AIM: To explore the key themes representing youth culture by analysing songs from three

different eras i.e. 1990-2000, 2000-2010, and 2010-2020.

Youth can be defined as a socially constructed intermediary phase that stands between
childhood and adulthood: it is not defined chronologically as a stage that can be tied to
specific age ranges, nor can its end point be linked to specific activities, such as taking up
paid work or having sexual relations (Andy Furlong, 2012). Youth is a broader concept than
adolescence, which relates to specific developmental phases, beginning with puberty and
ending once physiological and emotional maturity is achieved, and it tends to cover a more
protracted period. Whereas adolescence can be tied reasonably accurately to a specific age
range and the completion of a set of developmental tasks (whether or not these are
explicitly linked to the physical structure of the brain), as a socially constructed category
youth can be challenging to define. It is essentially a period of semi-dependence that falls
between the full dependency that characterises childhood and the independence of
adulthood. Defined in this way, it is clear that youth is constructed differently across time
and between societies. In some societies, young people become independent at a relatively
young age, while in others dependency can last well into their second decade of life, and
even beyond.

In some respects, the identification of a clear youth stage in the life course has become
increasingly problematic as a result of changes in modern societies. Young people spend
longer in education, enter full-time employment at a later stage, and can remain dependent
for greater periods. Moreover, many young people have non-linear sets of experiences in
which events occur in a non-traditional order: they may have children before they have
completed their education, for example, or may return to teaching after several years in
employment. As a result of the growing protraction and complexity of youth as a stage in
the life course, researchers have begun to argue we must recognize a new phase that they
have termed ‘young adulthood’ (EGRIS, 2001), ‘post-adolescence’ (Keniston, 1968) or
‘emerging adulthood’ (Arnett, 2004)
Forming an identity is an important task when the individual chooses their values and
beliefs, their gender orientation, their occupation, and social standing in the world. They
constantly face vast variety of choices as well as negotiate the given aspects of identity like
ethnicity, religion or caste. Below are given some of the indicators of identity that influence
the identity development of the youth:

a) Caste

Most of our conceptualization of caste comes from the Vedic "varna" and thousands of
"jatis". The varnas in the Vedic period were occupational divisions in the society. The priestly
class was classified as Brahmans, the warriors and nobles as Kshatriyas, the tradesmen and
artisans as Vaishyasband the labourers as Shudras. This categorization by virtue of exclusion
also created a fifth class, the untouchables and tribal people. The conceptualization of jatis
is far more complicated. These are fluid categories which can depend upon occupational
roles, area of living the varna and religion. Caste names often describe castes' traditional
occupation. While the varna-jati categorization is specific to the Hindu religion, it also
applies across other religions. For Christians and Sikhs, their varna-jati categorization is
based on the last family member before the conversion. The Muslim community too has
their own caste. These caste categories are important markers of identity in Indian context.

Class

Another marker for identity is social class, which is an embodiment of social and economic
status. It is also referred to as socio-economic status. Class incorporates one's income,
education, and occupational prestige. One can identify as middle-class, upper-class, lower-
middle-class, lower-class, or poor as an identity label. Social class is also reflected in one's
life style as well as occupational categories. It has an inbuilt hierarchy in itself, and is also
associated with caste in Indian context.

c) Gender

One of the significant markers of one's identity is gender. It is different from sex as the latter
indicates one's biological sex, whereas gender includes the attitudes, feelings, and
behaviours assigned to a person's biological sex by the particular society and culture. Thus
socialization plays an important role in influencing one's gender roles. Gender roles refer to
the behaviour and personality patterns associated with the particular sex, male or female, in
a given culture. Since youth is the stage when one's gender identity is taking its final shape,
it is necessary to consider it as to how does it shape the youth's identity.

Gender identity may or may not correspond to a person's sex assigned at birth or to a
person's primary or secondary sex characteristics. Rather, it refers to the personal
orientation of the individual and is not influenced by societal norms. An individual's gender
expression or presentation, including physical appearance and behavior that communicates
aspects of gender or gender role may or may not conform to a person's gender identity.

