more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday
The Hippies came out of the student's revolution in the mid 60th against the establishment. They wanted to change family rules and go back to nature. They moved to the country lived in groups and everybody slept with everybody there were no couples. One should be free whatever that meant !
I was in the age to be a hippie, and for certain things I agreed with them, but I still was for marriage and an only love at one time. I didn't want to live in the countryside although I love it, but sleeping together with cows, goats and dirty men was not my dream of life. I loved the idea of peace and love (pronounced in French like "Piss and laugh") and no war.
Quiet a lot of young men and women immigrated to Australia. At that time it wasn't difficult at all, Australia still needed people to fill the country.
They lived in groups grew vegetables and had life stock and lived with that. There were no couples, it was "free love" (?) and children often didn't know who the biological father was ! The girls had long hairs and wear flowers, the boys had long hairs too and looked like old pictures of Jesus Christ. It was back to nature in all it's glory, without electricity or other modern appliances.
I also remember that at that time a lot of boys and girls went to the Spanish Islands, where they lived in Hippie communities. They probably returned after a while from this frugal life and are respectable fathers and mothers today (or even grandpas and grandmas by now), with a house and a garden, grown up children (hopefully their own once) and a cat and a dog. Gone the time of living in pure "nature".
The only thing I liked very much was the Hippie fashion. I had no long hairs didn't wear flowers, but I liked the long skirts and the "wrinkle" look. I wore jeans with flower patterns and I remember I had a suede jacket with broderie and sheep fur which I loved to wear.
There are still some hippies left on the Spanish Islands. I saw some, now my age, the men with long thin hair or bald with a tiny little pigtail in their necks, grey or white of course and the women also with long hairs which make them look like Halloween witches. They are really out of time now and long forgotten.
Hippie life
Baking their own bread
and today (this one still looks quiet decent)
There were plenty of hippies my age, and some of my friends were hippies, but I wasn't. I was trying to forge a career, so I always tried to dress like a lady. I did, however, let my hair grow down to my waist in the early 1970s.
ReplyDeleteMy parents had my youngest brother in 1968, and the three of them travelled down and back up the west coast twice a year (with a lot of the drive in California) on their way to Mexico.
After several years of this, my little brother looked out the window of their van for quite a lot stretch one year, studying the situation, and finally asked, "Where did all the hippies go?"
I think Mother told him, "They grew up."
Luv — K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
There are lots of old hippies on the Gulf Islands and on Vancouver Island - flowing hair, long beards, sandals year round....I call it dressing in the 'full Vancouver Island'.
ReplyDeleteThere are some things about hippie culture which appeal to me, but also lots of things which don't; especially the 'free love' bit. I'm all for stable families!
ReplyDeleteI was a hippie.
ReplyDeleteIt was a fine life, full of people helping each other and caring about each other.
I sometimes miss it.
But now, it is just wonderful memories and great stories to tell my many grand and great grand kids.
I’ve learned something today. I never knew before that “Piss and laugh” was the French for “Peace and love”. Amazing. Thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteAll the best, Boonie
I was in college at the time, and there were a lot of pseudo-hippies running around. I didn't join them, but I did wear a lot of muslin tops and worn-out jeans! And I gave up make-up with pleasure, too.
ReplyDelete=)
Today we have our own "back to nature," living green, sustainable agriculture movement that embraces the good parts of the hippie movement without the drugs and free love. I must say, I do love my goats and living in the country close to nature. Just wish I had the time to bake my own bread, although I'm not ready to give up all the conveniences of our modern society.
ReplyDeleteInteresting info about hippies. Like you, I like their fashion sense but could not live with the goats and sheep and the dirty men. The dirty men sound especially yucky.
ReplyDeleteAaah don;t all "cultures" have good and bad elements? And there were certainly main wonderful things about the hippies!
ReplyDeleteMaggy
I remember in Montreal all the flower power hippies and the marijuana and the concerts.
ReplyDeleteThose were great times cause people spoke of love and peace and yet were terrible to the vietnam vets who came home broken people and forced into a war they didn't believe in.We had a lot of US draft dodgers as teachers.Some teachers slept with their students. It was free love in those days and I was younger so not really understanding of all that was going on. But I also wore nice dresses and flowers in my hair and did more watching and learning than anything else.
This was a time of bra burning women libbers who were so gross in my opinion.I felt women should be free but marriage and family should be a sacred thing. I still believe in this because nothing is more beautiful than two people in love sharing their lives together.
I mean, no one ever said it would be easy. Thats just the thing. Its not and yet it means a lot to remember together when you are both old.
Yes, I'm old enough to remember the Hippies too.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't live in communes, but enjoyed old farmhouses, growing our own food, being vegetarians. And acoustic guitars, not electric! {:-D
ReplyDeleteI grew up in the 60's. Loved the jeans and long hair and going braless...still do :0 But didn't do drugs or believe in free love.
ReplyDeleteNow my friend's that are old hippies are struggling without a retirement and a home that's paid for free and clear. They are now dependant on their children. I guess the drugs prevented them from thinking about the future huh? Great post!~Ames
I wasn't around in the hippie age, my parents were but they weren't really into that either. I do work with a lady that still seems to live sorta hippie like, politically & everything. She works now to make ends meet & live but if she could find the right group I believe she'd give it all up to go back to the hippie days:-)
ReplyDeleteRod and I had such sheltered lives when we were young. We saw hippies on the streets of Atlanta, but that culture was really foreign to us.
ReplyDeleteIt's quite fascinating thinking about it now, but back then it seemed like everyone were "on the train". I was too young myself. I find it rather funny today to look at those old pictures. I wonder if something similar will come back again in the future since everything seem to go in loops?
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating walk down memory lane for me. I wasn't much of a hippie even though it was my era. I liked a lot of the clothes, though. Looking back I wonder about those super-big bell bottomed hip huggers. I'm wondering how I ever got out of the house wearing those!
ReplyDeleteThis was a really fun stop. Thanks for the smile and sharing your memories.
A+