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Model Dita Von Teese with a Thirties hairstyle

Popular culture goes back to the Thirties

Suddenly, austerity – and its twin, nostalgia – are breaking out all over

By Andrew Johnson and Charlie Cooper

A renaissance in popular culture from the austerity period that began in the 1930s is seeing theatres

, cinemas and the small screen packed with the grit, grimness and escapist Technicolor of the pre-war and subsequent wartime years. Fashion, from high-end Prada to the online retailer ASOS, and hairstylists, are also picking up on the theme.

Sarah Churchwell, a cultural commentator and academic at the University of East Anglia, said that each decade's art subconsciously reflects the moods, fears and anxieties of the time. "There are many similarities between now and the 1930s," she said. "Not just economically. Both periods saw shifts in global power and instability. The response to the economic depression came not just in escapism, but also anxiety and psychological depression."

Read the full article at The Independent HERE