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Original poster

I miss the Eighties

38 replies

BewaretheIckabog · 17/09/2020 19:21

Joking apart, I just don’t understand how far we have regressed in gender / sexual stereotypes.

The fabulous Annie Lennox has short hair and wore masculine suits, no one ever questioned her womanhood. Apart from the odd myopic, elderly relative no one doubted whether Boy George or Marilyn were men.

The sex symbols in rock had long hair, flowing and / or lacy clothes and wore make up. The cool girls had short hair cuts and bovver boots.

Men had perms and highlights, women wore donkey jackets. Eyeliner and heels were for all.

Why so backwards now? I used to think gender identity was fine and everyone should express what they want. Suddenly I’m like WTF is gender identity.

Why have we moved backwards?

OP posts:
gardenbird48 · 17/09/2020 21:27

Adam Ant had such good lip gloss and rocked a frill. It makes me feel so old to think about the 80s as much simpler times - Adam & The Ants or Billy Idol (or both) - we could try out different personas - goth, art student, punk whatever but it was all just growing up. I feel for today’s kids.

AlecTrevelyan006 · 17/09/2020 21:25

Chrissie Hynde, Deborah Harry, Viv Albertine, Siouxsie Sioux, Poly Styrene, Pauline Black

I miss the Eighties
Original poster
BewaretheIckabog · 17/09/2020 21:21

But also the being out and proud.

I’ve just posted on another thread which I can’t find
Confused

It was great to be different, to demand the world accepted and rightly celebrated our differences.

Very different from pretending we’re not different and being shot down for saying those differences exist.

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frogswimming · 17/09/2020 21:11

I was thinking that in relation to the thread about someone's dd being in a relationship with a trans girl and insisting they were lesbians. Ignoring the labels that's like the 80s and dating a new romantic boy.

OhHolyJesus · 17/09/2020 21:04

God so do I! Still love Annie Lennox.

We have Harry Styles in a pink blouse but then there's Sam Smith...

Having 7 billion different identities is impossible

Yes I think we just used to call it personality in the 80s. I'm so very bored of the word identity or 'identifies as'.

Any spare Flux capacitors hanging around? Anyone?

user1471448556 · 17/09/2020 19:56

I know what you mean. Add people like Sinead O'Connor to the mix - she never conformed.

But I think the tide may be turning - look at artists like Sigrid - no make up, jeans and a T-shirt, Billie Eilish - not conforming to current beauty standards, Harry Styles wearing pink frilly blouses ... hoping we may be emerging from that era where female artists were hyper sexualised.

midgebabe · 17/09/2020 19:53

Illegality means nothing when prosecutions don't happen and underage girls are arrested for prostitution

CaraDuneRedux · 17/09/2020 19:50

@midgebabe

It's still the teenagers fault
True - but at least we now have laws which mean that it's illegal where it's a man in a position of authority (thinking back to the men who worked in youth groups in who were openly shagging the girls in their care so long as the girl was over 16, and just being a bit less open if she was under 16).
midgebabe · 17/09/2020 19:48

It's still the teenagers fault

CaraDuneRedux · 17/09/2020 19:47

I miss them too in many respects (though I don't miss the in your face sexism of girly posters on the office wall, and the predatory older men preying on teenagers in a culture where it was all seen as the teenager's fault for leading the poor men on...)

midgebabe · 17/09/2020 19:46

Previously gender identity did not exist so you had to make do with sex/age and class ..too limited

Having 7 billion different identities is impossible

Creating a few tens of identities and pushing people into those boxes ...

Original poster
BewaretheIckabog · 17/09/2020 19:33

@midgebabe Interesting because I always thought identity politics was about the opposite. Smaller, marginalised groups being convinced they are small and marginalised so need to band together.

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midgebabe · 17/09/2020 19:23

Backlash and advertising

Advertising...the fewer social groups you have the easier it is to create and sell products . The more dissatisfied your groups are with themselves, the easier it is to create and sell products

So abnormal ( airbrushing ) , uniform role models -> string sales and strong stereotypes