When you watch movies from the past, you often see flying cars and robots that miraculously do all the housework for you. In the past, people dreamed of a future so different from the current world they were living in. But the future they dreamt of ended up being not too different from the world they actually lived in. The fashion, music, and films from the past, particularly the 70s, 80s, and 90s, have become the latest craze—which is a complete shock to past generations.
When someone goes to Target, the first thing they see in the clothing aisle are flared bell bottom pants, and crop tops with 90s hip-hop artists on them. Magazine shoots include models with mod style makeup, and men with mullets. Old pieces of clothing that were once discarded at thrift stores, now are heavily priced and labeled “vintage” by online resellers.
The popular Netflix series, “Stranger Things”, takes place in the 1980s, and has heavily influenced preteen and teen fashion over the last five years. Meanwhile, the latest remake of the film, “It”, has prompted younger audiences to pick up the novel of the same name by Stephen King, which was actually published in the 80s.
Overall, younger people, particularly those in Gen Z, have felt drawn to the fashion and media that belonged in their parents’ time, but the question is “why?” Why feel drawn to a time when there was no technology, and less access to transportation?
Gen Z is the first generation to grow up in a world ruled by technology, where there are constant flashes of media and information being thrown at us at every second of the day. It becomes exhausting to have to keep up with the constantly changing fashion, music, and social media trends. Although, there has always been one thing many “Gen Zers” have been drawn to: the films and music our parents grew up on.
I believe that the reason so many people in my generation are so heavily drawn to the media from our parents’ generation, is because it gives us a break from the standards of today’s media. These stories of people our age meeting up together after riding their bikes and chasing strange noises, thinking they’re ghosts gives us a sense of comfort that the time we live in does not allow us to feel. We live in a world where tasks can be completed in almost no time, so watching characters who don’t rely on technology, makes us feel like our own time slows down.
The people in the past who dreamt of the future, never dreamt of its consequences, so they never could have imagined just how much people would yearn to return to the past.