For women, the bikini became very popular along with low cut bathing suit bottoms. Women wore one-piece or two-piece bathing suits. They also colorful tanks, sporty board shorts and light sundresses. The surfer men wore surfer style, loose fitting trunks. Hawaiian prints and flip flops were popular choices for both men and women. They both accessorized with surfboards, a beach towel, big sunglasses, shells or a beach ball (McMahon & Harris, 2014; Myles, 2011; "Retro 1960's", 2012; Moss, 2013; "Surf Culture", 2014, "Surf Music", 2014; Beck & Parsons, 2007). During the 1950 and 60s, the surf culture had become a complete industry. It included a lifestyle, language, and fashion that surrounded and centered the sport of surfing. Riding the waves was more than just a sport to the individuals who participated in this group. It had become a cultural obsession. The surf culture became extremely popular in many places around the world like Hawaii, Australia, and California. This subculture had a great impact on popular fashion, music, literature, films, and much more. Surfers were dependent on the weather conditions that were rapidly changing. Surfing itself had gained a lot of popularity amongst teenagers during the 1960s and Surfer Magazine was then founded. Since the history of surfing was adopted from the ancient Polynesians and their culture, many of the aspects from the surf culture are very similar to theirs. Surfing has a restricted geographical requirement so surfers were greatly influenced by the beach life. Part of the development of the surf culture included localism where groups of surfers would label a certain surfing spot as their own. The genre of music that is greatly associated with the surf culture is surf music. This type of music was really popular from the year 1961 to 1966. It had been revived and had a great influence on the following rock music. There are two major forms of surf music. This first is instrumental surf rock, which is played with an electric guitar or saxophone that plays the main melody. It was established by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones. The second form of surf music is surf pop. This form included both surf ballads and dance music with strong harmonies. This form is mostly associated with the group the Beach Boys. Many of the famous bands of this time were known for incorporating both surf pop music and surf instrumental music. Surf music is looked upon as one genre with a variety of styles and is termed surf rock. Surfers valued fellowship, kindness, and cooperation. They believed in working together and helping one another work towards common goals. They were associated with a casual, relaxed attitude that went along with their casual language and clothing. The styles of this sub culture were imitated by many people in different parts of the world. Non-surfers found the surf culture very interesting and admirable, so they would mimic some of their cultural aspects. In the mid 1960’s, beach wear became less conservative. Sources
McMahon, M., & Harris, B. (2014, April 28). WiseGeek. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-surf-culture.htm Myles, J. (2011, August 3). 1960's Southern California Surf Culture. HubPages. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://jjmyles.hubpages.com/hub/1960s-California-Surf-Culture Retro 1960's Swimwear, Beachwear and Surf Fashion. (2012). Dust Factory Vintage Clothing Wholesale RSS. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://dustfactoryvintage.com/retro-1960s-swimwear-beachwear-and-surf-fashion/ Moss, J. (2013, November 1). 1960s Surf Style: From Coastal Subculture to Hollywood Beach Party. Schedule by topic. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://ncp.pcaaca.org/presentation/1960s-surf-style-coastal-subculture-hollywood-beach-party SURF MUSIC. (n.d.). Surfing Safari. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://surfingsafari.wordpress.com/background/surf-music/ Parties & Entertaining Editor. (2007, August 13). How to Dress for a Sixties Party. eHow. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://www.ehow.com/how_2073967_dress-sixties-party.html Surf culture. (2014, March 5). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_culture Surf music. (2014, March 5). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_music Beck, J., & Parsons, J. L. (2007). Twentieth century dress in the United States. New York: Fairchild Publications.
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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. Greasers is a working-class youth subculture that was coined in the 1950s and grew increasingly popular towards the 1960s. Teenagers who participated in the subculture originated from northeastern and southern United States. They were typically young males sometimes females, who were from white working class families and was not able to receive the best educational resources or opportunities in life as their peers who were from upper class families. These teenagers were rebellious and were considered to be street gangsters known as “hoods”. This subculture became extremely popularized so it started to become internationally practiced. They then started to grow into other types of individuals quickly. This group was formed with the faith to have a group of young men who shared common values. They wanted to stand out from the mainstream society and go against what the society considered as the correct ethical behavior. At this time, society frowned upon individuals who seemed different in terms of cultural values and ethnicity. Greaser men had a great interest in fights, fast cars, motorcycles, and the ladies. Greaser women had a thing for the greaser guys and followed the same hobbies. Rock and roll music is heavily associated with this subculture. They listened to artists such as Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Ritchie Valens. Their name “greaser” was created due to the physical appearance and images these young teenagers depicted. They had greased slicked back hairstyles that usually consisted of combing the hair back with many products that gave their hair a shiny greasy texture like wax, gel, creams, tonics, or pomade. The greaser boys grew their hair out longer because the appropriate look for men in the society at this time was short hair that was above the collar. Greasers became an easy target to scorn because of their indifference and rebellion. They were stereotyped and put into the categories of dangerous, reckless, wild, careless, and irresponsible when their main purpose was purely for teenage fun. They automatically received negative attention and people I the mainstream society felt that they had to be suffering from problems in their lives. The boys typically sported black leather jackets that were worn over white or black tee shirts. They would often have their sleeves rolled up. Blue jeans were usually the choice of bottoms for the