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Counter Culture And Women In The 1960s

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What was the relationship between the counterculture aesthetic and mainstream fashion for women in the 1960s?

Aubrey Phu
Fritch Block 6
04/18/23
In the 1960s America entered a decade of great cultural change leading to the birth of counterculture. Popular culture revolved around youth rebellion and individualism which liberated many of the conservative cultural norms of the previous decade. The counterculture influenced all types of American culture and presented an era of change in self-identity. A primary target was the fashion industry. The 1960s social changes heavily influenced fashion as society broke loose from social traditions, while the fashion industry mirrored by liberating previous restrictions. Liberation through …show more content…

Termed by Vogue magazine, the Youthquake represented American social changes dominated by the growing importance of the youth and their consumerism. Social changes included revolt against the ideal image of femininity that was heavily imprinted on women of the post-war society. The Youthquake styles were for the first time directed at teens and took on a more spirited and youthful look, rebelling against high fashion, although soon taken on by couture and the mass market. Boutiques with this style became immensely popular and designers began to cater to these powerful consumers. In 1964, Mary Quant, an English fashion designer, invented the mini skirt. This represented a new fashion liberation and design shift inspired by the youth counterculture. The previous decades' restrictive clothing had been rebelled against with shorter hemlines of skirts and the idea of freedom shown through clothes. Celebrities such as Twiggy embodied this look and became known figures that popularized this movement. Youthquake fashion introduced the 60s to the beginning of the young generation's street styles and the development of a distinguished way of life that shaped fashion. This paved the way for other countercultural subcultures such as the hippies, who similarly used clothing as a self-expression to show their individuality and freedom that was a shifted

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During the 1970s fashion was considered as daring, carefree and diverse. The women in this decade would wear long, bright and bodily patterned clothing, while the men would wear tights shits, long wide at the ankle pants and have a long moustache. The 1970s was the decade of the hippie movement.

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Women were able to wear pants to work, oftenly traditionally men’s work, and other daily activities. Despite the great change in the 1940s, the 1950s brought a decline in progress for women’s independence and opportunities. Their clothing

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The fashion of the 1920 s is a reflection of peoples extravagant lifestyles and elevated thinking. It was an exciting time to be a woman because more freedoms and opportunities were available, not to mention woman gaining the right to vote . There were new patterns of clothing, bras,and smaller corsets not to mention that most of the clothing was made by the woman themselves. Through the years woman have stayed at home and not had much involvement in the society.

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Inspired by social icons in the news, most American followed suit in the crazy hair trends, soon making them the norm. Following the trend of consumerism, dressing for success also became big as citizens tried to mimic the wealth and beauty they had come to know in icons of the time. Genres of dressing also arose in the contrasting styles of “Preppy” and “Street Style”. The first favoring the typical white-suburban look, many wore pastel polos, sweaters, Keds shoes, and jean or khaki pants. Street style, however; followed the rise of Hip Hop and Pop, taking inspiration more from music stars in the form of sequin dresses, colorful athleisure pieces, wild prints, and outrageous colors.

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1950s nostalgia heavily influenced culture in the 1970s. The 1970s saw a big revival of 1950s music and films with “oldies” radio stations becoming popular, and people watching Howdy Doody again (Guffey, 2006). This revival was surprising resonate with teenagers who formed subcultures inspired by the 1950s revival media. Thus, the 1950s revival media impacted the fashion of the 1970s as these youth subcultures developed dawning 1950s styles of dress, and inspiring postmodern interpretations of 1950s fashion with the decade.

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Until the 1950s teens, as an age group, were never acknowledged as their own persons, but today teens are known worldwide. Teens have changed throughout history by way of their musical preferences and fashion, but the few characteristics that have stuck with teens are: their rebellious mindset and their need to be accepted by their peers and society. In the 1950s teenagers had developed their own fashion, some styles went along with norms and others rebelled against it. For example, the societal norms pushed girls to not wear pants, instead wear skirts, and guys weren’t able to wear jeans and have long hair, instead they’d wear khakis with short hair.

