Pokemones, the Chilean Millennial Generation.

Chile is a small country at the end of… actually the end of the World. It is very conservative, especially after the traumatic 16 years of Pinochet dictatorship. Pinochet government last from 1973 to 1990. During his regime many people were tortured and assassinated. Expressing any opposition to the militars was an excuse to be interrogated. All media was repressed and the censorship was very strict. (They forbid the movie “The Last Temptation of Christ” until 2004). During those years they govern under special rights and meeting were forbidden after two o’clock. In the same line Chile is a very Catholic country that didn’t have a Divorce Law until end of 2004. Also any kind of abortion in forbidden by law until today.
The transition from dictatorship to freedom was slowly, Pinochet remain some power after he left the government and he tied many laws to not permit a lot of freedom.

With that antecedents the Chilean Millenials generation born. This new generation had many subcultures, but one of the most interesting is the one they called “Pokemones”. It is called that was because the hairstyle has a resemblance to the Japanese Pokemon. This group is mainly from middle low class and their archinemenis are the Pelolais (Straight Hair), girls from good Catholic families.

This Pokemones had some similarity with other subgroups such as Emo or Otaku, but this pokemones are not naïve and based part of their culture in a sexual freedom unknown for Chile. They created the term “Poncea” that means to make out with as many people as they can. This had change Chile from a very conservative country to the one in Latin America with the earliest sexual start. This new sexual behavior had alert to the government that is not prepare to have a new sexual education. Internet also had been used by the Pokemones to coordinate their parties and to show they behavior to their tribe. Today Chile with a 15 million population had more than 4 million of Fotoblog where this generation shows their adventures.

As a Marketers I consider interesting as little country develop their own subculture. If you compare this generation with the Spanish generation after Franco you can find some common argument, but the same quest for freedom but in the internet society. Usually the generation are a soft transition between one to another, but this one show something completely different in Chile, hope that this can live together with all the traditional society.