Now that I’m proudly in the 30’s club I’ve already begun my evolution into “old man”. None of my shoes require tying; the trousers I wear are elastic; oatmeal is a household staple and, despite all my efforts against it, I’ve lost touch with the kiddos. I’ve found myself mumbling about how “back in my day things were different” too many times to be healthy. I can’t help but feel like things used to be better made or better shared or just plain better. It doesn’t make me feel superior to remember the last century but sad that kids these days will never know how liberating it was to not be tied to social media and the never-ending cycle of fads.
Taste certainly evolves and the norms of culture are pushed as we feel a need for revolt. The abstract movement wouldn’t be so punchy if it wasn’t for the rebellion against censorship in Eastern Europe. Similarly, French New Wave was a rebellion against the industry expectations of the era. For the most part, these rebellions were to make art and culture more accessible. Access to beauty is a liberation.
The internet was also seen in its infancy as a liberation. Printed media has always had its material constraints and required capital to be shared. The fact anyone can share a webpage made the web this funky DIY space for people to experiment and organize without restrictions. Sadly, a few digital kingdoms grew from the masses and now have absolute control over how we interact on the internet. As Yannis Varoufakis puts it, we have techno lords who reign over us in these controlled markets. Instagram and TikTok aren’t the artist lofts of 70s NYC: they’re the controlled marketplace of corporate giants.
In this authoritarian place, trends and culture shifts are intentional. They have a motive to make us buy more. There used to be an understanding that aesthetics were a way to communicate our beliefs or identity without having to say anything. Nowadays, you could easily mistake a frat bro for an otter (both those with or without tails). Fashion has consumed all cultures and created a monoculture of microtrends where eccentric outfits are no longer about standing out but conforming to the market.
Mind you, the older we get the less tolerant we are of discomfort. Perhaps my own discomfort and uncertainty has prevented me from recognizing where the fringe rebellions exist today. Instead, I just see people who look like they should be “Down with the System” interning at Google. Being unfashionable seems like the only way to really rebel.
In Oakland, 2011 there was a Femmes of Color symposium where they discussed “Moving Toward the Ugly: A Politic Beyond Desirability”.
In the same essence, “Dirty Girls” taught me something about confidence at half my age. Maybe its true that every man’s revelation has already been felt and delineated by a teenage girl .
It feels harder than ever to create taste outside of the internet. Hopefully today’s teenagers can revolt and find the material space outside of the web. I’m sure many already have and its only in time their worlds will enlighten more of us— including this old man.
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