The 1960's are often cited as a period of culture revolution and freedom of dress. In just ten years the sixties brought mainstream attention to the mini-skirt, the t-shirt, the use of vinyl in clothing, bodypaint and the normalization of women's trousers as an everyday garment. It was in this season of change the term "pop culture" emerged as a comment on the younger generations fascination with anything popular, ranging anywhere from fashion and music to politics. Though the connotation was initially negative, the term was quickly adapted by the youth of the decade who used it to represent the acceptance and excitement surrounding newness and impermanence.
Word began to spread that enjoying things while they were popular, regardless of whether or not it would last, was the most forward thinking experience the youth could boast. Less than twenty years had passed since the last world war and the children of that generation were beginning to come into adulthood, questioning why their parents continued to live frugally and conservatively despite the booming economy of the western world. Demand for popular product was nothing new, and yet the increase of middle class households in this growing economy brought a greater surge of American shoppers to the forefront. It soon became necessary for companies to adapt to mass production to keep up with supply and public demand. Expectations began to arise for corporations to keep the public occupied with a constant stream of new products.
The question became how to achieve mass market success with products whose first goal wasn't to last, but to entertain. If the public was expected to lose interest in the product before the product actually wore out, it could be made cheaper, faster and with less attention to detail. As companies began searching for materials that would easily adapt to the new stream lined needs of mass market the future began to gleam in shinny, durable plastic. Having cracked the code of plastic creation back in 1907 with the invention of Bakelite, war time advances such as the creation of nylon and other synthetic fabrics meant it was finally ready for mass production. Durable, lightweight, and economical, plastic became the ideal vessel in which to launch this craze for newness. Anything you could imagine could be made in plastic, from kitchenware to outdoor furniture. Jewelry, milk jugs, shopping bags, polyester fabrics, and cellophane were being produced and consumed at rapidly growing rates and distributed through another vessel of new, streamlined efficiency; the department store.
For the first time in modern history one could purchase a complete wardrobe, furnish a house, stock the groceries and browse outdoor activities all in the same store. Convenience was king and efficiency was royal adviser. To appease the collective desire for convenience everything became disposable. Plastic cutlery, paper plates and even paper dresses could be used, thrown away, and replaced before you're next dinner party with a simple stop at the department store.
With the environmental effects not yet weighing on the public conscious, and corporations looking to embrace faster, cheaper production, the sixties continued to consume at a rapidly growing rate. What resulted was an early model of fast fashion. Which leaves behind the question; why do we glorify the sixties commercial consumption as "aesthetic" if we recognize it as our own generations downfall? In the last sixty years this "craze for newness" has grown into a part of our culture. The internet that once promised us a means of community and connection has developed into a tool with which the ever swelling rate of supply and demand has reached a global scale. What started in the sixties as the charm of the temporary has snowballed into a new normal. In modern times nothing is expected to last a lifetime, even large appliances like washing machines and refrigerators aren't expected to last any longer than twelve years.
It's obvious to us now that the same problem affects our clothes. A cotton t-shirt made in the mid-nineties can still be a nice shirt under proper care, can we even pretend the majority of clothes made today will be wearable in thirty years? Why have we as the collective public been okay with this shift in quality consumer goods?
More recently we've seen a rise in environmental awareness and an increasing demand for quality products made under mindful conditions. I find this reviving interest in what we're consuming comforting, however, it still doesn't answer my initial question: Why do we glorify pop culture if we're capable of recognizing it as the start of modern trend culture?
As someone who draws so much inspiration from both the 1960's and pop culture as a whole, i find this a difficult question to answer. How do we appreciate the beauty of the decade(s) and trends without consenting to the harm the mindset of throwaway products brought us? I don't think it's particularly radical to suggest the glorification of trends needs to come to an end. Though that doesn't necessarily mean we should stop filling our Pinterest boards with any trend or decade that we feel inspired by. What matters (as always) are our actions.
Personal style is built over time, collections are built overtime, even connections are built over time. We've been fed the lie that we should expect instant gratification in almost every part of our lives. The youth of the sixties we're enamored with newness because it was radical for the time, today in a world where we're told we must have the latest "it" thing to remain relevant to the everchanging algorithms and "pop-medias" the most radical thing you can be is content to live and build slowly. To be intentional with your actions, your time, and your purchases. We have all the means to connect with every corner of the earth and yet we are lonely. We have the capability to learn about any subject with the click of a button, and yet we never fact check the words we read on X. We have all the tools to do things with intention, let's not be lead by convenience.
Thank you for reading! If you've made it this far consider leaving a comment!
-Coco Elouise Marie