I. Background:Popular Culture and women’s fashion evolve through the years and usually differ through generations – hence the coined term, “generation gap”. For this particular study, I would like to focus on the differences and/or similarities of pop culture and women’s fashion during the 1950’s and the present day norms and practices.Let us first examine the 1950s as reflected through film, music, television, sports and the printed media – books and magazines.
A brief trip through the pages of archived American history reveals a world just healing from the wounds of the Second World War. During the war, most able bodied men have served and reported for war duty and women were thrust into the workforce like never before. But after the war, the men returned home to a changed and fast evolving country and culture with the advent of new consumer products brought about by technological inventions, innovations and modernization (Brinkley, 2005). The 1950s brought in a feverish economic boom with the onset of consumerism and the men coming home to new jobs and the growth spurt of new city centers that revolve around the new technological discoveries (Brinkley 2005).
After several years of low or even negative population growth, the baby boomers in the 1950s more than made up for lost time. During this time, women’s fashion reflected the pop culture or widely accepted norm and practices of the time – women highlighted their appearance with “tucked-in” waist – usually with the help of girdles and corselets (Women’s Fashion in the 50’s). Half-slips were also worn with sheer dresses and were regarded as symbols of femininity and grace. Half-length petticoats were still in use and were said to accentuate the “tucked-in or pinched-in waistline look” to give the appearance of slimness and reflect the curves of a woman’s physique. The use of high heels also accentuated this look.
Well known designers during this period of time are Chanel, Givenchy, and Dior who were French designers and copied in mass produced clothes.Families who were reunited after the war or whose families were just “growing” (remember the baby boom?) played and vacationed together and inspired the creation of family themed parks like Disneyland. Gender roles were emphasized with girls playing Barbie Dolls and wearing Dale Evans gear. Boys were wearing Roy Rogers and Davy Crockett paraphernalia. Malls were also started being built like the Sharpstown Mall, Gulfgate Mall and the Meyerland Plaza in Houston.
Interstate highways were beginning making travel easier and faster to great distances. Cars were economic indicators of prosperity and being with the “in” crowd. Patronage of films were popularized by drive-in movies for teens and whole families watching together.The films produced in the 50s proved that “art imitates life”. Included in the top ten movies of the 50s are: “A Streetcar named desire” starring Marlon Brando and Vivian Leigh, “Singing in the rain” starring Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds, “Sunset Boulevard” Gloria Desmond and the very popular “Rebel without a Cause” that top billed James Dean. In all of these films, pop culture and fashion were reflected showing Vivian Leigh in tight fitting attires that are pinched in the waist with pointed bosom lines that helped add to the sexual tension rising between her and Marlon Brando.
James Dean also fashioned the already widespread use of denims and even Debbie Reynolds was shown wearing denims halfway cut just below the knees.Popular TV shows like: ”Hopalong Cassidy”, “Gillette Cavalcade of Stars”, “The Lone Ranger”, and “The Toast of the Town”. The Hallmark of TV shows in the 50’s were the variety shows that showcased new talent and replicated vaudeville through television. Comedy acts were popular and like most other medium, reflected the real life of the times.
The “Milton Berle Show” featured Milton Berle, who was called “Mr. Television” or “Uncle Miltie”. Along with other stars, he would open the show singing “Oh, we're the men from Texaco, we work from Maine to Mexico." Shows mimicking life and making fun of it was a very popular theme during this period.
Milton Berle made fun of the daily grind of workers and he was immortalized during his reign of the decade and was said to own Tuesday night television hour.Meanwhile, the economic and population boom of the 1950’s were clouded by anxieties caused by the oncoming Korean Conflict (Brinkley, 2005). Consequently, the beginnings of the Cold War with the USSR were also starting at this point. Anti-communism hysteria was extolled by Senator Joseph McCarthy and even film makers and actors in Hollywood were not exempt from persecution. A witch hunt for alleged communist and sympathizers were investigated at the highest level.Thus the American public and pop culture was influenced by these events and were reflected in literature as reflected by the following books – John Kenneth Galbrait’s The Affluent Society, and Sloan Wilson’s The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.
