Love beads
Encyclopedia
Love beads are one of the traditional accessories of hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...

s. They consist of one or more long strings of bead
Bead
A bead is a small, decorative object that is usually pierced for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under to over in diameter. A pair of beads made from Nassarius sea snail shells, approximately 100,000 years old, are thought to be the earliest known examples of jewellery. Beadwork...

s, frequently handmade, worn about the neck by both genders. The love bead trend probably evolved from the hippie fascination with non-Western culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...

s, such as those of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and Native America
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

, which make common use of similar beads.

Quotes

"At moments of suburban relaxation, in our circle of semi-bohemian homes, we smoked pot, wore dashiki
Dashiki
The dashiki is a colorful men's garment widely worn in West Africa that covers the top half of the body. It has formal and informal versions and varies from simple draped clothing to fully tailored suits. Traditional female attire is called a caftan, or kaftan...

s and love beads, and frugged ourselves into a lather ..."-- John Updike
John Updike
John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic....



"Love beads, mood rings, and candle light. Zodiac says the time is right ...", Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...

, 70s Love Groove

Love beads in popular culture

  • According to the official history of the original 1962 Pier 1 Imports store in San Mateo, California, "Our first customers were post-World War II baby boomers looking for beanbag chairs, love beads and incense."
  • The Lemon Pipers
    The Lemon Pipers
    The Lemon Pipers were a 1960s psychedelic pop band from Oxford, Ohio, known chiefly for their song "Green Tambourine", which reached No. 1 in the United States in 1968...

     released a song called "Love Beads and Meditation" in 1968.
  • Chet Atkins
    Chet Atkins
    Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...

     released a single titled "Love Beads" in 1970.
  • In a 1983 episode of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show
    The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show
    The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show is an animated television series featuring characters and storylines from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip Peanuts. It aired Saturday mornings on the CBS network from 1983 to 1985. It re-aired on The Disney Channel and Nickelodeon in the 1990s...

     titled "Beads", Lucy makes love beads for Schroder.

External links

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