In the counterculture movements that started in the 1940s and took momentum in the 1960s a “square” referred to someone who clung to repressive, traditional, stereotypical, one-sided, or “in the box” ways of thinking. The term was used by hipsters in the 40s, beatniks in the 50s, hippies in the 60s, yippies in the 70s, and other individuals who took part in the movements which emerged to contest the more conservative national, political, religious, philosophical, musical and social trends. It was in this context that Sly and the Family Stone’s trumpet player Cynthia Robinson yelled out in the hit “Dance to the Music”: “All the squares go home!”
In modern usage it can be used to describe a person who leads a lawful existence, particularly in regard to employment.
Scan from an old Fujichrome 64 Slide Film.
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