Last night I watched some vintage Top of the Pops performances from 1979. It was, by and large, not a great year for popular music, but my goodness, how superior the trousers - and the wearing of them - was to today. Whether unbelievably tight drainpipes or flares, high waisted pleat-tronted or flat fronted suit trousers, every pair fitted its wearer to perfection. Ska, reggae, punk, soul; even the Nolan Sisters... not a single person was displaying any underwear, no waistband circled mid-buttock; no crotch hung at knee level and no hems trailed on the ground.
Whereas today, whilst enjoying a late breakfast at the A5 truckstop, a young herbert got up from the table he was sharing with two young ladies displaying not merely the usual unsavoury underpants, but a good seventy percent of his bare bum. It's lucky I was having the vegetarian breakfast or it might have quite put me off.
A new design for Herbie's name
5 days ago
Well that brought a smile to my face, thanks :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to know someone else shares my view on this current 'fashion'... LOL
Kevin Too
Every generation is worse than the one before - I think that was a paraphrase from Plato. He went on to complain that today's teenages make too much noise at night and dont respect their elders. My conclusion is that every generation is as stupid as the last lot but as we survive there is probably worse in life than 6 inches of arse crack on display - but I cant figure out exactly what,,,,
ReplyDeleteI don,t actually mind if people want to go around naked - people can wear anything or nothing they like, and that's an important principle to defend. But I just find it rather depressing that so many people are mindlessly following a fashion that not only makes them look stupid, but also clearly causes them great discomfort and inconvenience - they're forever hitching their waistbands either up or down, and in extreme cases can't walk up stairs. Even when their arses aren't on display, iit's very unflattering. I would just love to know why they think it,s a great
ReplyDeleteidea. When you think of the late seventies, sartorial elegance isn't the first thing that comes to mind, and I was really surprised to see how well all their trousers fitted. And how nice those punks' bums looked.
That made me smile - recently saw most of a vast behind, crouched over a pushchair with a podgy-faced toddler in. Two moons beaming at me!
ReplyDeleteLike you, Sarah, I watched some of the 1979 pop show, but I think you've forgotten how draconian the fashion police were back then. You could only get drainpipes or only get flares when they were 'in', and anyone wearing anything different was lambasted. There were just as many unfortunates, stuffing themselves into inappropriate clothes, they just didn't make it past the fashion police and onto Top of the Pops. Maybe things were more limiting where I was living in 1979 - a small town in Pembrokeshire, than they were in cities. I much prefer clothes today, where no-one turns a hair if you wear a long or short skirt, dungarees, shorts or even a onesie! (I've probably spelt that wrong ;-).
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteIt's all right for you - you don't actually have to try and find a pair of men's trousers to buy that aren't designed to fall down your backside every time you stand up! I'm beginning to wish I'd kept some of mine from the '70s - flares and all!
Oh! just realised - they might not fit!!!
ReplyDeleteNo Jim, you're right - but also wrong - it's the same for girls. It's almost impossible to buy properly fitting trousers. Thank goodness for my stockpile of second hand (bum) 501s.
ReplyDeleteGood point Carrie about the TOTP fashion police... But is it really easier today to buck the fashion trend - or have we just got more confident with age? I'm not sure it's any easier for young people today to do their own thing without being lambasted by their peers.
I really think there's much more variety of styles to be seen these days and less pressure. When i look at photos from the 50's (my mum's youth), it's like identikit fashion and hairstyles, regardless who it actually suited!Just like it's easier to be gay, non-white, disabled without so much fuss being made (apart from the die-hard racist, ableist, homophobe fuck-wits who will carry their 'ists' to their graves) I do agree about the confidence of age or, in my case, the can't be arsed to care about such things! Happy new year by the way!
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