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The 1960s and 1980s had many similarities and differences. Even though they both took place in the 20th century, there were many changes over the span of twenty years. Over time, people’s preferences evolve, political and military forces adapt to changes during their time, and fashion and style change based on the newest entertainment sources. When gathering information from past decades, it can be inferred that politics, entertainment, and fashion hugely impacted everyday life. The 1960s and 1980s had similarities and differences in the categories of music and entertainment, politics and military, and social preferences.

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A famous dress during this time was called the "halter dresses”, it was the white dress wore by Marilyn Monroe designed by Travilla which became a fashion icon. Another dress that was trending was the "pencil dress”. This particular dress emphasised the female form with an open neck, cinched waist and narrow hip. 1950s fashion was a transition from the conservatism, restraint and formality of the 1940s, to a freer and more informal style. Throughout this decade, both male and females became more fashion conscious.

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Not everyone wanted to make their own clothes nor did they need to do it anymore, those who didn’t need to make their own clothes during the 1950’s were only confined to those who were rich. “If fashion of the 1950s first inspired individual identity through style, the sixties fully embraced and encouraged it” (“Clothes and men's and ladies fashions in the 1960's prices and examples”). 1962 fashion thrived due to the introduction of TV, it made manufacturing easier and cheaper and it made the everyday person have an eye for the new fashion trends. What was also introduced was the Hippie style, the style included long "maxi" skirts, bell-bottomed jeans, and many more unique tributes from African and American Indian cultures. The sandals were highly encouraged with long hair as well.

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Styles like punk, grunge, and hip-hop originated as counter-culture movements, allowing teens to assert their independence and challenge the status quo. “Teens were also taking influence from their favorite Hollywood celebrities, thus launching the start of the celebrity obsession in many western civilizations.” Celebrities such as Audrey Hepburn began influencing youth to dress and act a certain way, establishing how the media would affect society for good. It is evident that the fashion of the 20th century changed how the average person would express themselves and kicked off how the media would influence people to look a certain way. The influence of fashion extends beyond just clothing; it is a way for individuals to express themselves authentically while contributing to the broader cultural

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In the 1960s, “Fashion became about defining one’s projected identity through clothes, which in turn became instruments of claim in a society that, until then, had been very normalized” (Morin 3). Because of this new belief in fashion, people began to accept ready-to-wear fashion more, and women’s fashion highlighted natural beauty more (Morin

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Next, another principal style of the 1960s fashion is Hip Hop style. Hip Hop fashion is actually based off of Rap or Hip Hop music during the late 1960s. One of the main trends of Hip Hop fashion is jewelry. Because Hip Hop style originated from Africa and Latin, jewelry is a use as a status symbol. For example, Hip Hop accessories are made from high-priced metal such as gold, platinum and silver.

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The Vietnam War started in the late 60’s and continued into the early 70’s that's when the hippie movement also started. They valued peace, love, and freedom; The hippies and war protesters started the unisex movement which meant jeans, boots, shorts, and tank tops were worn by both genders. Fashion was a major influence in the United States. It helped people express their beliefs in a controlled manner and shaped the way for women’s rights.

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Hippie fashion was seen as rebellion and natural. Tie-dye and floral were the most popular. The hippies had made their mask with more natural faces, while the world around them were on the mad look. The ladies fashions, the skirts and dresses were nothing like what was seen on runways. Not since the 1920s did fashion change so radically.

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The 1960s, folk and the controversy of politics was a major contribution to fashion. Designers like Emilio Pucci and Jackie Onassis Kennedy influenced their creation onto what Several ordinary citizens would wear accessories, headbands, medallions, loose fabrics but others would often wear colorful tight skirts, hot pants claims Brassfield. In the era of 1980, Punks with often use change as an accessory, heavy boots, and other types of clothing that made them noticeable. According to the brief history of fashion trends, their hair appearance was more significant, as well as eye makeup. Once

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