Were We Craving Nostalgia?

Although I might be a Jewish atheist, let’s all cross our fingers and plead to the gods that the global pandemic ends. Then life will become the new normal.

I was having this conversation with a friend about how clothes reflect the times. Everything reflects the times, but clothing is easy to see. Indeed, we are all dressing a helluva lot more casually because why dress up to stay inside? I am fascinated with the “little house on the prairie” dresses. The ones with the high collars and flowing material. They are tough to look good in, but everyone wears them anyhow.

I wonder if those dresses are nostalgic for easier times.  That is always the narrative. It is more complex now or scarier than it was then. But the thing is, those times weren’t easier. They might have seemed simple, but they were boring and highly one-dimensional in reality. Like the Victorian Times. Were they really romantic? It wasn’t easy living.

My friend said that the amount of manual labor, lack of travel, disease, and generally repressive attitudes would probably horrify any millennial or human being who somehow magically time traveled back to the Victorian era, no?  I totally agree.

Even Harriet and Ozzie, that was made out to be the perfect 1950’s American family, was Harriet really happy?

When we can all come out of our homes feeling empowered to walk around without a mask, I think those long dresses will be over. People are going to bust out. I am so looking forward to what it all looks like.