The swinging sixties

The time and place of The Collector

The sixties: a social revolution

The Sixties", as they are known in both scholarship and popular culture, is a term used by historians, journalists, and other academics to describe the counterculture and revolution in social norms about clothing, music, drugs, dress, formalities and schooling.

The relaxation of social taboos

The decade was also labelled the Swinging Sixties because of the fall or relaxation of social taboos especially relating to racism and sexism that occurred during this time.The 1960s became synonymous with the new, radical, and subversive events and trends of the period.

During this decade, young people began to revolt against the conservative norms of the time, as well as remove themselves from the mainstream, in particular the high level of materialism, which was so common during the era. This created a "counterculture" that sparked a social revolution throughout much of the Western world. The youth involved in the movement became known as hippies. These groups created a movement toward liberation in society, including the sexual revolution, questioning authority and government, and demanding more freedoms and rights for women and minorities.

A second wave of feminism in the United States and around the world gained momentum in the early 1960s. Feminists took to the streets, marching and protesting, writing books and debating to change social and political views that limited women. In 1963, with Betty Friedan's revolutionary book, The Feminine Mystique, the role of women in society, and in public and private life was questioned. In 1968, "Women's Liberation" became a household term