-10-31) Dag related definitions.
- http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/slang/ Dag listed as affectionate insult
- http://www.nz.com/new-zealand/guide-book/language/dictionary.aspx Dag in NZ dictionary as 'amusing person'
- http://www.macmillandictionary.com/MED-Magazine/June2005/31-New-Word-BBQ.htm examples of dag style quirks
- http://www.aussieinamerica.com/language/names.htm dag as explained to Americans as 'geek', 'slob' or 'nut'
- Daggy and dag defined in Macquarie dictionary
- Sociocultural use of the colloquialism 'dag'
- history of 'dag' back to 1916
- daggy as dork, passe or unfashionable
- Dag in relation to fashion, style, behavior
- daggy as different from others, unwilling to conform
- dag as socially inept person
- dag as clown, joker, eccentric