One thing I've never understood is why millennial girls claim they were born in the wrong generation. I have seen countless tweets and posts from girls dreaming about living in the 50's and early 60's. Don't get me wrong, I see the appeal, too. I used to be one of those girls. I wished for simpler times with no social media to ruin lives. I wanted a relationship like Sandy and Danny and my own group of Pink Ladies. The idea of a drive-in movie was amazing to me; unfortunately, the nearest drive-in movie to my hometown is hours away. I fantasized about going to the diner after a long night of dancing at the school sock hop. My friend and I would suck down milkshakes while we stared across the room at boys with greased-back hair. It all seemed so magical to me. Then I grew up.
The only thing that remains of my dreams of the 50's are the simpler times, meaning no social media. The rest of it has simply evolved. What a lot of these young girls don't see is that what they're wishing for is only the happy-go-lucky life of a 50's teen given to us by movies and television shows. We're spoon-fed these idealistic assumptions about living in the 50's from a young age. I'm not saying that nobody living in the 50's had a Hollywood-perfect life. But it's time to turn down the "Grease" soundtrack and face the music. Not everybody was living that life and there were far more complicated things going on.
So, fellow millennials, let's take a moment and think about the facts. Segregation was still largely in effect. Yes, racism is still around; but you think this is bad? Have you ever heard of a woman named Rosa Parks? So you can forget about interracial relationships unless you don't mind being shunned by practically everyone. And let's not forget about the Red Scare. You think a pregnancy scare is bad? Try losing your job because it's considered being communist activity. Lately, women's voices have been heard by many and people have actually been listening. In the 50's, your tongue may as well have been cut out. Women were irrelevant unless they were in the kitchen fixing dinner for their "taskmaster" of a husband or at home taking care of the kids. Forget about a glass-ceiling; it was more-or-less a titanium ceiling.
Ah, yes, the 50's: a whimsical, simpler time of rock-n-roll, teenage folly, segregation, communism, and oppression. Don't let Hollywood blind you, fellow millennials. Instead of living in a fantasy world, focus on the now. If we get our heads out of the clouds to see the reality of things, we can work together to improve society. There's no time like the present.
