Soviet Fashion All the Rage

Soviet-style fashion all the rage in Russia

The return of the Soviet music to the Russian anthem was a perfect example of a new tendency of today’s Russia. This tendency started showing up in Russia around the turn of the millennium, especially among young people. One may say that this is the so-called USSR fashion, when Soviet symbolism, slogans, and songs are heard and seen everywhere in Russia.

Soviet words are no longer used. The present times dictate new fashion and new slogans. Yet, there has not been a good word invented to describe the precise characteristics of the Soviet person of the 1990s. Several years ago, I happened to visit a children’s shelter in the Krasnodar region of Russia. Young people started laughing at me, calling me Yeltsin and a damned voucher (vouchers were used during the privatization scheme of the period.) I have never ever heard that again, although I will never forget that.

The common saying “ theRussia that we lost long ago” basically refers to tsarist Russia, not to the Soviet era. Soviet symbolism can be seen on Russian MTV, with young men wear red T-shirts with USSR in big white lettering on them. There are large signs on Moscow streets that read: “Our Fatherland – the USSR.” Smaller letters below inform that it is an advertisement of a radio station.

Some people will say that this is just fashion, without any significant meaning. Well, let’s go with this fashion, as it could be worse. An interesting statement can be found on the website Nasha-Rodina.Ru: “For the time being, Russia keeps aloof from the anti-globalist movement. The ideas of national autonomy and resistance to Western values are becoming more and more popular at the moment. Commercial companies have noticed these changes first. They started using the pro-Soviet spirit in their advertisements. Che Guevara’s image is very popular now in Russia. The company Personal Telecommunications, the owner of Sonet cellular trademark, uses Che’s image to advertise its new rates. The internet companyMail.Ru uses Che Guevara’s cameo for advertising its mail server. The company’s slogan says: “Mail.Ru – the Patriot’s Mail.”

Businessmen sense market changes much better that politicians do. Businessmen risk their money, and they cannot be fooled with a publication of a company’s high rating. Taking these facts into consideration, one should assume that there will soon be a very real anti-globalist movement formed in Russia.

The current Soviet tendencies and fashion have already had their political ground laid. Constructive politicians place great hopes on the unified state of Russia and Belarus. Some perceive this union as a prototype that will take a special place in the world. Most likely, this new state will have something to say to the world soon.

A special committee is working on the anthem of the unified state. The committee is considering more than one hundred entries. The music of the Soviet anthem prevails as well. Russia and Belarus are ready to develop their integration faster.

The subject of Soviet fashion was discussed in the latest issue of Independent Review Weekly magazine. One of its articles called “Back in the USSR” was devoted to Playboy magazine. The author of the article, Mikhail Shabashov, wrote that the November issue of the Russian Playboy magazine described a journey to the USSR of the period 1960s – 1980s. Mikhail Shabashov came to the following conclusion: “Soviet era nostalgia has already become a part of mass culture. There is something to remember about it, indeed.”

By the way, tomorrow is Russian Constitution Day, or Independence Day, whatever. Happy whatever, comrades!

Sergey Stefanov PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov