The peace sign turns 50 years old this year. Originally a symbol of anti-establishment rebellion, it seems to have evolved into more of a symbol of youth and fashion for some.

The creator of this sign was British artist Gerald Holtom, a conscientious objector during World War II. He wrote of his creation, “I was in despair. Deep despair. I drew myself: the representative of an individual in despair, with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of Goya’s peasant before the firing squad. I formalised the drawing into a line and put a circle round it.” The symbol’s first public appearance was in a London peace march in 1958, and it was once the logo for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, or CND. Holtom never copyrighted it.

Holtom died in 1985. He might be surprised today by the fashion industry’s use of his symbol in gearing up for their fall season. Women’s Wear Daily reports that Barney’s New York will be using the peace sign and other looks from the sixties for its fall fashion line this year. Their tag line will be “Peace and Love: Have a Hippie Holiday.” Erica Dahl of Boulder, Colorado’s Savvy, says the peace symbol will be everywhere this fall. Even the retailer Target will be selling a new line of peace sign jewelry designed by New York-based accessories artist Dean Harris.

The symbol of peace does seem to be everywhere. From Olympic gold medal winner Shawn Johnson’s earrings to Michelle Obama’s choker to the peace signs I’ve been seeing this summer on young people’s tee shirts, shorts, bags and more, a resurgence is surely underway. Foam fingers at the DNC displayed it, and bumper stickers and merchandise transforming the O of Obama abound. Indeed, the current social and economic climate seems to foster a return to the peace and environmental movements of the sixties.

Of course, the peace sign is still more than a fashion statement for many. For some it is still a symbol of peace, for some rebellion. Its popularity may ebb and flow in future years, but it will never die out completely. For me, its beauty is in its simplicity and its expression of hope for a better world. Long may it live, and make dreamers of us all. Maybe by the time it turns 100 years old, the human race will have learned to live together and take care of the planet that is our shared home.

Janet McKetchnie
collector of all things peace sign
http://peacesignjewelry.topicster.com

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