ABSTRACT
Unisex continued in one guise or another as a popular form of expression up through the late 1970's. However, the movement lost its impetus with the rise of the conservative Reagan agenda in the 1980's. This chapter lists some professional observers who offered deeper interpretations of the causal factors at work with unisex. In the mid-1960's, Great Britain was responsible for exporting more than beat revival music to the United States. Originating in London, unisex, a teen fashion exhibiting a distinctly androgynous look, was very much in vogue by early 1966, particularly with the 'switched-on urban kids' who act as tastemakers for youth in the 'provinces'. The look, according to Life and Leisure editor Harry F. Waters, set off 'a wave of mistaken-identity cases among parents, teachers, store clerks, waiters, policemen, and, on occasion, even the kids themselves'. Many considered pop music stars and fashion kings to be largely responsible for this trend.