Religion

Religious identity is one of the foremost social identities as it comprises of one's belief
systems and practices. Many aspects of our lives are governed by one's religion. The 2011
census reports that 79.8% of the Indian population follow Hinduism, followed by Islam
which is practiced by 14.2% of Indian population. Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism (1.7%),
Buddhism (0.7%) and Jainism (0.4 %) are the other major religions followed by the people of
India. For some people religious identity is not salient as they either do not believe in any
one particular religion, or are atheist. One can give salience to one's religious identity for
instance as a Christian, yet not participate in rituals like Sunday mass. However, the same
person would ascribe to strongly held notions of the said religion and believe in sharing and
helping others and celebrate festivals associated with Christianity.

Ethnicity

Ethnicity refers to a group of people that share common characteristics like language,
culture, region, traditions, religion, and tribal or national origin. India is a country of multiple
ethnicities. Ethnicity involves a feeling of consciousness among the ethnic group members
that such shared characteristics exist. Some examples of ethnicity include tribal groups like
Bhil (of Madhya Pradesh), Khasi (of Assam and Meghalaya), Gonds (of Madhya Pradesh and
Bihar), Lepchas (of Sikkim) etc.

Division of Generations
Currently, five generations make up our society. Each of those five generations has an active
role in the workforce, marketplace, and communities. Depending on the specific employer,
the workforce includes four to five generations. Here are the birth years for each
generation:

 Gen Z, iGen, or Centennials: Born approximately 1996 – 2015 While still "youngsters"
and not old enough to have made their mark as a generation, Generation Z kids are
the first to be born into a world where they know nothing else besides being
constantly connected to one another, albeit through phones, screens, and tablets.
 Millennials or Gen Y: Born approximately 1977 – 1995 Millennials lived through 9/11,
remember when Amazon only sold books, and are also the first generation to know a
childhood both with and without the internet, which now plays a significant role in
their personal lives. While Boomers may accuse Millennials of being self-centred and
entitled due to their excessive use of technology, this generation has proven to
actually be incredibly community-oriented and environmentally conscious, which are
traits that are being picked up by their children in the next generation.
 Generation X: Born approximately 1965 – 1976 So often dismissed as the slacker
generation, Generation X lived through the AIDS epidemic, MTV culture, and a
shifting cultural landscape that would give rise to LGBTQ+ rights. Generation X
parents were famously the first to use helicopter parenting styles. Unlike their
Boomer parents, who famously let their kids stay outside until the streetlights came
on, Generation X parents have a tendency to be far more involved with their
children's social and educational development.
 Baby Boomers: Born approximately 1946 – 1964 Gen Z may think of Baby Boomers
as their out-of-touch grandparents, but they had a wild youth we often don't talk
about. Boomers are so named after their parents came home from WWII, and the
American population exploded. Baby Boomers defied their parents, protested the
Vietnam War, and created the "Summer of Love." Boomer parents notably redefined
parenting by being the first generation to look at their kids' perspective of growing
up, and they started the concept of having family meetings.
 Traditionalists or Silent Generation: Born approximately 1945 and before They
famously got their name for being so conformist that they were silent through the
 MacCarthy era when the fear of Communism swept the country. The parenting style
of the day was similar to that of their parents; kids were expected to earn their way
through life using a strong work ethic.

Culture refers to the shared practices, values and beliefs. It gives a sense of belongingness.
The youth can be said to have a culture of its own as it is marked distinctive ways of
dressing, using language, music preferences, engaging in sports and interests, typical
behavior and life style. This collective expression of the social experiences of the youth
characterizes it as having a culture of its own. There are also subcultures within the youth
culture. Researchers have debated about the existence of one uniform youth culture. Youth
identity is affected by gender, class, caste, ethnicity etc.; and these aspects also create
different youth cultures. For instance, girls have a different way of socializing than boys.
Slum youths have a different way of social interaction and functioning than their
counterparts in urban or rural setting. Thus, to understand the youth culture, one needs to
take into account the social context also.

