Bureau of Lost Culture So You Say You Want a (Sexual) Revolution?
Jul 23, 2023
Peter Doggett, a journalist and cultural critic with a focus on the 1960s, dives into the complexities of the sexual revolution. He challenges the myth of universal liberation, revealing that most people were spectators rather than participants. They explore iconic moments like the Profumo affair, the impact of the pill, and how popular music shaped youth culture. The conversation also touches on exploitation in the music scene and how the era's cultural shifts laid the groundwork for present-day contradictions in attitudes toward sexuality.
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Contraception Changed Possibility, Not Uniform Practice
- The pill detached sex from procreation, transforming possibilities but not instantly creating a universal sexual paradise.
- Peter Doggett argues the sexual revolution benefited a vocal minority while most people retained older moral codes.
Music's Role In Sexual Alarm
- Popular music carries a primal, libidinous power that historically unsettled authorities.
- Doggett connects syncopated dancing and African-American influence to recurring moral panics about youth sexuality.
Urban Myth Versus Everyday Reality
- The iconic image of the 1960s sexual revolution mainly fits young urban pop scenes, not the wider population.
- Doggett emphasizes that most people continued living under older Victorian-derived morals.
