when i say "i wish i lived in the 60s or 70s" , i do not mean "i wish i was born in the 'good old days' where sexism, racism and homophobia were the norm".
what i mean is "i wish i lived in a time period where there was hope for the future", because with the leaders we have now, i feel hopeless.
the 60s and 70s marked the uprising of political, sexual and musical liberation and revolution. the beatles; gay liberation; twiggy; civil rights movements; the pill for women etc.
• the beatles were a pivotal band in the 60s that changed the way music was thought about. they blew up and they challenged every idea society had about rock groups. as well as the beatles there were; pink floyd who used their music to question the capitalist society we live in; the who, who advocated to black rights and poor people through their music; and david bowie who was a proud bisexual, gender bending, civil rights movement supporter person who used his platform to make sure teenagers knew that they were not alone
• Gay marches and rights were talked about. people were finally believing in the existence of the LGBT+ community. stonewall occurred, marking the day gay people were fed up. books were written, movies were made and songs were written (e.g. lola by the kinks)
• Twiggy killed the fashion industry and changed the way people expressed themself. she found power in clothes and portraying herself to the world the way she wanted: bold and powerful. twiggy challenged the way women felt about fashion and the clothes they were 'supposed' to wear due to modesty
• Black people stood up and were listened to (by some). the first black woman was portrayed on a television series playing a character other than a maid or slave (nichelle nichols in star trek). aboriginal voting rights were talked about and fought for in australia. the civil rights movement brought about: ruby nell bridges, martin luther king jr, ella baker
• The pill was created and women sexuality was breaking out of the taboo. people were starting to learn that women are more than just stay at home mums, and that women were allowed to be what they wanted to be
all of these events and people were pivotal in the change of the way things were. of course, it was far from perfect, but they started a conversation and a different way of thinking.
teenagers were hopeful for a better future, they broke the mold, they questioned things that had never been questioned before. people wanted change and believed a better world was to come.
of course, everyone associates me with the music of the 60s and 70s, and it is a huge part as to why i would have loved to live then. however it's the revolutions and liberation that i also really love. i would have been fighting for all rights in several marches as well as been going to woodstock, monterey pop festival, and the isle of wight festival.
so please, before you fucking say "'oh she just wants to go back to the 'good old days'", just stop and fucking think about who you are referring to!!
i'm a proud bisexual woman and an avid supporter for the BLM movement, and i would have been the same person back then.