Age also plays an important role in the development of the youth culture. The youth marks
a transition from childhood, adolescence to adulthood. As children and adolescents, being a
part of the schooling process, they develop a shared meaning and experience. At this stage,
they are still dependent on their parents and significant other adult members. But at the
same time, they are also expected and required to be independent like adults. So, the youth
relies on the peers in this transition phase and tries to make sense of his self by being part of
a youth culture. According to Erikson, the adolescents are faced with a major psychological
conflict of identity versus role confusion. The youth culture can facilitate the identity
development in the adolescents.

The particular objects of consumption, like denim jeans or leather jackets or motorbikes are
the central elements of the subcultural style of the youth cultures. These elements express a
range of meanings and values of a particular youth culture. For example, motorbike
represents male centered experiential sensibilities such as quest for freedom, recklessness,
outlaw which are sought after by the members of motorbike gangs. The mechanical features
of the motorbike also correspond to the features of the motorbike gangs themselves.
Motorbike’s strength, roughness, fierce acceleration, the aggressive thumping of its exhaust
matches and symbolize the assertive masculinity and the rough camaraderie of the gang
members (Willis, 1978).

Media has a variety of forms – print media (includes newspaper, magazines, pamphlets,
comics, books), electronic media (television, radio, films, laptops, tablets, cell phones, mp3
players, game systems, CD ROMS, DVD) and digital media (internet and social media, mobile
apps etc.). These have pervaded the lives of human beings extensively, affecting especially
the youth in a significant way.

Another name for this generation was given by D. Rashkoff describing contemporary young
as screenagers. In his view, young people who are born in the world of indirect television
and computers, have the ability to teach adults how to adapt to the realities of the
postmodern. If the adults are afraid of a fragmented global culture, the young absorb it
from early childhood, and the media are helping them. Young people, therefore, create a
special form of culture where it is, as it seems to be in full control of their time and where
freedom becomes a form of interactivity. However, mass media young people are hardly
able to control and, in fact, the control lever is not in their hands.

To characterise the effects of changes in the cultural situation in the late 20-th – early 21-st
century, the mosaic of modern youth culture, youth subcultures extinction the Western
scholars use the example of rave culture – frankly hedonistic aimed at short-term pleasure
and promotes dissolution of young people in the dominant mainstream culture. Rave
culture is referred to as a form of “collective disappearance” and even “the death of youth
culture”. However, we must speak not only about the death of youth culture, but the
disappearance of the culture, which is described using traditional approaches. For social
scientists studying rave culture, it is interesting to speak about the fact that the path of its
development in many ways helps to understand the features of inclusion of young people to
the popular commercial culture . An analysis of the history of rave gives an opportunity to
see how active the institutionalisation of a youth recreation promotes degeneration of
youth culture in its commercial form. The modern rave culture is closely linked with the
market, since it is formed due to the brand that became a mass culture. However rave
culture went further, breaking the subculture of their style and making it a cultural strategy.
It is interesting that part of this subculture (as, for example, rap), was used as a strategy for
social mobility.

Media in the 21st century are changing when, where, what, and how young people learn.
Some educators, youth researchers, and parents lament this reality; but youth, media
culture, and learning nevertheless remain entangled in a rich set of relationships today.
These relationships and the anxieties they produce are not new; they echo worries about
the consequences of young people’s media attachments that have been around for decades.
These anxieties first appeared in response to the fear that violence, vulgarity, and sexual
desire in early popular culture was thought to pose to culture. Others, however, believed
that media could be repurposed to have a broader educational impact. This sentiment crept
into educational discourses throughout the 1960s in a way that would shift thinking about
youth, media culture, and education. Media education addresses how various media
operate in and through particular institutions, technologies, texts, and audiences in an effort
to affect how young people learn and engage with media culture. These developments have
been enhanced by a growing interest in a broad project of literacy. By the 1990s and 2000s,
media production became a common feature in media education practices because it was
thought to enable young people to learn by doing, rather than just by analysing or reading
texts. This was enabled by the emergence of new digital media technologies that prioritise
user participation. However due to new digital era, a new set of problems have arisen that
affect how media cultures are understood in relation to learning. Among these issues is how
a participatory turn in media culture allows others, including corporations, governments,
and predatory individuals, to monitor, survey, coordinate, and guide our activities as never
before. Critical media literacy education addresses this context and continues to provide a
framework to address the future of youth, media culture and learning.

