I miss the Eighties

[BewaretheIckabog]

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?

[IrmaFayLear]

2020 or 1980? Let me in that time machine!!!!

Even my dcs - forced to watch old TOTPs - observe that women were able to be people and not have to prance around in next to nothing dancing sexually whilst men wear a big jacket and boots. As shown upthread, a female singer wearing trousers/big blouse/jacket was normal . Now every woman - presenter/artist etc - has to be “attractive” , nay, sexy . The only exceptions are those deemed “diverse”. But heterosexual young women have to sign up to the 10 hours in the gym/surgical enhancements/minimal clothing look. I find that confusing in the midst of so much anger about other injustices.

[Delphinium20]

Pretty in Pink - Molly Ringwold had a sidekick male friend who had a rockabilly/goth look and I loved how cool that seemed...I felt the 1980s (I was a teenager then) allowed for such an artistic expression in personal style. The hipster look of millennials seemed so much tamer and muted, IMHO, which might then have led to Gen Z thinking they needed to break sex stereotypes. Culture is interesting...but, like every generation, the young think they invented it and they will likely think their version is the best.

[Al1Langdownthecleghole]

Even my dcs - forced to watch old TOTPs - observe that women were able to be people and not have to prance around in next to nothing dancing sexually whilst men wear a big jacket and boots.

Er Pans People?

[IrmaFayLear]

Pans people were a) rather tame and b) not the performers

[Al1Langdownthecleghole]

So they were there for their intellect?

[IrmaFayLear]

I’m not maintaining that Pans People/Legs&Co were anything other than a decorative dancing troupe. The women performing songs, however, did not by and very large have to be unclothed or writhe.

[merrymouse]

It's almost as though the freedom granted by Equal Marriage and the end of Section 28 have to be countered with regressive gender stereotypes.

Perhaps in the 80's Nick Rhodes was less threatening, because so many people genuinely believed that Russell Harty just hadn't found the right woman?

[DidoLamenting]

@IrmaFayLear

I’m not maintaining that Pans People/Legs&Co were anything other than a decorative dancing troupe. The women performing songs, however, did not by and very large have to be unclothed or writhe.

Neither do the vast majority of female musicians today.

The FWR rose tinted spectacles are firmly in place on this thread.

[DidoLamenting]

@Al1Langdownthecleghole

Even my dcs - forced to watch old TOTPs - observe that women were able to be people and not have to prance around in next to nothing dancing sexually whilst men wear a big jacket and boots.

Er Pans People?

Er, Transvision Vamp?

I've said it before but this idea on FWR that all female musicians now have to be sexualised is deeply insulting to the vast majority of contemporary female musicians who do nothing of the sort.

[OldQueen1969]

I quite liked the BBC4 series that does a programme around each year in the 80s through the lens of TOTP because it did include a fair bit of political and general commentary about what was going on at the time outside the music scene.

I was 11 in 1980 and ended the decade at drama college (backstage course). I agree it wasn't all roses and kittens, but it does seem youth culture has become a much more aggressively marketed focus - in the 80s it did have a much more organic youth led feel - as a "techie" and in an industry dominated by both "manly men" and many from the LGBT community I did have to fight to be listened to as a "woman", and to be valued for my skills rather than being treated as a "maid" / tea girl.

Many of my friends in my age bracket who are still diverse and somewhat "out there" are disturbed by the way things are going right now, and we have those discussions in person in select locations and are all very quiet on SM. Especially me after a friend in her late 20s told me I didn't understand anything about the whole debate because I am old. Yeah, still smarting from that......

[merrymouse]

I've said it before but this idea on FWR that all female musicians now have to be sexualised is deeply insulting to the vast majority of contemporary female musicians who do nothing of the sort.

I think the big difference is that in the 70s and 80s most people watched TOTP every week, just because it was on, so everyone saw whoever was in the top ten, whether that was the the Sex Pistols or Terry Wogan doing the floral dance.

Now, if you don't follow the right social media channels, its impossible to say who the equivalent of Annie Lennox would be.

However, I think it is true that today's equivalent of Annie Lennox, if she exists, is not influencing main stream culture in the same way that Annie Lennox et al did when they appeared on TOTP.

[merrymouse]

Especially me after a friend in her late 20s told me I didn't understand anything about the whole debate because I am old. Yeah, still smarting from that......

Sometimes it takes a while to discover that there is a direct link between having periods, taking time off work to have a baby and receiving a lower pension.