What I Saw: Trends in our Society

By Traveller

Change is a part of any society as long as there are young people within it. Every generation sees new trends in clothing, hair styles, music and attitudes to name a few popular subjects. It’s a safe bet every 20 years there are parents telling their friends, “We never acted like this when we were kids”. In reality they are finding out that the apple may not have fallen far from the tree.  

Whether you spend time in an airport, shopping mall or grocery store, I’d bet that you have noticed how many people seem to dress a bit differently than they did just a decade or two ago. It seems casual Friday has taken on an entirely new look within our society. This particular trend started long before Covid 19, but since then the wearing of extreme casual clothing and even pajamas in public has become a normal scene as  is the wearing of socks with sandals which can now be seen anywhere in the country, any time of day during almost any type of weather. 

I personally have seen teenagers wearing socks and sandals in temps ranging from 30 to 105 degrees in my local mid-west area. I don’t get it at all but neither do I understand the amount of visible tattoos I see on people of all ages, both male and female. On more than one occasion I’ve seen young girls who look to be 12 or 14 years old who have a tattoo. Was a parent the person who gave it to them, did they sign a release in order to get it? It certainly makes you wonder. 

20 years ago the only people who had multiple visible tattoos were current or former military personnel, bikers or maybe those who chose a life of occasional criminal activity. These days I see folks in health care, insurance, realtors, food service and many more careers in public service. Surprisingly so, you can even see new tattoos on older Americans who are close to retiring or just have. 

Anyone watching TV these days will see all sorts of different trends in commercials from the use of more diverse actors to the products being advertised. Two that stand out to me are the all over deodorant that you can wipe between your butt cheeks or boobs and personal razors that clean you up down there. Apparently the shaving of crotches is now enjoyed by both sexes and so mainstream that it’s advertised on TV. Who saw that coming?

There is no doubt that our society is changing as we travel further into the 21st century, but are these trends the sign of people who are more aware of who they are, or don’t have a clue where they are going? 

After visiting a local museum I learned of a trend from the early 1900s in family photographs. As it turns out, somewhere around 1910 people started to smile during these portraits. Before that it was suspected that only those who were mentally ill would grin for a photograph. I could clearly see a difference in the shots before 1910, nobody had anything close to a happy look and the wealthier they seemed to be, the more serious they were.

Do you think the people of 1910 would ever think their great grandchildren would be shaving their crotches or seeing it advertised on a national platform?  

About the Author

Traveller is a 50 + fellow who enjoys meeting new people and talking to them about any subject. He finds the Human mind an interesting yet mysterious thing that continues to intrigue and entertain his own thoughts. He dreams of one day writing a novel full of things he’s seen along his journey in life.