As much as we all hate to admit it, baby boomers changed the game. While now they’re often subject to criticism for their often traditional perspective, they were once not too different from modern teenagers. The baby boomers came to adulthood in the 60’s and brought calls for change with them. Emboldened by their innate sense of rebellion, they engaged in political activity in ways no one expected. In protesting the Vietnam War, civil equality, and sexual liberation, the baby boomers welcomed the “Youthquake” into the 1960s scene.

Marked by political activism, the youthquake had monumental implications for fashion. It brought about the invention of the mini-skirt (courtesy of Mary Quant), the Mod trend, and bold vibrance. Where fashion used to project the “holier-than-thou” persona, it now engaged with the cool vigor of youth. The Youthquake ushered in an era of perceived liberation, with young women sporting skirts shorter than ever, a-line dresses, hippie textiles, and the transparent use of fashion as a method of activism. London in particular saw the rise of “ready-to-wear” and mass production, which enabled the emergence of pop art. With the increased production of prints and patterns, 60’s fashion and art were covered in bold colors and loud patterns, making both intentional and unintentional symbolic statements. Gone was the quiet ration-laden war-time. The youth had dreams and every intention of chasing them.

Among these dreams was the inherited aspiration of civil rights. The Black Panthers utilized fashion to embody their message, donning black leather, berets, and “untamed” afros. Rejecting the traditional ideal of the “Sunday best”, the Black Panthers actively challenged euro-centric American ideals of presentation, combining the militant perception of dark leather with their inherent blackness, creating something new altogether. They were rebellious, trading suits for turtlenecks and pearls for sunglasses, serving as inspiration for the punk and rock sub-genres.

The Youthquake created a greater space for the emergence of sub-genres, with many of them finding recognition in mainstream magazines. There was an artistic revitalization, with creatives like Diana Vreeland (who coined the term “Youthquake”) encouraging the expression of art in magazines. With the production of editorials like “The Great Fur Caravan”, models like Veruschka, Donyale Luna, and Twiggy rose to celebrity status. They served as inspiration for the art of people like Richard Avedon, Corinne Day, and Andy Warhol, propelling fashion into a new era in itself.

In the 1960s no one had ever seen this kind of revitalization in their lifetime. Entirely foreign, it served as a precursor to modern forms of expression, changing the fashion industry for the next 60 years. In the modern day, such movements are far more common. However, as we shift away from the attachment to Y2K, and other hyper-categorized forms of expression, I think it likely that we will see the second coming of the Youthquake. Rebellion never truly dies, and many of the pillars of the 1960s movements still stand strong today. But as we all know, trends tend to cycle, and as we leave the 2000s rotation, we head back towards the 2010s. Marked by transitions away from formal wear and mainstream recognition of “street style” (which was popular in black communities decades before), as well as an overwhelming modernization of 60s inspiration. History is destined to repeat itself, and we often welcome its repetition, but this time the phenomenon isn’t new. We’ve yet again inherited something from the Baby Boomer world: Rebellion.