The glory of throwbacks

I’m sure we’re all grateful that people rarely use the cringey expression ‘getting down with the kids’ anymore and if they do it’s ironic, I hope. Older generations attempting to relate to younger ones is all very admirable, but I’m not sure it’s to be recommended. Who wants to be reminded of those times? I can remember the agonies of self-consciousness that characterised my teenage years, the exquisite torture of mother and baby music groups and the constant state of underlying anxiety known only to the parents of teenagers. I have no desire to revisit those years, even vicariously. The retirement years are so much more comfortable. Stay embedded in your own generation I say. Avoid TikTok.

And yet an odd thing seems to be happening: rather than older people being down with the kids, it’s the kids who seem to be taking their style tips from the past century, which is highly satisfying. Vintage is everywhere, and the fashions and tastes of older generations have infiltrated popular culture by stealth. Have you noticed what teenagers are wearing? Flares and wide trousers. Loose cotton tops. I love this throwback to the 70s and am happily wondering about in baggy jeans and ethnic blouses. I don’t think I’ll be embracing crop tops, however, or cargo pants – I’m not part of a girl group from the 90s. Sadly. And I’m not going back to platform shoes ever.

And then there’s the music. I was just reading how The Beatles have a massive fan base among Generation Z (those in their teens and early twenties). I don’t mean to sound proprietorial, but The Beatles belong to me. Those many hours listening to the White Album are mine alone. I was so cool (in my own mind) that While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Rocky Raccoon were my favourites, but listening to it now, I think that Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da and Back in the USSR are a lot more fun. See, you couldn’t even like the things you really liked when you were a teenager. Or maybe it was just me and I was naturally morose.

Even current pop stars like Harry Styles are channelling the 70s in their music, which might be why I like him so much. His penchant for feather boas has absolutely nothing to do with it. I know, really, that no-one could or should remain immersed in the culture of their youth – it’s not healthy and can’t be pleasant living in a world that seems to have left you behind completely. For this reason, I’ve started watching The Bold Type, an American comedy-drama series about three young women working at a glossy women’s magazine. I’m enjoying it, but would like it more if they weren’t quite so glossy themselves, and wore fewer tight dresses and more baggy jeans. Just saying.