greaser men. Sometimes a sleeveless shirt would be worn as well. They chose to accessorize with things like leather belts and wallets with chains on them. They wore black boots or white tennis shoes. One of their favorites were white Converse All-Stars. Other items that were fashion statement for male greasers were flannel shirts and denim blue jean jackets. Greaser girls wore leather jackets as well to make them look tougher. They would wear form fitting clothes to show off their figures like fitted blue jeans, cardigans, and circle-cut skirts that, which flared out at the waistline and enhanced the hourglass figure. Greaser girls curled and teased their hair. They also wore bold makeup that consisted of darker eyes and attention drawing lips (Beck & Parsons, 2007; Bentley, 2013; "Stone Greasers"; Pierce, 2011; "What did", 2014; Estrada, 2011; Pat, 2010; McCormick, 2011; Hamilton, 2011; "Greaser Subculture", 2014). Beck, J., & Parsons, J. L. (2007). Twentieth century dress in the United States. New York: Fairchild Publications. Bentley, K. (2013, July 29). The Greasers: Yesterday and Today. . Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.reportersvintage.com/vintage-fashion/did-you-know-facts/198-the-greaser-yesterday-and-today.html Stone Greasers, Greasers Gangs and Clubs From Chicago to New York. (n.d.). Stone Greasers, Greasers Gangs and Clubs From Chicago to New York. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.stonegreasers.com/greaser/ Pierce, L. (2011, April 9). A brief history of the greasers. Examiner.com. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.examiner.com/article/a-brief-history-of-the-greasers What Did Greasers Wear in the 1950s & 1960s?. (2014). bighow Articles. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://bighow.net/1269417-What_Did_Greasers_Wear_in_the_1950s__amp__1960s_.html Estrada, E. (2011, February 21). The Greaser Sub-culture. sociology254. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://sociology254.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/the-greaser-sub-culture/ Pat, A. (2010, April 1). Greaser. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=greaser&defid=4852249 McCormick, M. (2011, January 6). What Did Greasers Wear in the 1950s & 1960s?. eHow. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.ehow.com/list_7739655_did-greasers-wear-1950s-1960s.html Hamilton, A. (2011, June 3). How to Be a Greaser Girl. eHow. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.ehow.com/how_8534747_greaser-girl.html Greaser (subculture). (2014, April 29). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greaser_(subculture) When people think of the 1960’s, they can imagine hippies as being a part of that era. Hippies was a subculture or a countercultural movement that began as a youth movement started on college campuses in the united states during the mid-1960s. They were made up of different backgrounds but most of them were young and from wealthy families. Hippies rejected the traditions and customs of mainstream American life. This movement started spreading to other countries around the world like Canada and Britain. The term came from the word “hip” which related to the beatniks of the 1950s such as Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. They were seen as the originators of the subgroup hippies but there was no particular leader of the group. Hippies felt like outcasts from the society because they believed we were dominated by materialism and repression. This led to them creating their own distinctive communities and lifestyle that were more reflective of their personal beliefs. They became known as the “flower children” as well. They were supporters of peace, love, and non-violence. They promoted openness and tolerance to substitute the control and restriction that were noticed in the middle-class society (Beck & Parsons 2007; Editors of encyclopedia, 2013; Frith, 2013; "Hippie", 2014). Hippies listened to many styles of music but folk and psychedelic rock became an essential part of the hippie culture. Singers Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan became major symbols and spokesmen for the hippie culture. Groups such as The Beetles and Rolling Stones were also seen as being closely identified with the hippie movement. Hippies really embraced the sexual revolution. They practiced open sexual relationships. A popular phrase was coined by this group being “make love, not war”. They also embraced the concept of exploring alternate states of consciousness. This led to them promoting recreational use of hallucinogenic drugs such as cannabis or marijuana, LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), and psilocybin mushrooms. Since hippies were so open to these drugs and types of sexual relations, drug addictions and aids became major problems for this group of people and many of them died from the disease and drug overdoses (Beck & Parsons 2007; Editors of encyclopedia, 2013; Frith, 2013; "Hippie", 2014; "Psychedelic", 2014). Hippies style of dress were very different from the mainstream society. They preferred long hair and casual unconventional dress. Their styles often included psychedelic art, which was characterized by rich saturated colors in glaring contrasts that are inspired by psychedelic experiences that are induced by drugs. Women of this culture wore flared pants known as bellbottoms, cotton shirts, pleasant blouses, mini dresses and skirts, maxi skirts, and sleeveless shift dresses. They would accessorize with head bands, big framed glasses, several bangles, and long chains. Floral and polka dots were some of the preferred prints during this time. Men’s hippie fashions included wide-legged pants, cotton t-shirts, vests, and colorful shades. They were in-touch with their feminine side so they embraced bright colors. The hippie movement consisted of a huge trend of long beards so many men grew their beards out. Both men and women wore sandals, rimless granny glasses, fringes and beads. The peace symbol was shown on many clothing articles and accessories due to the fact that this was the omnipresent sign of the era (Lad, 2013) Sources
Beck, J., & Parsons, J. L. (2007). Twentieth century dress in the United States. New York: Fairchild Publications. Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2013, December 29). Hippie (subculture). Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/266600/hippie Frith, S. (2013, December 19). Folk Rock, the Hippie Movement, and the Rock Paradox. . Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/506004/rock/93493/Folk-rock-the-hippie-movement-and-the-rock-paradox Lad, K. (2013, May 17). 1960s' Hippy Clothing. Buzzle. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hippy-clothes-1960s-hippy-clothing.html Hippie. (2014, April 27). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippie Psychedelic art. (2014, March 5). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_art |