Racial Identity And Its Influence On Young People Of Diverse Backgrounds

The 60s were a time of dramatic change for teens. Hippies of all types often expressed themselves by wearing beads, headbands, and lots of denim. They were considered visionary, plastic, “midnight’, and “the freaks and heads”. Folk and Psychedelic rock were the most popular genres of music; as teens generally listened to such bands and artist as The Who, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix. When it came to style, teens started making physical adjustments such as piercings and tattoos. Teens held rallies and protested against wars that were happening, as their voices were only beginning to be heard.

The counterculture and hippies are becoming extremely popular in our society today. The hippie culture focused on outward signs of nonconformity. The counterculture promoted rock music, free love, and the use of psychedelic drugs. Haight-Ashbury is the place is if you want to be a part of the culture, and go to San Francisco and be a part of love. The counterculture is about new ideas, and going against the social norms. The bright colors, feathers, leather, and hair. There are pop art and rock music. Go have fun, and be a part of the

While the 1950s stressed conformity, the 1960s gave full vent to those impulses. The 1960s was a period of transformational change, when long-held values and social norms broke down and were replaced with idealism and rebellion. It is also described as ‘’a breakthrough, a fleeting moment of glory, a time when a significant chunk of humanity realised its moral potential and flirted with its neurological destiny’’ . The young people did not want to reform the society, they did however want to overhaul it, remake it and if needed, destroy it . The sweeping social changes and prevailing attitudes of the decade were epitomised through the rejection of conventions and traditions associated with many aspects of life, including fashion. As Coco Chanel stated, ‘’fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening’’ . Many of these changes were prompted by the feminist movement, the space race and the Vietnam War. Evidently, new fashion trends emerged which reflected these new ideals. Some of the most prevalent trends included revealing clothing, space age designs and alternative hippie clothing.

What was the hippie movement? The Hippie Movement began in the 1960s and was very influential on American politics, law and everyday life. The movement originated on colleges in the united states. Hippies were usually young people who wore sandals and had long hair. They often adopted vegetarian diets based on unprocessed foods. Hippies were often not directly engaged in politics.

Teenagers all across the country contain a fascination in determining who they are especially when shown through fashion. This passion to show who one is, is not racist or ableist, it's just an emotion that many teenagers face while learning who they are. From this passion they style their ideas and clothing choices off the magazines and stores they constantly see. From back to school sales to black friday shopping, advertisements that are posted influence what teenagers spend their money on. One of the most prominent teenager stores would be American Eagle. American Eagle might be a worldwide organization, having clothes on teenagers in every corner of the globe, yet its representation

The Hippies of the 1960s are one of the most recognized countercultures in United States history. Its members included many of the most easily identified celebrities of the time, including Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Janis Joplin. The Hippie movement greatly influenced music to this day and American culture as a whole. Due majoritarily to the Hippie movement, the Rock music genre saw a sharp increase in popularity in the 1960s. In the years of and following the Hippie movement, American ethical values also changed as they had become more liberal; images that

The hippie trend started in the West Coast of the United States of America. This trend started in the country from the mid-sixties and more. From this point as far as the mid-seventies. Hippie fashion characterized a stubbornness against the clothes and accessories that were often handmade or bought from markets. The style included long maxi skirts, bell-bottomed jeans, flowing fabric tops, peasant blouses, paisleys, florals, bright tie-dyes, and Eastern, Indian, Native American, and African motifs.

Hippie fashion is popular today as well. Many people especially in San Francisco California are still hippies today and practice the hippie religion. Hippies in some ways made adults realize that not all teenagers are the same and that today adults are more accepting for whom there children are because they may have experienced being shunned from their parents. Also the environment there are many foundations for the environment today and how to care of our earth. Hippies impacted America today for their willingness to be able to be who they were without judgement.

