Why has architecture, design, and fashion changed so drastically from say pre WW2 to now?

There are people that control the media, academia, and a big portion of finance that have a vested interest in seeing America fail and it all trickles down from there



Not naming any names of course

It’s as if they planned on the building saying something about them and they wanted to stick around a while.

building things that look like shite make the local populace feel less connection to the area, thus they are easier to control

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It's called "minimalizing"

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I call it maximizing profits.

Costs

It would cost a fortune to build something new like the St. Louis cathedral.

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The way in which most American men leave the house today, and I feel as if I’m being more than generous.

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Have you been to an airport recently?

You're being unrealisticly generous.

There are different drivers for each.

For cars, the drive (heh!) became for more aerodynamics, especially once CAFE Standards came into play (cars in 1978, light trucks in 1982).

For clothing style it started with the Baby Boomers and their counter-culture movement in the 1960s and 1970s. That dovetailed into the adoption of newer textiles from the 1970s-1990s (stretch fabrics and synthetic blends were generally easier to care for while also looking more casual). This bled into the 1990s-through today where the push has been for more casual dress in the workplace (especially in the tech culture).

For architecture, in the wake of WW2 building materials (especially in Europe) were at a bit of a premium, especially for housing. This rippled out to impact buildings of all sorts. Architects of the time like Le Corbusier, Banham, etc. were able to capitalize on this with their "truth to materials" mindset, which meant the building’s structural elements, plumbing, and mechanical workings were often left visible rather than hidden behind drywall or plaster. This also meant focusing on function far more than form (resulting in more blockiness and straight lines) which also appealed to the counter-culture movement (which helped speed up adoption).

While the easy answer is "muh Boomers," the more accurate answer how varying catalysts came together to influence them along with how they appealed to Boomers.

It's somewhat of shrinkflation in the construction world. Cheaper costs turns to greater profit margin.

architecture, design, and fashion
—Change constantly