Western lifestyle

Western lifestyle or cowboy culture is the lifestyle, or behaviourisms, of, and resulting from the influence of, the (often romanticized) attitudes, ethics and history of the American Western cowboy and cowgirl.^[1] In the present day these influences affect this sector of the population's choice of recreation, clothing, and consumption of goods. Today, the Western lifestyle is considered a subculture and includes strong influences from Native American and Mexican American, as well as aspects of African American and Asian American cultures.

Origins

The origins of cowboy culture go back to the Spanish who settled in New Mexico and later Texas bringing cattle.^[2] Prior to the 19th century, ranchers were primarily Spanish while those working it were Indigenous. By the late 1800s, one in three cowboys were Mexican and brought to the lifestyle its iconic symbols of hats, bandanas, spurs, stirrups, lariat, and lasso.^[3] With westward movement brought many distinct ethnicities all with their own cultural traditions. Welsh Americans, as one example, had a history in Wales of cattle and sheep droving, that incorporated well into ranch work.^[4]

Welsh Drovers

A common misconception is in relating Country to Western or vice versa. While the two may have similarities such as the music being based on folk singing, they are in fact uniquely different. For example, the sound of Country originates from Appalachia where immigrants of the British Isles settled in the hills of the south-east United States. Prior to the coining of the phrase "Country & Western" in 1956, Country was in large part known as Hillbilly music. On the other side, Western music derives from the area west of the Appalachia and ties into cowboy culture originally from Mexico but today spreads in the western states and parts of Western Canada.^[5] In the mid-20th century fusion of the two genres occurred with many musicians applying aspects of both genres into their song repertoire.

Dime novels

Beginning in the 1860s, dime novels began sharing erroneous and highly romanticized tales of the West, feeding the public's interest in the trade and life West of the Mississippi.^[6]

Radio, Film and Television

Throughout the 20th century, radio, film and television had a profound affect on the fashion and mannerisms that built the foundation of what it meant to be living a Western lifestyle, however most of this was more Hollywood glitz and glamour than historical narrative.^[7]

Display of Gene Autry memorabilia

Revival

In the 1980s, following the urbanization of much of the Texas population, there was a marked revival of cowboy culture with the creation of a number of organizations devoted to its preservation, among them the American Cowboy Culture Association.^[8]

Notable people

The following is a list of notable people who lived or are living a Western lifestyle post to its technological and societal change at the beginning of the 20th century. This list does not include those of whom lived during the 19th century who were living in what was considered the Old West and preoccupied with the Western norms of the day.

To be included in this list, the person must be notable and either have a Wikipedia article showing they were or are influenced by the Western lifestyle or must have references showing their claim. This is not a list for artists or entertainers who were playing a Western role or create a subject of Western art for which they are only credited. Likewise, it is neither for a politician who has only been photographed in a cowboy hat for an event, nor a celebrity who wears cowboy boots.

• 
  Gene Autry
• 
  Roy Rogers
• 
  Ronald Reagan
• 
  Lynn Anderson
• 
  Wes Studi

Notable livestock and companions

Notable entities

Notable media

See also

• Gaucho culture
• Cowboy church
• Rodeo
• Western (genre)
  • Cowboy poetry
  • Western comics
  • Western music (North America)
  • Western fiction
  • Singing cowboy
  • Spaghetti Western
    • List of Spaghetti Western films
  • Western wear

References