I am probably one of the most retro people around - I have always dressed differently, listened to different music, and had a different personal life code I lived by than many of my peers growing up. Most of that is still an integral part of my identity. Therefore, when I hear of even younger people who are essentially doing what I used to do, I am curious. Two of those came to light recently, and I want to discuss them a little first before giving some more of my own commentary.
The above two pictures are of 30-year-old Katrina Holte and her husband Lars. They live in Hillsboro, Oregon (also the home of the Roloffs of Little People Big World fame), and cannot be described as the typical 2020 American household. As a matter of fact, if you were to visit them, it would be like stepping back in time honestly. In 2018, Katrina gave up a stressful job in the corporate world to pursue being a full-time housewife, but not just any housewife - she was essentially going to re-create the 1950's for herself and her husband, and she noted in an interview that it was her lifelong dream. So, of a day after a set routine of making herself up, doing her morning calesthetic exercises, and doing a number of chores to make her home a spotless shrine to the past, she works at a cottage industry of sewing and designing vintage dresses while vinyl LP's of Doris Day, Frank Sinatra, and other period music plays in the background. Her ethic for doing all this is also admirable - in the same interview, she said "When I look at everything that is happening in the world now, I feel like I belong in a nicer, more old-fashioned time. I agree with old fashioned values, like being a housewife, taking care of your family, nurturing the people in it and keeping your house in excellent condition, so everyone feels relaxed." She also expresses some good insights as to why she is doing what she does, and the article itself is worth a read to find out more about Katrina. She also operates a web site where she sells her vintage clothing (www.edelweisspatterns.com) and by the looks of things she is actually very content with where she is and what she does (information for this taken from Rob Bailey-Millado, "Woman Quits Job to "Spoil Husband' Like a 1950's Housewife," published originally on September 30, 2019, at https://nypost.com/2019/09/30/woman-quits-job-to-spoil-husband-like-a-1950s-housewife/ - accessed 1/20/2020).
We now go across the Atlantic to London, where a 24-year-old artist by the name of Michael Koropisz lives.
Michael shares a lot in common with Katrina in that he has taken a retro lifestyle and made it his own, but his affinity goes back to a much earlier time than the 1950's - he is a fan of the Victorian era. He only dresses in Victorian clothing, writes with a quill and ink, does not watch television at all, and he says "I dedicate my life to the era and have spent tens of thousands of pounds on clothing and furnishings - I don't have a budget for my passion for history." He states further, "I adore everything from the era: the fashion, the morals, the aesthetics of furniture and even the music." He says he will spend an entire week's wage on a coat, and he has spared no expense in remodeling his own home. And, to see him on the street, one would think he was a character out of a Dickens novel. But, like Katrina, Michael seems very happy, and the expense he has invested seems to be worth it. (Information is taken from Ellen Scott, "Millenial Man Who Lives His Life in the Victorian Era Never Swears and Wants a Date Who Wears a Bustle," originally published December 4, 2019, at https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/04/millennial-man-lives-life-victorian-era-painting-portraits-instead-taking-selfies-11268664/ - Accessed 1/20/2020).
Michael and Katrina represent something, although they have different approaches. Much of what they perceive in modern society has disillusioned them, and they chose their lifestyles in order to live out something better. That is something I can definitely both admire and relate to, as I have done sort of the same thing most of my life but to a lesser extent. Also, despite their embrace of earlier eras of fashion and life, neither would be considered Luddite in their approach - both utilize modern technologies in their professional lives, and neither has ignored the outside world to the extent that there is a denial of existence. If they were completely Luddite, they would essentially by definition be opposed to and reject modern technology in all its forms, much as the old-order Amish communities do. And, that leads now to some important thoughts I want to express in regard to this.
When one embraces something that is more old-fashioned or traditional by definition, it should never mean a complete rejection of innovation and progress at all. If I were to hypothesize, I would bet that if the Victorians or 1950's housewives had computers, cellphones, and the internet, they would have utilized them in a way that would have enhanced the lifestyle rather than nullify or reject it. Despite how nostalgic and old-fashioned we would like to be, change does happen, but how we embrace the change will determine a lot also. For instance, Benny Goodman sounds much better on remastered CD recordings than he probably does on shellac 78 rpm records, and CD's tend to take up a lot less space and are also easier to handle - in that instance, technology is being used as it should be. The problem with technology, however, is not so much in its use as it is in its abuse - if you spend your day just in front of a computer screen, and if the only workout your body gets is moving your thumbs around the keypads of a smartphone, you are probably lacking in quality of life. Technology should never be worshipped as an end unto itself, but rather utilized responsibly as a tool. If that balance can be reached, technological advances can do wonders for anyone's life. That is why Michael, for instance, can live almost an entire Victorian existence yet still appreciate utilizing a laptop for his work and daily affairs. It is also why Katrina can sell her quality fashions through a website, as it does increase the marketability of her wares. A Luddite interpretation of technology would, in reality, do more harm than good, and that is why with the exception of maybe the Amish and similar communities, Luddism is not practical. Some change and progress are inevitable and even necessary, but here's where the difference is - if change and progress seek to build upon the solid foundation that is already there, then it is good. However, if it seeks to revise or eliminate the past - especially good aspects of the past - then it does more harm than good. And, that leads to something else I wanted to touch on before concluding.
