The Appearance of Youth in the 1960's

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Fashion in the Sixties

Throughout time the United States has changed, whether it is hairstyles, clothing styles or all around consciousness, the people of this fantastic era represent the patriotic lifestyle of the 1960’s. The appearance of the youth in the 1960’s was different than that of any era that came before, and many of the styles that originated then are still seen today, thirty years later. As one takes a look back upon the sixties one must remember that, unlike today, it was imbedded in a society of war, assassination, and political mutiny.

All of the drastic change in fashion of the sixties came from the youth. They began to disregard old ways and develop their own new ways of dressing as well as thinking. Teenagers were consuming more than the United States had ever seen. For example, in 1964 teenagers spent $300 million on grooming products alone. Sunglasses became very popular as well. There was $14.5 million in sales in 1960 and a whopping $39 million in sales in 1969. The world was beginning to see, for the first time, that the youth were actually a huge part of society both in population and consuming ends of the spectrum. Men would see the lifestyle of the sixties flourish in them by growing out their hair. Beards were also present in many youth. This maybe done in contrast to the clean-shaven, crew cuts of the military. There were about two different types of sneakers for males compared to the thousands upon thousands we see today. In 1965, men wearing "Kangaroo shoes, bangs slashed straight across forehead, metal rimmed eyeglasses, corduroys, pea jackets and parkas [was] considered a coordinated outfit." Men were beginning to dress very differently compared to their predecessors. It is important to unde...

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...e theme song behind this youth movement states in one of his songs, "Please get out of my way if you can’t lend a hand because time’s are a-changin’." Times were changing and the youth movement would revolutionize America.

If there were one word that could be used to describe the decade known as the sixties it would be change. The civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and Woodstock and contributed to make the sixties one of the United States’ most fabulous decades. The development of the youth as part of American society was also a major event. "Teenagers have been very busy sending out messages about the differences between the generations. By their own key words, by their symbols, by their clothes and hairstyles, by the sound of their music, by the sent of their cigarettes, teenagers are setting themselves apart from the world so familiar to their parents."

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