Five Reasons You Don't Actually Wish You Were Born in the 1950s

So recently I have heard a staggering number of teenager girls lamenting the fact that they were born in the late nineties, rather than the late forties. Often, these girls will talk wistfully about the nice clothes, the tradition of chivalry, and the actuality of school dances. They of course will wish against all hope that these things were still alive today, totally ignorant of the reality of this time period (for women particularly.) So, to rid anyone of these impossible desires, I decided to compile a list of the top five reasons you actually wouldn't want to have lived in the 1950s. Here it goes.

1) Equal-Opportunity Was Non-Existant
Despite the fact that the quote "we hold these truths to be self evident" was common cultural knowledge by this time, there was still no resemblance of equality- between races, or between genders. For the sake of this point, I'll focus on genders. Women were house wives and mothers- that was it. There were no career-moms, let alone single women with high professional positions. This is all without even considering the social state of equality, which was also barely a glimmer of hope in the feminists' of the time's dreams. So, all in all, it's fairly obvious that women did not nearly have the opportunities they have today (which, unfortunately are still limited- but that's for another post). This by itself would not be worth a trade for pretty dresses and polite boys- and there are four more points to go.

2) Racial Inequity
Again, extremely obvious. I can't imagine someone wishing to live in a time that was even more racist than the one we currently live in; which is pretty racist (socially, anyway). Fun fact: the Jim Crowe laws were not overruled until 1965.

3) Feminine Hygiene
Not a commonly discussed topic, but one that I like to bring up in these conversations because of how shockingly easy it is to convince someone of their utter wrongness through merely it's mention. Let's be realistic, the stories I've heard from my own mother, whose teenagehood existed within the 1980s, about the state of feminine hygiene products at the time makes me shudder- I don't even want to think about how my grandma and her contemporaries had to deal with "mother nature." Also: pointy-bras. I think that about sums it up.

4) The Internet Did Not Exist
I think it's quite obvious that we all love our cell phones and readily available wifi; so living during the advent of television might be a little tough for some of us. Living during a time where information is so readily available and equality is for everyone (mostly) - not jut white, middle to upper class men, it's hard to imagine life as any kind of minority in the 1950s. Also, as a side note- who wants to live through the Cold War? That's just a little too nerve-wracking for me.

5) You Wouldn't Have Got To See The Beatles In Concert Anyway
Well, maybe you would have. I certainly would not have, though. Also, anyone who thinks "everything was so much less expensive then!" does simply not understand the concept of inflation. As another side note, often people express their frustration with how "out in the the open" everyone is now about their problems, and how they long for the days of secrecy and formality. I fundamentally disagree with this idea. It is so important to realize that the reason for our improvements in formally taboo areas like mental health and women's health and domestic abuse is that people are open about their problems. Honesty is not a bad thing at all; people who need help should seek help, not be encouraged to keep things to themselves. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to hate on the 1950s, I do not have a secret agenda against this decade, I just feel that it is important for people to be informed about our culture, what we shouldn't take for granted (but we do) and what we need to continue to work on progressing. As the old adage goes, you don't know what you've got until it's gone. Or until you've magically been transported to the 1950s.

Until next time,
Katie

History of the Boy Band

So this is an article I wrote for my school newspaper a while back. I really enjoyed the topic and thought the piece turned out pretty well so, naturally, I thought I'd share it on the internet! So, without further ado, a brief history of the boy band! 

             The boy band is one of the most famous archetypes of western pop culture in the twentieth century. From The Beatles to The Backstreet Boys, boy bands have made a huge impact on our society over the years. Their music, (sometimes painful,) and their fans (always painful) define them as the trend-setting, scream-inducing young boys that they are.

            These boys have been a huge influence on youth since the early 1960’s making teen girls squeal at their very sight, and annoying, and baffling teen boys, until their fifteen minutes are up.

            The influences that boy bands have on society have changed over the years, as well as their longevity and quality of music, but a few things have stayed the same. Surprisingly, the differences between the fan girls of the 1960s and the ones that exist today, (i.e myself) are minimal. Consequently, the boy bands, despite the change in trends do remain relatively similar. To fully understand this, we need to go back to the beginning. The point in time when the boy band climbed out of the primordial ooze and began it’s evolution into the billion dollar industry it is today. This journey began in a city in northern England, where a young John Lennon suggested the idea of starting a band to his friends. After several years and a few rejections, (such as the infamous one from Decca records) The Beatles were formed and became the most popular musicians in the world. These four lads from Liverpool drew young girls from all around, their popularity sky-rocketing, re-creating the buzz that Elvis once did, and re-introducing the world to the fan girl. Ever since this historic time period, the hype around boy bands has been labelled Beatlemaina, after the legendary band, and the craziness they brought about.

            The next time this mania hit the world was in the early 1970s when singing and dancing groups such as the Jackson 5, The Partridge Family and The Bay City Rollers took the eyes off The Mother Country and the invasion of boy bands that hailed from there, and onto the talent that America yielded. These groups became fabulously popular, all thanks to the hoards of teenage girls that loved them.

Bands throughout the following decades were met with the same teenage enthusiasm, which only grew stronger through the popularity of television and eventually, the internet. Pop acts such as Menudo, N`Sync, and The Backstreet Boys were next to follow in the long line of teen idols.

With their catchy tunes and cute hair-dos, these boys made teen hearts melt -and records sell- thus marking the point in time where boy bands turned into a billion-dollar industry.

Since then our society has been graced with the presence of musical artists such as The Jonas Brothers, Cody Simpson, Justin Bieber, and most recently, the modern British Invasion that includes the likes of Ed Sheeran, JLS and One Direction.

Throughout the past half century though fashions have changed and music styles have evolved, the dedication of the fans has been constant, and so has the ability of the boy bands to make their fans swoon (and buy concert tickets).

So what have we learned from this history lesson? That cute boys, hyper-emotional teenage girls, a catchy tune, and clever management is the recipe for a whole lot of influence, and even more money.