For me the 1970's saw the end of grade school, then high school and the start of college: While mom still had the final say in what we wore, it was mostly the the cordoroy pants, turtleneck shirt, and v-neck sweater thing [hey it was Paris]. In high school the self-imposed uniform was [along with just about everyone - school is about conformity after all]; colder weather = jeans/flannel shirt, warmer = t-shirt/cut-off jeans. Throw some madras and assorted stripped shodrt sleeve shidrts in there too. College [art school really] saw more of same with a drift to the pegged black pants, black leather shoes, white shirt with rolled up sleeves -all used vintage stuff we scrounged for in downtown Providence RI for peanuts. Then it was jeans and ripped t-shirt with the drink and punk/new wave.

All I can say is thank god I'm not a kid now. The amount of time, anxiety, fuss, importance and $$$ you have to devote/waste on fashion nowadays is scary to me. My group thankfully missed the whole high powered ad campaign marketing era directed at teens. To me the 70's, for all it's wackyness, was essentially "do your own thing". We turned your back on establishment things like advertising, industry, fashion, public relations, etc. Anything that smelled like marketing we walked the other way.  And this ethos dominated regardless of any particular political or aethtetic outlook.

As a demographic we were, and still are I think, hard to market to because of this underlying skeptisim. It's pretty grim to see modern kids get so easliy herded into the ridiculous and expensive marketing games that argtet them, when there is so much more interesting and creative things to do by avoidig "the man". But advertising has gotten even sneakier I fear... 

My biggest issue with current trends is tattooing and piercings. I'm not talking about a discrete tattoo or something like a single nose piercing, but rather extensive tattooing involving the lower arms, neck and upper front chest and extensive piercings on the mouth, around the eyes and along the ears, not to mention piercings in various private areas.

For one thing, unless you are talented enough to be a major sports or entertainment star or are able to be successful at some sort of self-employment, you will be, from the get-go, likely limiting the areas of employment available to you. For all sorts of reasons, areas involving healthcare, the financial world or upper-echelon business will be less open to you. Like it or not, people in various areas of business make value judgements based on one's appearance.

But there are other reasons, not often talked about, that make extensive tattooing and piercing a potential life-long problem. Removing tattoos is still very difficult and expensive. When it comes to piercings, there can be all sorts of complications: Infections from piercings in the navel and genital area. Deformities and life-long scars around the mouth, particularly along the lip margins. Life-long scars from any piercing thru cartilage of the nose or ears. And those large see-thru rings in the earlobes cause such a major deformity that unless one intends to have them into one's old-age, they will require plastic surgery that may or may not be be reasonably successful in re-constructing the earlobes.

Originally Posted By SirDave (25 APR 2012 7:48pm)

My biggest issue with current trends is tattooing and piercings. I'm not talking about a discrete tattoo or something like a single nose piercing, but rather extensive tattooing involving the lower arms, neck and upper front chest and extensive piercings on the mouth, around the eyes and along the ears, not to mention piercings in various private areas.

 

For one thing, unless you are talented enough to be a major sports or entertainment star or are able to be successful at some sort of self-employment, you will be, from the get-go, likely limiting the areas of employment available to you. For all sorts of reasons, areas involving healthcare, the financial world or upper-echelon business will be less open to you. Like it or not, people in various areas of business make value judgements based on one's appearance.

 

But there are other reasons, not often talked about, that make extensive tattooing and piercing a potential life-long problem. Removing tattoos is still very difficult and expensive. When it comes to piercings, there can be all sorts of complications: Infections from piercings in the navel and genital area. Deformities and life-long scars around the mouth, particularly along the lip margins. Life-long scars from any piercing thru cartilage of the nose or ears. And those large see-thru rings in the earlobes cause such a major deformity that unless one intends to have them into one's old-age, they will require plastic surgery that may or may not be be reasonably successful in re-constructing the earlobes.

 

 

 

I am with you 200% SirDave.

Is/was it a matter of what era we grew up in or the desire of so many people (not me  !!) to conform - or what ?

I was at secondary school as a young adolescent in the early 1940s in WW-II England. I can't remember if we were forced to wear school uniforms - after all it was over 70 years ago - but other than that and for the whole of my life I simply slouched around in whatever clothes I felt completely comfortable in.

At ANY stage of my life, I would no more have dreamt of getting tattooed or pierced ((in private parts or public) than I would have dreamt of swimming the Atlantic ocean !!

And about dyeing my hair green (to suil my name) or any other colour - it was originaly black and now what kittle is left is snow-white !

I heard part of an interview with a plastic surgeon the other night. Among other things, he discussed tongue-splitting (dividing the tongue into two parts).

He also said this is often done at home, where the person numbs his/her tongue by holding it in ice water, then slices away. Ugh.

Further, he said pointy ears à la Spock/hobbits/elves are currently quite popular.

Along with SirDave, I have to wonder how much people will still like such things after they've aged.

Originally Posted By karla (26 APR 2012 5:18pm)

I heard part of an interview with a plastic surgeon the other night. Among other things, he discussed tongue-splitting (dividing the tongue into two parts).

He also said this is often done at home, where the person numbs his/her tongue by holding it in ice water, then slices away. Ugh.

Further, he said pointy ears à la Spock/hobbits/elves are currently quite popular.

Along with SirDave, I have to wonder how much people will still like such things after they've aged.

Double-Ugh ! 

What is the matter with these people that the should want to do these horrible things to themselves volontarily.

I'm far from a prude or a dogmatic bigot - but IO think they must be psychologically sich !

Apart from surgical complications don't they realise the stupidity of these sorts of self-mutilations.

I hate and am fearful of ALL forms of mass hysteria and going along like sheep after false guru's and idiotic hysterical 'converntions' without thinking things out rationally and personally - mob mania is always dangerous and should be avoided as far as possible !

This lady is known as the most pierced woman in the world.  I met her in Edinburgh and she posed with my son.  She seemed quite happy dancing to her friend's busking. 

According to this video she has since married and has around 7,000 piercings. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5mJiF3xzH0

I always assume when people distinguish themselves like this it's because they seek to 'be' someone.  I doubt they're organising a mob or that such behaviour will become the norm.  When the govt passes legislation banning such displays of individuality - then we'll know the real mob (the conformist majority) has won.  

Get a load of this thing.

That is very extreme, Karla.  If he could sing, he'd be a shoe-in for the cast of Cats and wouldn't even need makeup.  

Regarding piercings, I don't like needles and don't even have pierced ears.  The thought of having it done in some of those extra sensitive places gives me the heebie-jeebies.