Retro is a term used to describe, denote or
classify culturally outdated or aged trends, modes, or fashions,
from the overall postmodern past, but have since that time become
functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of
"retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern
art, advertising, mass media, etc. has occurred from around the
time of the
industrial
revolution to present day.
Origin
The word "retro" derives from the
Latin prefix
retro, meaning "backwards" or "in past times" –
particularly as seen in the words
retrograde, implying a
movement toward the past instead of a progress toward the future,
and
retrospective, referring to a
nostalgic (or critical) eye toward the past.
In the postwar period, it increased in usage with the appearance of
the word
retrorocket (short for
"retrograde rocket", a rocket generating thrust in a direction
opposite to that of a spacecraft's orbital motion) used by the
American space program in the 1960s. In France, the word
rétro, an abbreviation for
rétrospectif gained
cultural currency with reevaluations of
Charles de Gaulle and France’s role in
World War II. The French
mode
rétro of the 1970s reappraised in film and novels the conduct
of French civilians during the Nazi occupation. The term
rétro was soon applied to nostalgic French fashions that
recalled the same period.
Shortly thereafter it was introduced into English by the fashion
and culture press, where it suggests a rather cynical revival of
older but relatively recent fashions. (Elizabeth E. Guffey,
Retro: The Culture of Revival, pp. 9-22). In
Simulacra and Simulation, French theorist
Jean Baudrillard describes "retro" as a
demythologization of the past, distancing the present from the big
ideas that drove the “modern” age.
Usage
“Retro” can be used to simply mean “old fashioned” or old,
functioning much like “timeless” or “classic”. It has also been
associated with
modernism in the immediate
post-war years, encompassing an aesthetic that ranges from
tailfins on
Cadillacs to
ranch houses. Sometimes, it can also
suggest an entire outlook on life, for example,
social conservatism,
home schooling, or the embrace of traditional
gender roles. “Retro” can also be
applied to forms of technological obsolescence, for example, manual
typewriters,
cash registers, bulky hand-held
cell phones, or the resurrection of old
computer games.But most commonly, “retro” is
used to describe objects and attitudes from the recent past that no
longer seem “modern.” It suggests a fundamental shift in the way we
relate to the past. Different from more traditional forms of
revivalism, “retro” suggests a half ironic, half longing
consideration of the recent past. It has been called an
“unsentimental nostalgia,” recalling “modern” forms that are no
longer current."Retro" sometimes also refers to the fifties
era.
Today it is often used in a positive sense, referring to quirky or
attractive products that are no longer available. For example,
"Retro fashion" or "Retro Chic" may consist of outdated styles,
such as
tie-dyed shirts from the 1960s, or
poodle skirts from the 1950s. A love of retro objects (things from
the past) is called
retrophilia.Retro often
reflects a sensibility aligned with
camp. Camp is an ironic attitude, an explicit
re-introduction of non-dominant forms.
Specific types of retro
Retro art
A 1950s-era poster in pop-art style,
the style of which retro art is based upon.
The style now called "
retro art" is a genre of
pop art which was developed in the
1940s and
1950s in response to a
need for bold, eye-catching graphics that were easy to reproduce on
simple
presses available at the time
in major centres.
Retro advertising art has
experienced a resurgence in popularity since its style is
distinctive from modern computer-generated styling.
Perhaps the most famous example of a retro pop-art character is the
more generalized form of the
Ward
Cleaver-styled
J. R. "Bob" Dobbs-esque icon which
has been widely played off, copied, and parodied.
Retrogaming
Retrogaming is a pastime which is becoming increasingly popular
where individuals play
video games on
vintage computers or vintage game
consoles; although what constitutes a
vintage or retro machine is open to debate. Typically most retro
gamers are interested in
Atari 2600,
Nintendo Entertainment
System,
Mega Drive,
Dreamcast,
Super Nintendo, and
classic
Game Boy games and consoles.
