1945–1960 in Western fashion
Young adults returning to college under the G.I. Bill adopted an unpretentious, functional wardrobe, and continued to wear blue jeans with shirts and pullovers for general informal wear after leaving school. Jack Kerouac introduced the phrase "Beat Generation" in 1948, generalizing from his social circle to characterize the underground, anti-conformist youth gathering in New York at that time. The term "beatnik" was coined by Herb Caen of the "San Francisco Chronicle" in 1958, and the stereotypical "beat" look of sunglasses, berets, black turtlenecks, and unadorned dark clothing provided another fashion alternative for youths of both sexes, encouraged by the marketing specialists of Madison Avenue.
Jazz meditation
Since the mid-20th Century, there has been an evolving relationship between jazz musicians and Buddhist meditative practices. From the emergence of the Beat Generation artists in the post World War II era United States, through the counter-culture 1960s and New Age and experimental aesthetics of the late 20th Century, musicians have found rich inspiration as well as discipline in many of the same concepts that are fundamental to Buddhist practices.