In the article that Ellen Scott did on Michael, toward the end she made a rather stupid and very inappropriate observation that bears a response - in the article she just had to say this: "Michael hasn't commented on whether he also holds to the Victorian view of medicine, racism, and sexuality, and he doesn't appear to have yet been struck down by smallpox." Honestly, where in the hell is Ms. Scott getting this from?? I mean, really - does there have to be some sort of stupid virtue-signaling in every piece a journalist writes?? Let's talk about the modern equivalents of these things, shall we? First, medicine - sure, medical technology has improved in some areas, but at a price. Victorian-era people, for instance, didn't have to deal with politicized crap like Obamacare, the extreme corporatism of pharmaceutical companies, nor did they have to worry about considering the murder of babies and sex-change operations as "healthcare rights" either. Instead, they had doctors who were more committed to their profession than to the almighty dollar, and many hospitals at the time were also charitable organizations and not corporate monsters like they are today. Had the Victorian-era people had the knowledge in some areas we have today as far as medical advances, I think they would have utilized them. Then there is the charge of racism - the virtue-signaling leftist hacks today think that anything "too White" or reminiscent of "colonialism" is "racist," yet today we have a lot worse racism in our society than the Victorians actually did. Things probably could have been better at the time, granted, but I don't see no one today correcting the violence, drugs, and other crap that goes on in our streets. Now, about sexuality - at least Victorian-era people knew the difference between male and female sexual organs, and they could easily figure out who was a man and who was a woman. Today, by contrast, we have Jessica Yaniv, Kaitlyn Jenner, and Zoey Tur, not to mention that thing that was destroying a video store and screaming "It's Ma'am!!" at a poor cashier. And, Victorians rightly understood biology better - two genders instead of the increasing number we see almost every day as anyone can now proclaim themselves anything. Sounds to be like the Victorians may have had a little more sense than some people running around today, so maybe it would not be a bad idea to hold to some of those convictions. Were the Victorians perfect? Not by a long shot - they were still fallible human beings with their own issues then, and we have no right to point fingers at them because in many cases we may actually be worse today. So, my word to Ms. Scott is this - stick to reporting and stick the virtue-signaling up your jaxie, lady.
Mr. Bailey-Millado was a lot more objective with his article on Katrina, and I found his writing to be more balanced and fair - perhaps Ms. Scott could take some lessons in journalism from him, no? He stuck to the facts and didn't act like Brian Stelter on CNN in evaluating her lifestyle and making snarky virtue-signaling BS comments about her choice to live as she is living. As a matter of fact, it is as if Mr. Bailey-Millado was somewhat fascinated with what Katrina and her husband were doing, whereas Ms. Scott treated Michael almost like a circus freak in her article. The fact is, individuals like Katrina and Michael - among others I am sure - are seeing the futility of the path Western society is taking, and they have taken it upon themselves to be beacons of solid conviction and sanity in a culture that is increasingly more unbalanced and insane. I applaud them for it, and also resonate in many ways because I also know what it is like to "go against the grain" in society, as I have been always a person who does that. In grade school, I didn't wear jeans and sneakers like the other kids, and I was told when I was in my high school years I looked like Ward Cleaver or something - I took that as a compliment. I also couldn't stand much of the popular music of my generation - frankly, for me, it sucked. When my peers were listening to the Bee Gees or Michael Jackson, I was listening to Guy Lombardo and Freddy Martin. I didn't even eat the same way - while I like things like pizzas, I still don't eat hamburgers, hot dogs, or other stuff like that even today. And, rather than sports and pop culture, when I was younger my past time was reading - I was reading some heady stuff in my 6th-grade year, such as William Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, or Vicent Bugliosi's Helter Skelter about the Manson murders that happened the year I was born (1969). This is why when I see younger people like Katrina and Michael, I see a reflection of myself in them, as they are what I once was. Of course, over the years I have softened in some areas, but at my core, I am still that old-fashioned traditionalist I always was - I dig wild garlic out of my front yard to season my soups and roasts, I can make my own pizza crusts, I can also read Latin and understand it too. I am proud to be different in that regard, and don't apologize for it at all - luckily, I also have a good spouse in Barbara who encourages it too.
It is my hope and prayer that there be more Michaels and Katrinas out there, as we need them - the best of the past needs to be preserved, not destroyed, and it needs to be done with the best of up-to-date technology and other tools available. If more people are like those of us who love and cherish aspects of the past, we have hope in preserving the best of Western Civilization, and indeed the Judeo-Christian foundations of it. Thank you for allowing me to share, and I will see you soon.