Method

Design of the Study

The present study is exploratory and qualitative in nature. It aims to explore the key themes
representing youth culture by analysing songs from three different eras i.e. 1990-2000,
2000-2010, and 2010-2020. There are a total of 16 students in the group which was divided
into three groups. On the basis of three aspects, 3 songs from each era (9 songs in total)
were analysed. The three aspects are friendship, love , and beauty. The thematic analysis
developed by Braun & Clarke was used as a tool to analyse the qualitative data present in
the songs. Each group took one era and chose three different songs on the basis of the
aspects and formed codes. After forming the codes, all students discussed and analysed the
codes to explore the youth culture.

Content

Three songs were chosen from each era on the basis of three aspects (one song for one
aspect from one era), and in total 9 songs were chosen. The list of songs chosen for each
aspect from each era is given in the table 1 given below:

Table

Thematic Analysis

It is mainly used for the analysis of qualitative data. It is defined as the method for
identifying and analyzing different patterns in the data (Braun and Clarke, 2006). It is a
simple and flexible yet robust method. It is not research-specific and can be used for any
type of research. It gives the data transparent, rich, and detailed meaning, which can help
formulate the results. The thematic analysis uses six stages for analysis, i.e., familiarization,
code formulation, generation of themes, themes review, defining and naming themes, and
report formation (Braun and Clarke, 2006).

Steps of Thematic Analysis

There are various approaches to conducting thematic analysis, but the most common form
follows a six-step process: familiarisation, coding, generating themes, reviewing themes,
defining and naming themes, and writing up.
Step 1: Familiarisation. The first step is to get to know our data. It's important to get a
thorough overview of all the data we collected before we start analysing individual items.
This might involve transcribing audio, reading through the text and taking initial notes, and
generally looking through the data to get familiar with it.

Step 2: Coding. Next up, we need to code the data. Coding means highlighting sections of
our text; usually phrases or sentences and coming up with shorthand labels or "codes" to
describe their content. At this stage, we want to be thorough: we go through the transcript
of every interview and highlight everything that jumps out as relevant or potentially
interesting.

Step 3: Generating themes. Next, we look over the codes we've created, identify patterns
among them, and start coming up with themes. Themes are generally broader than codes.
Most of the time, you'll combine several codes into a single theme. At this stage, we might
decide that some of our codes are too vague or not relevant enough, so they can be
discarded.Other codes might become themes in their own right.

Step 4: Reviewing themes. Now we have to make sure that our themes are useful and
accurate representations of the data. Here, we return to the data set and compare our
themes against it. Are we missing anything? Are these themes present in the data? What
can we change to make our themes work better? If we encounter problems with our
themes, we might split them up, combine them, discard them, or create new ones:
whatever makes them more useful and accurate.

Step 5: Defining and naming themes. Now that you have a final list of themes, it's time to
name and define each of them. Defining themes involves formulating exactly what we mean
by each theme and figuring out how it helps us understand the data. Naming themes
involves coming up with a succinct and easily understandable name for each theme.

Step 6: Writing up. Finally, we’ll write up our analysis of the data. Like all academic texts,
writing up a thematic analysis requires an introduction to establish our research question,
aims, and approach. We should also include a methodology section, describing how we
collected the data and explaining how we conducted the thematic analysis itself. The results
or findings section usually addresses each theme in turn. We describe how often the themes
come up and what they mean, including examples from the data as evidence. Finally, our
conclusion explains the main takeaways and shows how the analysis has answered our
research question.

Advantages of thematic analysis

Flexibility: Thematic analysis is a flexible method that can be applied to different types of
data, such as interviews, focus groups, and open-ended survey responses. It can also be
used with various theoretical frameworks and research questions.

Accessibility: Thematic analysis is easy to learn and can be applied by researchers with
different levels of expertise. It doesn't require specialised software or equipment, and the
results can be presented in a simple and straightforward manner.

Richness: Thematic analysis can uncover rich and complex themes that may not be apparent
with other methods. It allows researchers to capture the nuances and subtleties of
participants' experiences and perspectives.

Transparency: Thematic analysis is transparent, as researchers can report their analysis

process and provide examples of their findings, allowing for greater transparency and
accountability.

