Youth Culture throughout the years
A porcupine skin, stiff with bad tanning, it must have ended somewhe Stuffed horned owl pompous
And the canoe that went to pieces on the beach, the year of the big storm when the hotel burned down at Seney, Michigan.
Yellow eyed Chuck-wills-widow on a biased twig sooted with dust. piles of old magazines, drawers of boys letters And the line of love. They must have ended somewhere. Yesterday’s Tribune is gone along with the younth “Youth” - Ernest Hemingway
{1950s} rock and roll ~
free spirits
The word ‘teenager’ first came around in the 50s due to the popularity surrounding that age range. It was the decade where teenagers started to gain more independence and freedom so they were able to buy more products such as food, clothes and music. During world war II teenagers were expected to have a lot of responsibility, help their mothers look after the household or earn money for their families thus the 1950s gave way to a sense of freedom and ease that teenagers beforehand never got. New mediums were created in the 50s such as the television and the continued success of the radio which were both popular with the 50s youth culture. The 50s also introduced high school dances, fashion trends, music trends and more teenagers were starting to apply for college. However, the 50s also brought friction into the family household. Parents and adults did not know how to take the teenagers new found ‘freedom’ and some thought that it caused teenagers to be too rebellious and disruptive.
{1960s} baby boom ~
the flower children
The 1960s was the beginning of the rock and roll culture with the success of the beatles and the who forming in the 60s. The 60s was a time of cultural and political change , people’s moral and cultural vaulues were changing. It was the era where the ‘baby boomers’ of the 40s were reaching their late teenage years which resulted in them shaping their ideas and cultural values into the 60s society. The cultural changes in the 60s included the civil rights movement and young people’s views shaped the beginning of the hippy culture, the fight for racial equality and political activism. The hippy movement was a big part of the 60s, the use of recreational drugs, woodstock, and long unwashed hair. The hippies were responsibe for sending the message of freedom and ideas of expressing individuality in the world. The hippies were known as the ‘flower children’ is the 60s.
{1970s} the punk era ~
mod rockers
The 70s music scene moved on from the decade of The Beatles to the decade of disco. Rock, disco and punk were all a big part of the 70s music for teenagers. It was the decade were The Beatles broke up, Jimmy Hendrix and Janis Joplin both died and bands like Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles rose to success. The 70s gave people an idea of the computerised future with digital watches, pocket calculators and the beginning of computer game such as the tennis game “Pong�. In Britian the 70s meant a change of currency, from pounds, shillings and pence to the decimal currency which meant the prices of everything went up thus there was a problem with inflation. The 70s was the start of the punk era of the youth culture. The advertising industry took in the punk era which helped it become a phenomenon.
{1980s} materialism ~
self doubt and anxiety
Youth and popular culture reflected the political stance of the western culture in the 80s. Politics were very conservative and this was represented in the youth of the decade. There was heavy empathises on college, education and getting a good, well paid career. It was thought that young people of the 80s were very materalistic and concerned with their own lives and not others around them. A survey suggested that young professional people were more interested in their own careers and goals than their parents and grandparents would have been. However, the popular culture of the 80s with films like “The Big Chill” and “Bright Lights, Big City” which showed a world of young people plagued with anxiety suggesting that, maybe, young people were not as materialistic as originally thought.
{1990s} Generation X ~
building a bridge
The 1990s youth culture built a bridge between the disco and punk filled 80s and the technology centric 2000s. The 90s was big on cheesy pop music and the start of mobile phones, email and use of the Internet which would really set off in 2000s. The 1990s continued to support social liberalisation but it also showed the rise of capitalism. The result of the clash of movements was the the youth culture embraced both movements and was reflected by their fashion sense. The fashion in the 1990s was highly influenced by retro styles of the 60s and 70s as well as Generation X. Body piercings and tattoos became popular and california culture was influencial.
{2000s} technological era ~
consumerism
The 2000s is the new decade known as the tecnological decade. The Internet became prominent as did the use of mobile phones and emails. This had a crucial impact on society and how the western culture operates. Consumerism in youth culture in the 2000s was affected by the new media. Young people wanted the best mobile phone, laptop etand latest accessories and in turn showed how much of consumer filled world we live in. The 2000s also saw the development of new teenage ‘stereotypes’. The main new stereotype that emerged was the ‘chav’ - the young teenager in a hoody and talking ‘street’ language which adults were somehwat intimidated by.