Emulation often plays a part in
retrogaming if the original
hardware is
unavailable.
Retro cars
Retro cars are vehicles that bear characteristics
inspired by past cars while still technologically modern.
Examples
Retro fashion
Retro
fashion is a
clothing style which consists in wearing clothes
commonly used in the past. This way of clothing often includes
garments and accessories that are characteristic of such times, and
many people use them in an exaggerated way and in combination with
current clothing. Examples are:
leather
handbags from the 50s, "bell-bottom
jeans", big
sunglasses,
funky jackets (commonly
Adidas Classics) and shoes, small
neckties, chiffon scarves, sport equipment,
etc.Makeup may also play a part in feminine retro fashions, with
focal points being heavily-lined eyes and bright red lipstick;
hairstyles such as
pompadours,
ponytails, and
ducktails may be adopted, as
well as styles that model film stars of the 1940s and '50s.
Retro erotica
Retro
erotica is usually
photography in the style of
pinups or
pornography
typically dating from the 1970s or earlier. It ranges from hardcore
to non-nude pinup style photography, often featuring
lingerie such as
girdles,
bullet
bras and
garter belts and hose with hairstyles, makeup
and props fashioned after those periods. Some aficionados
distinguish retro (modern photography in an older style) from
vintage (actual period photos or film) while others conflate the
two as either retro or vintage. There are a number of web sites
dedicated to both types.
Retro sport
A specific and clear example of this trend is the way in which the
sport garments from the 70's and 80's are used nowadays. Soccer
jackets, jerseys and t-shirts with former logos of the soccer
associations are very popular; their designs commonly remember the
old days by using lines in the sides and combinations of colours
characteristic of those times. An specific case is the
1970 FIFA World Cup held in Mexico. Its
logo and font type is used in a variety of retro sport
garments.
Brands such as Adidas,
Puma and Nike
have their
own divisions specialized in retro products. Some soccer,
baseball and basketball clubs also have re-edited their former
garments to raise their sales.
Retro music
Retro, during the 1980s, referred to a new genre
of music, particularly dance music, popular in the U.S. at the time
and originally termed
New Wave music
which was in part an outgrowth of the
Punk
rock genre of the late 1970s and early '80s and
Psychedelic genre of the late 1960s and 70's.
Many of the songs and albums termed retro at the time came about
during great advancement in the development of generating music
electronically (that is, with computers and electronic equipment -
or
Electronic music - rather than
with either traditional or electromechanical instruments) and the
popularization of this type of music in the mainstream. Ideas as to
how broad and inclusive the Retro category of music is vary;
nonetheless, not all music - not even all dance music - from the
decades of the 1980s were considered Retro music. Now, in fact,
retro music refers only to music that came out of the retro era.
This psychedelic style of music is still widely listened to
today.
Retro metal
In the mid-2000s, a rise in popularity of
hard rock music combining
classic rock elements with
psychedelia,
heavy
metal and modern hard rock came to prominence among the
Millennial Generation and
others, with such bands as
Wolfmother,
The Sword,
Jet
and
Buckcherry becoming very successful
using methods of past bands such as
Led
Zeppelin,
Black Sabbath,
The Jimi Hendrix Experience,
The Beatles and
Pink Floyd. While the strength of the "movement"
has been argued by some music critics on both sides, "retro" or
"heritage metal" has become a common term for trendy
hard rock.
Retro rock
Retro rock is modern original music, but influenced by all the
genres of the ‘50’s and ’60’s – rock ‘n roll, blues, rockabilly,
rhythm and blues, west coast, psychedelia etc - without
specifically fitting into any one of them.
See also
References
- Robyns, Clem (1991). "Beyond the
first dimension: recent tendencies in popular culture studies", in
Joris Vlasselaers (Ed.) The Prince and the Frog, Leuven: ALW,
14-32.
- Retro-Trader, 2002: Web site
listing and displaying many retro related items
Notes
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