Disadvantages of thematic analysis

Subjectivity: Thematic analysis is a subjective method, as researchers must make

interpretive decisions about the data they analyse. This can lead to bias and inconsistencies
across different researchers or analyses.

Time-consuming: Thematic analysis can be a time-consuming process, as it involves multiple

stages, such as data coding, theme generation, and theme refinement.

Limited generalizability: Thematic analysis may not produce findings that are generalizable
to a larger population, as it typically involves a small sample size and in-depth analysis of
individual cases.

Lack of statistical power: Thematic analysis does not produce statistical measures, such as p-
values or effect sizes, which can limit the ability to draw strong conclusions or make
predictions.

RESULTS
The codes for 9 songs were formed using the thematic analysis technique. Each song from
each era produced some unique broad themes which truly define the key aspects in their
particular eras. The codes & themes of each song are shown in tables below:

Tables

INTERPRETATION

The aim of the practical was to explore the key themes representing youth culture by
analysing songs from three different eras i.e. 1990-2000, 2000-2010, and 2010-2020. Youth
can be defined as a socially constructed intermediary phase that stands between childhood
and adulthood. Youth culture refers to the cultural practice of members of this age group by
which they express their identities and demonstrate their sense of belonging to a particular
group of young people. The modern world is changing rapidly and so does the culture of
youth. To analyse the youth culture in different eras three key aspects were considered
which were : friendship, love, and beauty. One song was chosen for each aspect from each
era. In total 9 songs (see table 1) were chosen. After the familiarization with the songs, the
codes were formed using the thematic analysis technique developed by Braun & Clarke.

The first key aspect was friendship. Friendship is a voluntary relationship between two or
more people that is relatively long-lasting and in which those involved tend to be
concerned with meeting the others’ needs and interests as well as satisfying their
own desires. Friendships frequently develop through shared experiences in which
the people involved learn that their association with one another is mutually
gratifying.A friend is often someone whom we share a bond with. One also share some
common beliefs and values with friends, and is someone whom we trust and enjoy being
around. The songs chosen for the aspect of friendship include

The first song “Purani jeans” is from era 1 i.e. 1990-2000. This song talks about the
feelings of nostalgia and old memories associated with college life and friends. It clearly
depicts the care free attitude of youth who are enjoying and having fun while studying in
college. The youth in this era also seems to have a positive attitude about life and value
friendships. Issues and concerns with parents are also highlighted in this song. The song
talks about the memories of college days spent with friends. The friendship in this era is
seen more in terms of instrumental support which can also be seen in the song. The
second song “Kabhi Kabhi Aditi” is from era 2 i.e. 2000-2010. This song is about
acceptance of bad phases when one often feels blue and sad. It also talks about the
unpredictability and the ups and downs that one faces in life. It also emphasizes that
sometimes life feels boring and without any source of happiness but one must not lose
hope and should think positive. The song also highlights the increased emotional
connection and support for friends during every phase of life. The youth in this era seem
to have a understanding and acceptance of harsh reality of life. The third song “Daaru
Desi” is from era 3 i.e. 2010-2020. This song talks about care free and laidback attitude in
friendship. It also talks about having open and heart to heart conversations with friends.
The youth in this era seems to focus on perceiving friends as a family, caring about them
and staying friends forever. It also talks about having contentment in friendship and
requiring nothing more than that.

