I'm curious about the full effects that the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s and 70s had on people and societies -- not just Western peoples and societies, either. So, what do you think some of those effects were, especially, perhaps, the less often noted effects? Which effects were mostly good, which were mostly bad? And why?
Did the Sexual Revolution impact men and women differently? If so, how?
I was thinking about this the other day, actually...changes in sexuality from generation to generation, through the decades. I watched a great short, documentary on the history of makeup and women, from the Victorian Era to present, by one of my favorite makeup artists, Lauren Eldridge.
The evolution of cosmetology is directly reflective of the changes in a woman's sexuality and the "green light" to express oneself creatively through such expression.
A woman's ability to express herself...in PUBLIC...changed drastically from the Victorian era to the roaring 20s. Women went from being caged in corsets, with long hair - a statement of wealth (at times) and beauty to being able to cut hair short, wear bold makeup on the face and show arms and legs.
I think that the women of the 20s had an early taste for what the women of the 60s and 70s experienced. But, World Wars plunged women backwards into more mold-like roles, as men were off to war and women had to take care of babies, home and play a more conversative role for survival. Feeling good about yourself and feeling sexy was a luxury for a woman at many points in American and Europeon history.
Post baby boom, the teens of these generations were able to push the envelope of their parents' gender and sexuality-specific molds and take a more "anything goes" type of attitude. Not all did, of course.
It's very interesting (to me!) that this shift in sexuality has been reflected in the cosmetic industry. Makeup was very much revolutionized in the late 60s and 70s and has just kept getting better with time.
I think that sexual revolution has impacted both men and women, but moreso women. Through sexual revolution, there has emerged a stronger woman type, one who is less likely to adapt to the female molds and roles and societal expectations - particularly those expectations of males - that existed prior to the sexual revolution.
From this, there has emerged a brand of feminism that keeps women moving forward in obtaining the civil rights deserved to be equal to a male counterpart in society.
But, of course, the sexual revolution has also allowed others the ability to come out into the light and live their lives free - look at how far we've come in rights for LGBTQs.
I think that "mostly good" changes have been those that have allowed people to embrace themselves for who they really are and to live in truth. With that, comes greater productivity and hopefully, greater happiness.
It's hard to "calculate" negative change as a result of the sexual revolution in a fair way. The sexual revolution was well underway before I was born. These are just my opinions.
I think that the sexual revolution has had a negative impact on our indiviudal self image and our expectations of ourselves and others. As soon as women were able to show a little leg and arm, small companies cashed in on their insecurities.
And companies continue to cash in on the insecurities of women.
And then there's the other piece to this. As we continue to evolve as a modern society and further embrace our sexuality, the nuclear family has changed. There is strength, stability and sustainability to be found in the nuclear family structure, whether that family consists of a mom, dad and babies or another makeup of people.
People desire their freedom and ability to exercise their freedoms but not always in the manner that makes the most economical sense. I feel that younger generations seem to place expression and freedom, particularly sexual freedom above fiscal responsibility at times. I think it's important that society strives to find balance, so that younger generations can continue to move forward, enjoying freedoms, but also making sound decisions to be successful and productive in their own right, while being as happy as possible.