I
remember dressing up in my mom’s denim jacket on top of the stairs of my old home. Disney movies ran in the background, and my hair was all bundled up in pink clips. My mother told me I had the brightest look in my eyes that day when I told her that I wanted to be cool like her when I grew up. Today, more often than not, I still find myself reaching back to that same, old denim jacket. The wear and tear of the jacket is oddly comforting on me even now as an adult. When I wear it, I remember all the kisses and encouragement she’s given throughout my life. And sometimes, I might need those feelings now that I’m alone and still growing. Though my mother’s denim jacket stands for her love and peace in my life, others that I know are fond of other pieces of fashion that act as a keeper of their memories. There’s a growing trend of us adolescents gravitating towards our past as a way to cope. Playful fashion is emerging once again because millennials are using their clothing to place themselves back in a time when things were better. But, why are we going back to the past when there’s so much of our future that lies ahead of us?
Alison Landsberg, a professor of History and Cultural Studies at George Mason University warns, “A nostalgic version of the past is never an accurate depiction of the past. It’s always a sort of stylized, idealized, sterilized version of it.” Nostalgia is a sacred and safe place that many of us live in from time to time. It’s a method of escaping to a time where our lives may have been happier and less stressful. When you take the world into your hands with a childlike approach, you’re back in control. Being in your child-
hood feels familiar; it feels like you’re exploring known territory. However, we forget the unpleasant feelings of growing up misunderstood, helpless, and shrugged to the side. We don’t want to remember that pain still existed in our childhood. But with a changing and vulnerable world, the younger generations are choosing to find comfort in their pasts rather than the present.
“All of these icons that we’ve spent our lives watching, and all of the memories we’ve had with them give us a sense of connection, encouragement.” A changing job environment, the competitive pursuit of success and clashing cultures are problems that younger generations face. More than ever, we are left with a lack of privacy and the development of our own identity. The pressure of past generations and increasingly competitive job markets builds an unhealthy and toxic work ethic that young adults are heading into. The growing globalization in the world mixes cultures and creates a strain where you have to prove yourself to your parents, as well as everyone else out there. In modern society, you have to look and be your best. But we don’t like the stern boundaries that restrict us to this world. We try to emulate that feeling of retaliation through our fashion identity. And so we’re spiraling back to times where we could actually have a sense of guidance.
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