I have been working on a longer post about the sociology and cultural ramifications of 1980s music videos. But as break from that, this image from a ZZ Top vid reminded me of a common woman’s look from the 1980s that’s completely disappeared now.

Those very tight tops with mid-rise (also tight) jeans were extremely common during the 1980s. Almost always braless too, of course, which would be verboten now. It’s a look that most can’t really pull off these days because it requires being svelte. But most women were back then! And no tattoos. The women from then are so much more attractive to me because their skin had not been devastated with horrible tattoos as is almost always the case now.

I wouldn’t want to go back, but damn not having terrible tattoos everywhere would be a real positive thing.

This weirdness is caused by a few things. A lot of Gen Z is very, very prudish — of a kind and severity that hasn’t been seen since the Great Awakening in the 1730s and 1740s. This doesn’t just include “prudishness” directly related to sex, but also a deep suspicion and hatred of anyone doing something so innocuous as having fun and dancing.

And part of it is just misogyny — any time women are acting of their own volition with no men around, especially if they are having a good time, it’s seen as invalid or undesirable. This is becoming common even among Gen Z men.

Another part is that Americans in general are distrustful of anyone — man or woman — not working, not preparing to work, not doing something directly related to work, or not otherwise pointed in a direction that might be related to doing something “productive.” It’s that ol’ execrable Protestant work ethic popping up as it always does. Seeing those women enjoying themselves at a yoga dance rave (?) triggers that subconscious voice in the back of their heads that says, “Shouldn’t they be working or doing something useful?”

As for me, I think they’re cute and their awkward dancing is also cute. Good for them for having fun in the way they want to be having it. We need a whole fuckin’ lot more of that.