I watched this again recently, and was urprised that I didn't see any, not one, overweight person in any of the crowd shots, and there were a lot of those. The only "people of girth" were the members of Canned Heat on stage. Of course, the vast majority of the attendees were young, teens to twenties, and most would hve identified themselves as hippies, but still. This seems to me an extraordinary testament to the changing times.
Thoughts?
Yep!
shareI think it's interesting the free food that was passed out for the 'breakfast in bed' was boiled bulgar wheat. These days you go to any kind of concert or festival and it's junk food city. I can't imagine how bulgar would go over with a modern crowd.
share[deleted]
I think it's a combination of things. It is not true that there was no fast food. It was everywhere, had been since the 1950s. Like if you've read about Ken Kesey's life, you'll remember where he talks about there being kind of a lifestyle around the drive-in hamburger places. I remember this too although I'm much younger. Everybody ate at McDonald's, A&W, Dog & Suds (like Sonix today) or little local hamburger stands (note the mention of the hamburger stand that burned down -- that happened because he was getting flooded with orders and his stove overheated). Real ice cream sundaes and sodas were quite normal as were corn chips, French fries, whole milk etc. Most people drank sugared soda, diet was just coming onto the scene. People at that time did not work out unless they were in athletics. Sugar-free was for diabetics.
I think the difference is yeah, looking back and remembering what I observed at the time, I think people were moderately more active, but there were plenty of sedentary people who were quite thin. In fact it was kind of a stereotype. The other thing is there were less additives and preservatives in food back then, no (or less) antibiotics and growth hormones in the meat and dairy, no BPA in canned goods. This was also before the big "tropical oils" scare, engineered by the corn and soybean oil lobbies.
The producer of Taking Woodstock, James Schamus, wanted to re-create some of the crowd scenes and he couldn't find anyone who looked like the people at the original event. Everyone who showed up to audition was lean and ripped and had their pubes shaved. He said: "When you think about it, that was really a generation of people who weren't fat, but who weren't staring at themselves in the mirror all the time, or shaving everything off down there. It encapsulates the difference in 40 years right there." They "weren't toned, waxed or bronzed into taut, narcissistic perfection. 'They were more relaxed," Schamus said simply. "They didn't always have one eye on the mirror.'"
You've got me?! Who's got you?!
Incredible, informative post. Thanks!
shareFast food was nowhere near as plentiful back then. Yes, McDonalds existed, and a few others, but they certainly were not on every street corner like today, and a trip to McDonalds was a special treat for most families. Eating out was, for the most part, a once-a-week or so treat. And soft drinks were not consumed with every meal -- again, they were considered treats. That's why we're fatter today, with more diabetes.
Exercise levels have stayed pretty constant, despite our perceptions. People didn't really make a point of exercising back then, at least adults. Kids played outside more, true, but mostly the trim bodies of the 60s were due to smaller portions, no fast food, and less sugar.
This may have been a location thing as well. I grew up near a Big 10 university town 1950s-1960s, and there really was fast food and ice cream everywhere. Besides franchise and local hamburger stands, most drugstores and variety stores had a soda fountain/diner inside. Many school kids went to these places every day instead of the insipid school food. Burgers, chips, cokes, shakes, fries. Sacks of candy and what would later be called trail mix were much in evidence in afternoon classes. Ah, chocolate Necco wafers.
Well, the city's being built and I'm winning this game. So don't interrupt us with trifles.
I think also there's an element to, young people were very focused on being married by the time they were 25. If a girl gained weight, her mother and family would get on her to lose some lbs. And of course, all young men were drafter and lost all of their baby fat.
But I've also heard from people who were old enough to be there, that hippies were all "thin" and "cool." And actually based on what we're watching, which is an epic concert for teens and twenty-somethings, this is actually the original Spring Break Party precursor to MTV. And therefore, no fatties! So that probably has something to do with it. They're not showing the fatties on trl either.
But, in addition to that. They look different. They're not bulking up or doing to some difficult work out. They just looked healthy and thin as if they never had a lot of body fat.
Molly: That's a nice and informative post. Quite revealing too.
After all... tomorrow is another day.
Don't forget, though they weren't in the movie, Mountain also played. Whoever was responsible for editing all the fat people out apparently kept any of their songs out, too. Even Canned Heat wasn't shown while their canned music played. [Only on the DVD, which is 40 minutes longer than the 1970 film, are they shown performing.]
Cats are underdogs.
One of the big reasons is that there no computers, no video games, no tv binge watching or any other technology which keeps us indoors.If we wanted action, we went outdoors.
shareAs kids growing up during the early to late 70s, once we got home from school, we did our choirs, homework and out the door we went. Bike riding, playing sports, climbing trees, etc. We also had to do yard work(mowing, raking, etc)
We stayed busy outdoors. Indoors was for rainy days.
Everyone at the concert was on DRUGS!!!
Keith Moon was the greatest 'Keith Moon Style' drummer ever!!share
".. we did our choirs.."
You did CHOIRS?
How does that work - you created a new choir every day? How did you ever practice enough to get any good at singing?
Unless you just don't know how to spell, which is a shameful thing especially in the age of information, and meant to type "chores"..
They're so fat you don't notice them because they're taking up all the space around the screen and everyone is just walking around them.
Every once in a while you notice a random huge elbow or belly button. That's the fat people bouncing about in the background like they do.
I came here to comment on this. Sometimes I go to these alternative festivals. Everyone is fat and unhealthy. People in their 20s are over-weight, covered in random fat pockets, or just obese. The majority of people are not thin. If you look at the Woodstock photos, no one has any body fat. We know they were not subjecting themselves to vegan diets or high antioxidant foods.
share"We know they were not subjecting themselves to vegan diets.."
Talk about biased.
Hippie lifestyle was (besides drugs) about peace and love. It's not very peaceful or loving to murder innocent animals to consume their rotting, bloody flesh that still radiates their deathscreams to rot in your body and cause health problems.
Also, it's not 'subjecting', if you decide to start eating healthier, and in all-possible-ways better food. You really have a way to make the best thing for health, animals, nature, air, seas, water and the whole planet sound like OPPRESSION.
SUBJECTING THEMSELVES?
You are making it sound like some kind of torture from a horror movie, when in fact, it makes you less fat, more energetic, more healthy, lighter and happier. Subjecting yourself to happiness is not really 'subjecting', now, is it?
Shame on you for your lies and disinformation and deliberate agenda to make the choice to eat healthy and ethical food instead of toxic, immoral and rotting murder flesh sound somehow torturous or bad!
We know? Who is 'we'? And how do those 'we' know?
Look, we know hippies were of course mostly vegetarians (the term 'vegan' possibly didn't exist then), especially since they mimiced and followed the indian traditions, buddhism's teachings, and other trends that were really popular at the time. So of course your knowledge is wrong.
Please don't post this kind of propaganda again.
Humans are not herbivores, we are omnivores. We evolved eating meat and plants. Our teeth, digestive systems, and metabolisms are configured to process meat as well as vegetables and fruit. Eating meat is natural, normal, and healthy for us, just as it is for a coyote or a bear. There is nothing immoral about it.
Those who subject themselves the the extremist fad called veganism are ignorant and unhealthy.
Please don't post silly vegan propaganda again.
" Hippie lifestyle was (besides drugs) about peace and love. It's not very peaceful or loving to murder innocent animals to consume their rotting, bloody flesh that still radiates their deathscreams to rot in your body and cause health problems."
Proof that Vegan is a cult! There were few Buddhists and vegetarians in the 1960s.