Beatniks were a media stereotype that began in the 1950s and continued on into the mid-1960s. It characterized and displayed the different aspects of the beat generation literary movement. The beat generation was pioneered by Jack Kerouac, which became the notable voice of the group. He was an American writer who began writing in the 1940s but did not become successful until 1957. He became famous for the American classic novel “On the Road” and his career took off after the book was published. This book defined the beat generation. This movement consisted of American writers who began a social and literary movement in New York and San Francisco. They felt alienated by the conventionality and materialism of the society during the 1950s. The term beat meant “beaten down” or “weary”. The beatniks had no interest or involvement with political affairs. There were no political rebellions that ascended form the movement. They were not influencing social change, but they promoted Illuminating one’s self through a state of mind that was heightened by hallucinogenic drugs. Beatniks enjoyed sex and Jazz music was the music of their choice and many beatniks were usually seen with bongos, which is a musical long bodied drum that is held with the knees and played with the hands ("Beatnik Generation", 2014; Editors of encyclopedia, 2013; "Beatnik", 2014; Rahn, 2011; Beck & Parsons, 2007). The beatniks were a very unique group who had their own sense of style. There are specific clothing articles that were geared towards the counterculture. Since this movement had a focus on self-improvement, they were against materialism. The look for the men in the beatnik generation was very similar to how they dress in France. They wore tight cotton shirts and accessorized with berets and scarfs. Male beatniks were stereotyped by certain pieces of clothes and pattern designs like the turtlenecks, and horizontal striped shirts. Another classic look for the beatnik men were plain sweaters with no detailed designs on them. These men preferred black clothing and shoes. One of the main items that were present in a male beatnik’s wardrobe were big framed dark sunglasses (Maughan, 2014). For women, black was also the color that was favored and preferred. They wore black Capri pants, stirrup slacks, and pencil skirts. Women tended to wear a variety of tops. These tops ranged from sweatshirts, knit shirts, turtlenecks, black leotards, or thin sweaters with cowl necks. The extremely popular accessories that every beatnik women wanted were berets and scarves just like the men. Women made sure to keep their jewelry to a minimum due to the beliefs pf the group (Maughan, 2014). There were different hairstyles that characterized the beatnik men and women. The men were known for wearing the classic pointed goatee. This was a way for the men to directly go against the societal norm of shaved hair for cleanliness. Since the society was so big on the buzz cut for men during this era, men from the beatnik generation decided to grow their hair out longer and chose to have more of a bowl cut. For the women, they chose to wear their hair long as well. They preferred plain straightened hairstyles. They went this route because they viewed going to salon to get your hair done as being materialistic. It was also common for both men and women to dye their hair to black or darker colors (Maughan, 2014). Sources
The Beatnik Generation | Voices of East Anglia. (2014). The Beatnik Generation | Voices of East Anglia. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.voicesofeastanglia.com/2011/10/the-beatnik-generation.html Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2013, September 17). Beat movement (American literary and social movement). Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/57467/Beat-movement Maughan, J. (2014). What Did Beatniks Wear. - Life123. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.life123.com/beauty/fashion/beatnik/what-did-beatniks-wear.shtml Rahn, J. (2011, January 1). "The Beat Generation"| Literature Periods and Movements. . Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.online-literature.com/periods/beat.php Beatnik. (2014, April 23). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatnik Beck, J., & Parsons, J. L. (2007). Twentieth century dress in the United States. New York: Fairchild Publications.
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