KUALA LUMPUR, September 22 — Have you noticed a revival of interest in retro pop culture? When it comes to fashion — think oversized t-shirts and baggy pants that are making a comeback apart from retro print t-shirts of famous rock bands or superhero characters. Films? At least in the West, studios appear fixated on reboots and remakes or introducing sequels of movies or series from the Eighties or Nineties — like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice or the Marvel’s X-Men 97 animated series. For music, the 90s and 2000s are seemingly back in trend (think Oasis and Linkin Park), at least when it comes to genres or visuals.
And maybe...
just maybe — it all comes down to the theory of the 20-year rule. The 20-year rule The simple definition behind the 20-year rule theory is that pop culture experiences a revival every two decades or so. According to Malaysian music and pop culture buff Adly Syairi Ramly, the theory is the most sensible explanation as to why acts are going retro nowadays.
“To me that theory came about based on observation. Yes, it's not scientifically proven — but if you look at the trends now, it does go back 20 years ago. “Take punk music for example, if you trace back, (it began) around in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s but the explosion came in late 1976 during the time of Sex Pistols and all,” he said.
The Korek Fizikal host described it as a cycle with many factors and variables including elements of nostalgia and social influences. “Maybe 20 ye.