Matt Walsh.. but is he right about this one?

[Walkyrie]

Yes it’s Matt Walsh but I thought this was an interesting post. What do you think? I somewhat agree with him although I can think of a handful of things that will probably live and die in the 2020s (socks over leggings, hopefully).

Watching as i'm curious about this one 👀🤔

It’s hard to know whether it’s just classic ‘my generation was better and I’m too old to know what this one is really about’ 😆

But it does feel like ‘something’ has been lost.

The thing with changes in style - music, fashion, arts they are either a clear development of a style or a reaction against it.

We have had a lot of stagnation or suspension in mainstream media. The same artists from 20 years are still in the popular charts, a few studios churn out repeated shite movies that follow predictable storylines. There is/was more youth innovation in social media such as Vyne, Twitch and YouTube although some folded and the ones that have survived are now marketing mouth pieces.

To me, it feels like the rise of the social mobile phone use is a key to this change. It has led to distraction and divisiveness, has hindered creativity, fostered anxiety and disconnected us further from one another. (Says me typing away on my phone at 10.45pm). I see my hypocrisy.

I think it is collective watching that has been lost.

Everyone watches things on their own time everything is on demand.

Yes I do miss everyone watching Eastenders in simultaneous suspense then chatting about it the next day!

We’re all exposed to ‘all the stuff all the time’.
There isn’t the diversity because it’s all mushed in together. Sub cultures don’t develop because people aren’t loyal anymore- they have too many choices. All the options all the time. Flash in the pan, then on to the next thing.

Wait! Maybe it’s lip fillers and eyebrows?

I mean I can definitely think of a few things which are ‘local’ to the last few years, or 10 years ago. But it feels like we can look at a photo and instantly know if it’s from the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s. But then it kind of stalls and I actually don’t know? The look seems much more generic (and flattering!). But you don’t really see people with interesting hair or fashions any more, and the colours are very muted.

I don’t know who he is but I’ve discussed similar with friends before.

We feel in the UK things sort of stopped progressing around the mid 00s & we can’t really think of any key fashion trends or music influences etc. Our high street became a lot more homogeneous & whereas shops used to have their own style it just become every shop sold a variation of what the looks were.

Even listening to music now, everything is a rehash of what we have heard. Films/TV shows are remakes or follow up sequels of big hits from the past as @Sweetbeansandmochi. Maybe it is the rise of social media and the amount of choice. Sometimes I watch a documentary with my dc and I think they won’t really have the defining cultural experiences I had because not everyone is watching the same thing.

Yes I was just about to say this is the decade of lip fillers and eyebrows. That’s the only distinct thing I can think of.

But then it kind of stalls and I actually don’t know? The look seems much more generic (and flattering!). But you don’t really see people with interesting hair or fashions any more, and the colours are very muted.

Fashion is not as fun or interesting for me. I live near a large 6th form in London and all the kids dress virtually the same and it’s all a rehash of the 90s. Whereas when I went to school there were different tribes & you didn’t want to dress exactly the same as your friend or your mum.

Is it to do with the 08 crash that we never recovered from?

The fact we have an ageing population & lack that youth culture that was so strong in previous generations?

Maybe we’re too close to it? I mean, cold shoulder tops are probably pretty specific, date wise. Playsuits were a thing.
Men’s Trousers got very skinny, with pointy flat shoes.

Then during lockdowns, formality plummeted and most places are a couple of notches less formal than they used to be. There was the shirt and tie on top, boxers on the bottom trend, too 🤣
Seriously though, no one I know has worn a tie to work since Covid.

Scrunch bum leggings? Oh, and it’s all the nude wear as well. Skin tight, skin coloured, leggings and vest or worse, romper.

Maybe the trends are just much shorter (fast fashion), but still linger afterwards as people keep wearing the clothes.

For me the last ‘look’ was skinny jeans, stripper heels, peplum tops and donut buns - I guess that ended around 2013, and I can’t really think of a specific look since. Like you’ve said they’re rehashing past fashions but the look is also very basic - they don’t seem much into interesting hair, jewellery, makeup or other accessories. It seems to be just wide legged jeans or sweat pants with a tight t shirt and UGGs or skinny trainers. A basic 90s vibe but quite pared back.

Sub cultures don’t develop because people aren’t loyal anymore- they have too many choices. All the options all the time. Flash in the pan, then on to the next thing.

In the past if you looked at the early 90s there would still be a 80s feel to style etc. It took time for things to shift but I think social media/influencers pushing new trends constantly so things often don’t become embedded or it’s on to the next thing in a blink of a eye as above.

Yes!! I’ve been saying this for years and not heard anyone else say it until now. The thing that brought it home to me was having children and watching them wear the same clothes and trainers that I wore when I was younger ( and still wear now). It’s like time has stood still in that regard since the arrival of the smart phone. When I was a teenager In the 90s, the clothes I wore were completely different from the clothes my mum wore in the 60s and 70s which were clearly from a totally different era. There are trainers for sale in JD Sports which haven’t changed in 30+ years!!

Older generations always have a habit of thinking that things were better in their own youth. Better music, better clothes, better style etc.

You’ve misunderstood the thread. I didn’t say ‘better’, I said lacking in definable subcultures (or words to that effect).

I remember skinny jeans coming out and thinking ‘I would never’, before living in them for about 10 years. My parents were wedded to their 501s and thought I looked ridiculous. Same with UGG boots!

I thought you were agreeing with Matt Walsh who said “It's like we fell into some kind of cultural blackhole 15 years ago”. He is certainly suggesting that things are worse

It’s not ‘worse’ it’s ‘absence’. The two aren’t the same.

What about the grey-everywhere trend in interior décor.

Or Kardashian bottoms.

I would say that’s more 2010s than 2020s?

It’s implied.

Well I didn’t imply it.

Avengers. All the movies, especially the last ones.
Taylor Swift.
Inside No.9.
Breaking Bad.
Game of Thrones.
Walking Dead.
Black Mirror.
Beyonce.

That's just off the top of my head. I was in my 30s and 40s in the 2010s so not exactly young, cool and plugged in.