Today’s teenagers experience significant differences compared to those of 50 years ago. There are major disparities between teenagers of the 60s and the present in terms of fashion, technology, school, and work. While some fashion trends from the 60s remain popular today, such as mini skirts, dresses, and baby doll dresses.
In the 60’s, Hippie clothing was popular while it is not in the present. Similarly, smocks were popular in the 60’s but are not currently. Unisex clothing like denim jeans emerged in the 1960s, which could be worn by both sexes and continues to be popular today. Clearly, fashion undergoes some minor changes but remains fairly consistent over time and is likely to continue doing so in the future. On the other hand, technology has significantly improved since the 60’s in terms of mobiles, computers, and entertainment. Landlines were a luxury at that time with no existence of mobile phones, whereas today, most homes have landlines and most teenagers possess mobile phones.
In the past, television sets were limited and lacked color. Nowadays, we have color televisions, some even with high definition, which are widely found in most households. This exemplifies the advancement of technology over the last 50 years. Similarly, schools have also undergone significant changes from the 60s to now. Previously, schools employed corporal punishment like caning students; however, this practice is no longer prevalent. Furthermore, it was common for teenagers to quit school before finishing year 12 back then; whereas nowadays it is anticipated that most teenagers will complete their education.
In the past, traineeships, apprenticeships, and work experience were rare but now included in some schools’ curriculum. Many teenagers now have the chance to participate in these programs. Regarding dress code, girls used to be required to wear skirts in most schools during the 1960’s. However, nowadays they can choose to wear shorts in many schools. Over the last 50 years, school life has transformed with more diverse work options.
In the 1960’s, women were limited to “women’s jobs” like teaching. Today, women can work in any field just like men. Men were often the main breadwinners while women did household chores back then. Now, both genders can work and share household responsibilities. These changes highlight the stark differences in job roles between the 1960’s and today. Additionally, there are significant disparities in teenagers’ lifestyles then compared to 2011, especially regarding technological advancements over the past 50 years. Life in the 60’s would have been vastly distinct from what it is now.
