More Australian youths are embracing life as an ‘eshay’, causing havoc at train stations and shopping centres, while proudly donning bumbags and mullets.
The eshay movement has gained traction across the country with its teenage members identified by their matching designer sportswear, Nike TN sneakers and generally menacing attitude.
While the more hard-core eshays engage in assaults, robberies and threaten other youths, most seem to wander the streets aimlessly.
TikTok has helped some teens show off their eshay behaviour, posting videos of themselves brawling with members of the public and using drugs.
More Australian youths are embracing life as an ‘eshay’, causing havoc at train stations and shopping centres, while proudly donning bumbags and mullets
The eshay culture has gained traction around Australia with gangs in nearly every state
Many eshays use social media to show off their chaotic antics
While they’ve managed to create their own questionable uniform in the form of baggy track pants, shorts and polo shirts, eshays have also developed their own language.
Some scramble words and put ‘ay’ on the end in a form of pig Latin. ‘Eetswa’ means ‘sweet’ and ‘chill’ becomes ‘illchay’.
The term eshay is similar to the UK phrase ‘chav’ and can be interchangeable with ‘lad’, which in turn sometimes becomes ‘adlay’.
‘Eshay’ may have started as ‘eshay adlay’ – pig Latin for ‘he’s lad’ or be related to ‘sesh’, for a prolonged period of drug consumption.
Eshays are said to have spread from Sydney’s inner-city graffiti scene in the 1980s through Housing Commission estates and out into the suburbs.
Teens embracing eshay culture had predominantly come from low socioeconomic backgrounds but the movement has also been picked up by private school boys.
Favoured labels for the fashionable eshay include Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and Lacoste, paired with Nautica, Adidas, Under Armour and Ellesse.
Eshays are said to have spread from Sydney’s inner-city graffiti scene in the 1980s through Housing Commission estates and out into the suburbs
The movement is popular in young Aussie teenagers
Eshays are known to hang around at train stations
Sydney rapper Kerser is pictured. Kerser has influenced the eshay movement with his music
In south-east Queensland it is the Northside Gang which have been causing chaos for many residents.
The group of eshays are known to showcase their rebellion on social media, posting videos of wads of cash and drugs.
Their rivals are those of the Southside Gang, also known to broadcast their behaviour, posting footage of them attempting to steal cars.
In Sydney the movement has been further exacerbated by drill rap group OneFour, hailing from Mount Druitt and famous for their song ‘Shanks and Shivs’.
Three members of the group were jailed including two over a violent assault in a hotel pokies room nearby Rooty Hill in 2018 which left two men unconscious.
Whatever the motive for urban teenagers with bad haircuts donning Nike TNs and slinging bumbags over their shoulders, they are apparently overtaking the suburbs
In January a young ‘eshay’ with a mullet threatened to bash an adult on a Melbourne train, before declaring that he ‘owns Frankston’. A bystander filmed the boy, who appeared to be about 13 years old, attempting to intimidate – or ‘staunch’ the man (pictured)
Fellow Sydney rapper Spanian has also done wonders for the eshay subculture and is seen as the poster boy for the worrying trend in teens.
The controversial artist is known for speaking candidly about his life of crime, imprisonment, drug addiction and growing up in inner city Woolloomooloo.
Many see Spanian as one of the ‘original’ Sydney eshays.
Notorious Sydney rapper and convicted felon Spanian has made a name for himself in the world of eshays
Rock it! Jacob Elordi (left) is the latest Australian actor to make it big in Hollywood. But over the weekend, the Euphoria, 24, star proved that he’s holding onto his roots as he showed off his local ‘eshay’ fashion in a video shared to TikTok on Sunday
Recently Aussie actor Jacob Elordi was spotted in an outfit some social media users likened to that of an eshay.
The Euphoria star was seen chatting to a friend in Byron Bay last week, sporting a bum bag slung high over his shoulder, a loose shirt and cream bucket hat.
Even if Australians have never heard of the term eshay, the chances are high that while waiting for a train or bus, or even walking through a local park that they’ve crossed paths with one.
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