The changing culture of youth in terms of friendship can be seen through these three
songs from three different eras. The friendship of youth in the first era is superficial in
nature which are not fake. These are real friendships but they lack
depth. Conversations in superficial friendships may be limited to family, work load,
gossip, and hobbies (sports, gym, etc). These are enjoyable relationships. There is a
lot of laughter and fun as described in the first song. Youth in this era also has
relationship concerns with their family as familial relationships are given more priority
than friends in this era. The youth in this era is focuses more on receiving
instrumental support rather than emotional connection as seen in other two eras. In
second era, friendships are based on emotional connection between friends. The
songs also talks about the unpredictability and ups and down in life and moving
forward in life due to the emotional connection and bonding provided by friends even
during bad phases of life. It also talks about the positivity in relationships in the form
of hope, optimism and resilience and sticking together through thick and thins. The
song in the third era talks about being content in friendship and not requiring
anything else in life. The youth in this era have intimate and lasting friendships as the
bonds have become deeper and friendships provide comfort like family. A laidback
and care free attitude between friends is also seen in the song of this era which talks
about enjoying and having fun in life without worrying about anything. The youth in
this era focuses on free expression and having open and deeper conversations.
The youth in first era have a superficial friendships which includes having fun and
enjoying different things with friends. The change that can be seen in the youth of
second era is about increased emotional connection which leads to close
friendships. Lastly, the change in the third era the friendships have become intimate
and lasts forever. The friends in the third era are become more like family as
compared to other two era.
The second key aspect is love expression. Love is an emotion of strong affection,
tenderness, or devotion toward a person or object. There are many types such as the
love we share with are partner, family, and friends, and in each version we feel unique.
Three songs were chosen for this aspect which are: ‘Pehla Nasha Pehla Khumar’ (1990-
2000), 'Khuda Jaane' (2000-2010) and ‘Hookup Song' (2010-2020).

The first song 'Pehla Nasha Pehla Khumar' displays a beautification and appreciation of
love through different attributions. In this song, both the lovers understand each other
emotions even without any verbal communication. The youth believes that love is
beautiful just like nature and they feel they feel excited and magical in love. The youth in
this has a strong element of long-term commitment. They consider being two bodies one
soul in love and believe that the lover completes them. There is a sense of equity in terms
of value and worth between the two lovers and both are placed on the same level. The
lover between two people is also seen as source of power for each other. The second
song ‘Khuda Jaane' displays a passion and devotion to the lover. The lover worships the
partner and considers them as prayer. They are also not concerned about others and
considers the lover as their god. They have a desire to be close with the lover and
experience a sense of fear and rise of insecurity due to the thought of separation. The
third song ‘Hookup Song' which displays a casual relationship between the lovers. The
youth in this era have multiple and changing lovers. Casual online dating and hookup
culture is also prominent theme in this era. Choosing lover is truly based on physical
attraction. The relationship between the lovers is based on infatuation and commitment
issues in the relationship can also be observed. As people are unable to commit to a
single person, this song describes the involvement of multiple partners and the frequent
changing of partner.
The changing culture of youth In terms of love can be seen through these three songs
from three different eras. In the first song, the lover is being compared to nature. There is
also an element of long-term commitment between the youth of this era and love is seen
as the source of power and strength for one other. The lovers are also on a equal
position. In the second era, the youth displays commitment in the form of devotion and
considering them God and worshipping the lover, which also signifies the imbalance of
positions between partners as the one partner is in higher status than other. There are
also unrealistic expectations from lover in this era. Also, a rise of insecurity between the
lovers can also be seen during this era. In the third era, there are commitment issues in
the relationship between the lovers. A casual dating and hookup culture can be seen in
this era. The basic difference can be understood in terms of position of worth between
partners. The first experiences a balanced position between partners, however in the
second era the youth is fully devoted and worships the lover and there is an imbalance
between the lovers. In the third era again the lovers are on equal position. Another
difference that can be seen between the youth in different eras is about commitment. In
the first era, there is an element of long-term commitment, in the second era commitment
in is in the form of devotion to the lover and lastly in the third era, there are commitment
issues in the relationship. Instead of love, it is now more about physical attraction and
infatuation in the third and recent era . A study my Neto (2001) investigated the
generational shift of the adoration styles and finished up that the most youthful age has a
sensual love style when contrasted with their grandmas who had restricted space to
communicate their sexuality. Mothers and grandmothers, on the other hand, valued
companionship and selfless love. Overall, it was discovered that romantic relationships
have completely changed and that love has changed how it is expressed.

The third aspect is beauty standards. Beauty standards are a set of values applied to the
appearance of both men and women to be regarded as beautiful and handsome in order to
rightly fit in the community. For the understanding of youth culture, we have focused on
understanding female beauty standards. Three songs were chosen for this aspect which
are: ‘kitna pyara tujhe rabb ne bnaya’ (1990-2000), Maula Mere ' (2000-2010) and ‘Lakk
28 kudi da' (2010-2020).