The Hippie Movement changed the politics and the culture in America in the 1960s. When the nineteen fifties turned into the nineteen sixties, not much had changed, people were still extremely patriotic, the society of America seemed to work together, and the youth of America did not have much to worry about, except for how fast their car went or what kind of outfit they should wear to the Prom. After 1963, things started to slowly change in how America viewed its politics, culture, and social beliefs, and the group that was in charge of this change seemed to be the youth of America. The Civil Rights Movement, President Kennedy's death, new music, the birth control pill, the growing illegal drug market, and the

The Hippie Counter Culture began in 1960. The hippie era was influenced more by personal happiness in which books, music, and fashion followed as result of their personification of a blissful society. Hippies did not care what others thought of them and their motto was “if it feels good, do it”. Hippies were seeking a utopian society. They participated in street theater and listened to psychedelic rock. As part of their culture they embraced more open sexual encounters amongst each other in their community and believed in use of psychedelic drugs which consisted of marijuana and LSD. The fashion choice that hippies dressed in was due to set them apart from the mainstream society. They choose to buy their clothing from thrift shops and flea markets (Haddock, 2011). Clothing choices are described as “brightly colored, ragged clothes, tie-dyed t-shirts, beads, sandals (or barefoot), and jewelry” (Haddock, 2011, para 7). Hippies also referred

The subcultures “Beatniks” and “Hipsters” have proven to media and society that they have an urge for individualism. This is not something that has gone unnoticed by anyone, especially in the 1950’s with the beatniks. As a rise in each of their cultures, they have both experienced harsh criticism, attacking their style and how they approach life. There are many different views on how beatniks and hipsters lived/live their lives. Today, it is easy to tell the differences and similarities between beatniks and hipsters, because there are many of them.

During our life we construct many different identities of who we want to portray ourselves as to the rest of society; fashion plays a vital role in generating who we are. With the ideas from Storry and Childs they state that “the way that we dress can either serve to confirm or to subvert various facets of our identities, such as our gender,

Originally, the term “hipster” referred to “a black subculture figure of the late 1940s” (Grief 7), and transitioned to, “The White Negro” (Grief 7) who listens to Jazz in the 1950s. This term went through many phases and transitions as time progressed. Dick Hebdige states, “Subcultures represent ‘noise’ (as opposed to sound): interference in the orderly sequence which leads from real events and phenomena to their representation in the media” (Hebdige 90). In the past the hipsters were localized and apart of a subculture; however, now, my perception of hipsters has developed to more of a worldwide “imagined community” with many localized subcultures within. Not only did the structure of their community transition, the characteristics of

“It’s where it all starts, from the ground up; street is the seed to all other fashion” says Kenta Goto from Brknhome, a now defunct Canadian t-shirt brand (Vogel 37). There are many voices that speak of the streetwear culture: what it is or once was, how it all started and where it is heading. Streetwear is not just some fad or a passing trend. It is nothing but pure talent and passion, and the vision to stand out from the rest. It is a fashion movement, primarily for the youth who roam the streets expressing their interests, cultural identity, and common scenarios that take place in their urban catwalks. For the youth, streetwear can be the most effective form of self-expression.

The Years between the 1950’s and 1960’s was an explosive time in fashion. The 50’s represented an out coming of the new generation. People began to gain their own personal style and appearance, influenced by films and singers (“Vintage Fashion”). Their styles incorporated leather, jeans, corduroy, and the ballet shoes for the girls. Men’s wear began to drastically change. Men would wear a leather jacket, with jeans that narrowed at the bottom, and a simple t-shirt (Peacock 210-211). This was the first time in history that jeans were not just worn by the working class but by all men (“Brief History”). The man’s lust for flesh grew during this time, so women’s skirts began to get shorter and the bikini was invented. Clothes were made to glorify the female body and emphasize every curve. It wasn’t until the Barbie doll was created in the late 50’s that young girls began to have a separate fashion from their mothers. Young girls would wear sweaters with full skirts or pants