It's Just a Phase!

Awkward phases. Some have had them some of us are fortunate not to have one. But some may have gone through a change that may have been strange or out of the ordinary for some people. This change can especially happen if one is going through an identity crisis or desperately wants to change their image. These phases can happen to America as a whole as well. This term can be described as counterculture. Counterculture is defined as "a way of life and set of attitudes opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm." In present times, such examples can be seen with those who identify themselves as punk, goth, emo, LGBTQ, etc. But how or when did this counterculture begin to emerge? This emergence of counterculture can be seen in America during the 1960s.

https://infogram.com/counterculture-1960-1g0q3pl35dd7p1g

According to Melina Perez, a writer for The Richest, "History teaches us that emergence of a counterculture is a retaliation against the norm at a time when new discoveries and a greater emphasis on the individual is applied." Such can be seen in the 1960s when America began increasing in social unrest about African-American Civil Rights, sexuality, woman's right, and the Vietnam War which was a huge part of the counterculture that many people did not agree with. It was during this time that many social norms and behaviors were being broken and changed particularly among the young. A particular group that emerged in the 1960s that many are familiar with is the Hippies. Their style of dress included jeans, sandals, beards, long hair, tie-dyed shirts, and a lifestyle that embraced sexual promiscuity and recreational drugs. Because of the Vietnam War going on, their signature hallmark of the peace sign also emerged encouraging peace rather than war. From there, many other groups, as mentioned earlier, began demanding equality and asking for a change within their groups.

Ever since the 1960s, there have been many other smaller sub-counterculture groups that choose to go against the norms of society to seem and appear different. Even today, many counterculture groups are still marching and fighting for equality and change that may continue for many generations to come. So if you are someone who is going through one of these "phases", just look back and see how many of these groups that are huge today started out.