The first song ‘Kitna pyara tujhe rabb ne bnaya' which showcases the appreciation for the
beauty of a women as created by God. In the song, a comparison of female beauty has
been made to the elements of nature such describing her face as flower. In this era, the
youth focuses more on the beauty in inner qualities of a person. The second song ‘Maula
Mere' focus on admiring physical beauty such as eyes and hair. The song of this era also
focuses on ideal standards of beauty, which talks about having certain type of eyes, face,
hair and other physical features which are considered beautiful. The song also uses
metaphor of nature to compare the beauty of the girl with the scent of the flowers. The
third song ‘Lakk 28 kudi da' focuses on the physical appearance of women and describes
outer appearance as the key element of women’s desirability. The song in this era
promotes unrealistic beauty standards in the form of slim waist and thin body which are
unhealthy and unattainable. It also depicts the obsession with fair skin and considering
white skin color as beautiful and desirable.

The changing of youth culture in terms of beauty standards can be observed through the
songs chosen from different eras. The song of the first era focuses on qualities of inner
beauty and comparing their partner’s beauty with the elements of nature. A acceptance
and appreciation of God’s creation of the beauty can also be seen among the youth in this
era. In the song of second era, the focus in on physical beauty in the form of eyes, hair. In
this era, beauty standards became more physical in nature and revolved around the selecting their
partner based on their physical features. They start by describing a woman desirable if she has
certain features and also meet the idealistic standards of beauty such as having long hair, beautiful
eyes. The song has frequently compared the person’s be auty to that of nature throughout the
song. They use flowers to convey their presence. In the song if third eta, their
objectification of female body and promotes unrealistic beauty standards in the form of
slim waist and thin body which is the only thing that makes a women desirable and
beautiful. A obsession with fair skin can also be seen in this era. In a study by Abid et. al
(2021), they described various factors through which women feel beautiful and express
their beauty. It was noticed that across time, women have almost the same expression,
however, the focus on beauty has changed across generations. Inner beauty mattered
more during the formative eras whereas, in today's world, physical appearance is
emphasized more. The changes that can be seen in the different eras is about changing
notion of beauty. As in the first era, the focus was on inner beauty, in the second era it
shifted to physical beauty and in the third era, the beauty of women in seen her slim and
thin body. In the first and the second era, there is a comparison of women’s beauty with
the nature which has totally shifted to objectification of women. Thus, from comparing a
woman to nature, people have started objectifying and sexualizing women.
Each of the songs described above discusses the ideals and opinions that were popular
among the youth at the time because songs are a representation of the youth culture of
the era in which they were produced. But following closer inspection, it is found that
people's attitudes on numerous facets of life have also considerably changed as a result
of the generational transition. When we think about friendships, they typically began with
more or less materialistic possessions and having fun with friends. Friendships have
grown in importance over time, and there has been a growing affection for them. From
being simply home base companions at school or around evening time, they have begun
enjoying most of their existence with them. From sharing and acquiring materialistic things
from them, they have begun offering their thinking and sentiments to them. As per the
changes seen in romantic relationships, there has been a shift from long term
commitment to lack of commitment and commitment issues. In terms of beauty
standards, there has been a shift from viewing beauty in inner qualities to finding beauty
in outer appearance and in the recent era, it has totally changed to objectification of
women and has reduced women’s beauty only to her body and skin colour. Thus, clear
changes can be observed in the youth culture across different eras.

Conclusion

The present practicum aimed at exploring the key themes representing youth culture by
analysing songs from three different eras i.e. 1990-2000, 2000-2010, and 2010-2020.
Three aspects were friendship, love and beauty standards. In the first aspect i.e.
friendship, there is a shift from superficial friendships to increasing emotional connection
and in the third era, friendship have become intimate and friends have become family. In
terms of love, the change can be observed in the commitment, where it has shifted from
long term commitment to lack of commitment and commitment issues. With respect to
beauty standards, the change is from comparing a woman to nature, people have started
objectifying and sexualizing women. Thus, it is evident that youth culture has changed
drastically in the three different eras which can be clearly noticed through the songs if the
particular eras.

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