Sunday Bonus: Vibe Shift or Decade Style War?

There has been such a major vibe shift this decade, calling it a “vibe shift” would be minimizing it. No my friends, we are witnessing a major generational transition which can only mean DECADE STYLE WAR!

Doesn’t this happen every decade? Not really. The 2010s saw an expansion of the hipster style of the 2000s. The ‘70s helped plant and grow the seeds of the ‘60s in society. As always, victims of Decade Style Wars are announced decades later, so it is way too early to call a winner but let’s look at DECADE STYLE WARS FROM THE PAST!

The ‘40s vs. The ‘60s

As we all know, nostalgia typically follows a twenty year pattern. So there should have been a revival of ‘40s fashion in the ‘60s. The exact opposite occurred. Baby Boomers were resentful of the stern manner of the WWII generation. Though not intentional, this may have been best reflected in the color film stock of the decades. Most films in the ‘40s were black and white whereas most ‘60s films were in color. Not only were the relatively conservative fashions of the ‘40s up against the colorful eccentricities of the ‘60s but the values had also been challenged. Individual liberation had been valued over family responsibility.

Winner: The ‘60s

Much has been said about how the Boomers screwed over the younger generations. True but what makes this funny is younger generations from Gen X to Millennials have complained about being left behind more than they have focused on rebuilding family responsibility. Though Gen Z may have less kids, there is that whole trad cath thing going on so perhaps this could see a big return, possibly giving the ‘40s a much-needed win.

The ‘70s vs. The ‘80s

When the ‘70s ended, the ‘80s couldn’t wait to begin. The “Disco Sucks” campaign did its job. White leisure suits were dumped at Goodwills worldwide. The cynicism of the ‘70s was papered over with the materialistic ambitions of the ‘80s. Out with the muted hippie fashions of the earth tone ‘70s. In with gaudy flashiness and Memphis Design. Though digital culture was innovated in the ‘70s, like hip hop was, both of them hit - and emptied - shelves in the ‘80s.

The Winner: The ‘80s

This is a tough one for me to admit. As a ‘90s Gen Xer, I grew up loving the ‘70s (because of the huge ‘70s comeback of course) preferring it to the ‘80s of my youth. Frankly, the ‘70s has better culture. But, as said before, the ‘70s were more an outgrowth of the ‘60s. The ‘80s has a truly distinct style that has come back in music, film, everything else, time and again.

The ‘80s vs. the ‘90s

Much as the Gen Xers of the ‘80s were eager to get rid of the Boomer baggage of the ‘70s, the Gen Xers of the ‘90s were over the overproduced music and flash of the ‘80s. Unlike most generations, the Gen Xers, known for being a blank generation, could not agree on core values. If anything the values of the ‘90s were a complete inversion of the ‘80s. In the ‘80s, didn’t matter what you did as long as you made money. In the ‘90s, didn’t matter what you did, as long as you didn’t sell out. Like the ‘70s, the plaid of the ‘90s was relatively muted to the hypercolor ‘80s. Grunge is often remembered as a decisive blow against ‘80s hair metal.

Winner: The ‘80s

What I noticed: the earlier decade of each generation in the pop era seems to be the more fondly remembered one. The Boomers love the ‘60s more than the ‘70s. Gen Xers seems to have happier memories of the ‘80s than the ‘90s. I would bet that Millennials will glorify the ‘00s more than the ‘10s. Speaking of which…

The ‘90s vs. The ‘10s

There should have been an enormous ‘90s revival in the ‘10s. Nope. Like the ‘60s hippies rejected the WWII gen values of the ‘40s, the earnest hashtag hippies of the ‘10s were appalled at the jaded apathy of ‘90s slackers. Ironic ‘90s sensibilities gave way to sincere Corporate Memhis infographics like this:

Rappers that were lionized like Biggie and Tupac did not speak to the new generation.

The Winner: The ‘90s (so far)

We just got out of the ‘10s, so this may seem a little unfair. But the current Y2K nostalgia is late ‘90s - early ‘00s. And, as always, the ‘90s and ‘00s are considered the turn of the century. So, just like the 1910s is mainly fondly remembered only by Village historians that fondly remember the political radicalism of the time, expect the ‘10s to only be fondly remembered by idpol college professors.