More and more young Australians are embracing life as an ‘eshay’, wreaking havoc at train stations and shopping centres, while proudly sporting fanny packs 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 toughest eshays engage in assaults, robberies and threaten other young people, the majority seem to wander the streets aimlessly.
TikTok has helped some teenagers show off their bad behavior, posting videos of themselves fighting with members of the public and taking drugs.
More and more young Australians are embracing life as an ‘eshay’, wreaking havoc at train stations and shopping centres, while proudly sporting fanny packs and mullets.
Eshay culture has gained traction in Australia with gangs in almost every state.
While they managed to create their own questionable uniform in the form of baggy sweatpants, shorts and polos, the eshays have also developed their own language.
Some mix up words and put ‘ay’ at the end in a form of porcine Latin. ‘Eetswa’ means ‘sweet’ and ‘cold’ becomes ‘illchay’.
The term eshay is similar to the British phrase “chav” and can be interchangeable with “lad”, which in turn sometimes becomes “adlay”.
‘Eshay’ may have started as ‘eshay adlay’, which is Latin for ‘he is a boy’ or be related to ‘sesh’, from a prolonged period of drug use.
Eshays are said to have spread from Sydney’s inner city graffiti scene in the 1980s through Housing Commission properties and into the suburbs.
Eshays are known to hang around train stations.
Teenagers who embraced eshay culture predominantly came from low socioeconomic backgrounds, but the movement has also been adopted by private school children.
Favorite brands for eshay fashion include Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Lacoste, along with Nautica, Adidas, Under Armor and Ellesse.