'I don't look back. I don't look forward. I try to just be here, now.'


Arianna Huffington ~ Founder of Huffington Post and Sleep Advocate 


Wars, the planet, technology and trends have all defined and shaped how we live.


 
Up

1950's ~

WINNER, WINNER, TV DINNER

Fast food, playboy magazine and seatbelts, an interesting mix of the good, safe and not so. 

~  McDonalds sells its first million burgers
~  Playboy magazine was created
~  Skin colour segregation in the US became illegal
~  The cat in the hat by Dr Seus was published
~  Broadway saw The Sound of Music
~  The first satellite was launched into space - without this we would have no sat nav's! 
~  Planes hit the sky - First passenger airlines  
~  Coco-Channel created the 'Boxy' suit. Functional luxury in womens' clothing - revolutionary. 
~ Food become about convenience, supermarkets, TV dinners and pre-packed meals. 
~ Records in vogue
~ Microwaves and fridges common in homes  
~ The era of Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe – Rear window and Some like it hot respectively
~ The birth of Rock and Roll with songs such as Goodnight Irene and Mona Lisa 

 

 
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1960's ~

THE SWINGING 60's

The Vietnam War, civil rights, bra burning and protests dominated this decade.

~ Shift of social norms and a sexual revolution
~ Rise of feminism, the birth control pill and bra burning
~ Introduction of Gay rights
~ Vietnam war brings about Peace Corps   
~ The rise of the mini skirt
~ Retro classic foods on the menu; beef wellington, chicken kiev, walsorf salad, fondue and of course meat loaf! 
~ Anti-smoking campaigns begin to imerge
~ Recognition of indigenous health in Australia  
~ The decade of roller skating
~ Compact cassette invented
~ Beginning of James Bond films
~ Good vibrations and lets twist again hit the radio waves  

 

 
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1970's ~

PEACE, LOVE AND BELLBOTTOMS

A monumental change for financial institutions and the middle class consumer with the availability of the immediate wants. 

~ First airbag installed in a car
~ Tie dye, bell bottoms, mid-drift tops, frayed jeans and bell bottoms, platform shoes were all the rage
~ Immigration saw the introduction of varying cuisines including; Italian, Greek and Chinese
~ Credit cards became available to the middle class
~ Colour TV introduced into the mainstream, changing the face of our living rooms and the advertising industry. 
~ Safety belts in the front street of the car became compulsory in some states of Australia
~ Grease is the word, hitting cinemas in 1978
~ Countdown by Molly Meldrum became an influential popular show
~ Food trends were very eclectic, centered around punch parties and prawn cocktails. That and everything that could be picked up with a tooth pick or skewered; cocktail onions, mini-quiches, frankfurts, gherkins, cheese and pineapple. 
~ Punk rock started to thrive Stay’in Alive was born and Elvis died. 

 

 
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1980's ~

FAST FASHION and FLURO SCRUNCHIES

The 80's had a lot to answer for low fat diets, leotards and fluro scruchies

~ The invention of the Compact Disk or CD improved the clarity of listening to music
Yoga emerges as a health trend
~ Beauty was all about big hair and hairspray
~ Healthy meals were considered to be low fat and low calorie
~ The heart foundation 'tick' was created by the heart foundation
~ Fashion was all about the fluro, high wasted leotards, scrunches
~ Laptop created and mobiles the were the size of a brick
~ Fall of communism in the Soviet Block and Eastern Europe
~ The epitome of consumerism - Madonna the Material Girl
~ Dirty Dancing hits the cinema with those hip thrusts
~ Dance music and disco was a big as crimped hair. Madonna was like a virgin and a prayer in the one decade. The Survivor Song Eye of the Tiger and  locally in Australia the song  'Down under'. 

 

 
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1990's ~

VEGETARIANS, SEX AND THE CITY

The term 'Google it' has changed how we access information and the smart phone how often we access it. 

~ Acceptance of food choices such as Vegetarianisms and cultural food differences such as Hallal
~ Only slightly better fashion than the 80s - Boob tubes, pop joggers, baby doll dresses and Dr Martens, denim and overalls
~ Information sharing and search engines changes the way we access information. Google founded
~ Tech Start ups to change the face of shopping eBay and amazon
~ Mobile phones become smart phones  
~ The millennium bug doomed to end the world, then didn’t. 
~ There always seems to be a war, this time in the Gulf  
~ Chick flicks and shows of all times: Friends, Sex and the City, Pretty Women and Titanic  
~ Rap, Reggae and R and B music all the rage . House of Pain Jumped around and Vanilla Ice created Ice Ice Baby. 

 

 
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2000's ~

THE 3 C's CARBS, COFFEE and CUPCAKES

The new millennium, technology and all things 'I' including iphones and itunes.

~ Focus on nutrition with the Introduction of the 5 food groups
~ Shift to preventative health care and healthy and balanced lifestyles as obesity becomes an epidemic in the first world
~ Food intolerances widely accepted with 'Free' foods becoming more available - free from nut, gluten, fat, sugar, dairy..
~ Growth and diversity in restaurants and take away options
~ Globalization in fashion with an anything goes approach. Casual clothing becoming more popular for all occasions. 
~ Online shopping normalised
~ September 11. Terrorism became the new war
~ Avatar and 3D films in the cinema
~ Carbs are out, cupcakes and in and coffee culture goes crazy
~ Super size me the documentary see's the demise of super size
~ Michael Jackson passes. The contestant reality shows and singing competitions hit the TV screens with Kelly Clarkson the first in America.  The Black eyed peas have two chart toppers with 10+ weeks at number 1 Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta a feeling

 

 
Gerry Images

2010's ~

SNAPCHAT, SELFIES, SHARING and SUSTAINABILITY

It's the age of lifestyle trends, instant gratification and active wear.

~  Snapchat and the term 'selfie' created as Kodak goes under. Virtual Reality and 'the cloud' a reallity
~ The sharing economy created with the likes of Uber and Air BNB
~ With food sharing via social media comes - Fusion cuisines and new age food (which has really been around for hundreds of years). Eg. Bone broth, kale, fermented vegetables and 'superfoods'  
~ Health, wellness and experience becomes part of lifestyle and active wear becomes a lifestyle and fashion trend
~ While we have seen snippets of the 20th century or recycled fashion trends immerged, fast fashion has become more prevalent with youth. Clothes becoming disposable items after one use.  The war on waste documentary hits main stream society. 
~ The goal of home ownership becomes unattainable,  shift in demand for quality lifestyle consumables. 
~ In the past decades as we came more distant to our food source the rise of the slow food movement, paddock to plate philosophies and buying local. Brunch is the new dinner and smashed avocado on toast is a staple.
~  Lifestyle buzz words and philosophies such as; organic, sustainable, ethical, carbon foot print and transparent supply chains. Climate change and sustainability once controversial topics are now buzz words.
~ Meditation, mindfulness and an awareness of mental health at the same time gastric banding is available more readily

 

Images via ~ Upsplash

Images via ~ Upsplash

2020'S ~

Fire and a BAT

The new decade started with a a blaze of fury in Australia and an annihilation of ‘normal’. That was only the first couple of months.


the Future

What will the worlds new ‘normal’ look like post the corona effect?

Any thoughts?