Established authors also reflected the sign of the times like Tenesee Williams’ The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone; Herman Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny; J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, and William Faulkner’s The Town among the few popular selections.II. Present Day Situation and Factors that affect a faster evolving pop culture and fad.
After depicting what was life like in the 1950s, we now fast forward to the present day 2007. There are a lot of similarities as well as difference from the 1950 and now. As mentioned earlier, the stress then was on strong family ties with the homecoming of men from the war and the population was just rebuilding and growing along with the economic boom. Today, with the breakneck speed of changes brought about by the internet revolution and other technological advances, family life is less focused on more than the needs of the individual. The baby boomers then are the retiring generation of today. Population growth during the fifties show an average of 4 children per family where as now, the demographic profile of the country has changed from a predominantly Caucasian population to a mixed group with the Hispanic group comprising of more than 50% of the births in the year 2004 (Center for Population Studies, 2006).
The advent of the computer age and the innovations thereafter like the Ipods, the Internet, and the globalization of commerce and much of everything else necessitate an ever changing way to communicate and for norms and practices to extend from a mere community to a global scale in a matter of nanosecond. The availability of alternative communication lines like You-Tube, news blogging online, or through mobile devices like Ipods that could also be tapped for pod casting removed the barrier towards a faster and almost immediate communication relay in long distances and across the seas.Just recently, a fast moving storm ripped through a small town in Alabama called Enterprise and swooped down on the high school building where faculty members herded all the students in the hallways to ensure their safety from a possible tornado. The devastating results of the tornado were flashed across cell phone monitors and You-Tube channels via the internet. Video documentation and relay made possible by wireless communication and internet technology made news and fact verification much easier and accessible to the viewing public.For women’s fashion, we see a lot of retro fashion going in and out of being “in” or “out” in popular circles and are reflected as well in films, TV and again – the new internet generation as reflected by the times.
Briefly, there was a resurgence of the “pinched-in” look for trimmed waistlines. What was missing before was the technology available today for women to achieve the same look and appearance. Women today have at their disposal, access to quick fixes to trim the waistline such as liposuction, physical trainers, and gyms.However, health consciousness is also the norm these days as alarming statistics on obesity are constantly flashed on the news and cardiac disease ranked on the top killer disease among women. The “fast” lifestyle today of women is a far cry from the women of the 50s who rear children at home.
Dinner in the 50s was home cooked from scratch. Today, majority of women work and simply zip in and out of the supermarket lanes to take in pre-cooked microwave dinners or proceed to take out counters to bring food for the family or for themselves.In the 1950s, majority of women stay married while today, less than 50% of eligible women opt to get married. Some women also prefer to be single parents as this practice has come to be acceptable by the public and even protected against discrimination by law.
This change in family life is also reflected in a more liberal view of women. A popular TV show that showcases this change is “Desperate Housewives” starring Teri Hatcher, Nicollete Sheridan, Marcia Cross, Felicity Huffman and Eva Longoria.The show also features the latest fashion craze which sometimes feature the retro look – especially with Marcia Cross portraying a woman who appears to have a prim and proper outlook in life and wants to project a “controlled and normal” family life despite the fact that her marriage is crumbling and her children are resisting or rebelling against the norm of society. Marcia Cross would wear bosom tight outfits and shows a slender and graceful look that seems like she’s from a fashion magazine from the 50’s. Meanwhile, the other casts like Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria and Nicolette Sheridan sports even more daring outfits that hugs the entire physique not just from the waistline and up but from the toe and up. Plunging necklines that exposes part of the bosom is also popular.
Today’s woman is not afraid of her sexuality, nor afraid to express it through fashion.In films, a popular genre has evolved that didn’t exist in the 50’s. This is the commercialization of documentaries as popularized by Michael Moore. Documentaries used to be sponsored by particular agencies whose objective is to educate a specific group of people. Today, documentaries are shown in theatres and primetime TV and used as exposes that sway public opinion and could make or break a politician’s career and can affect the stock market in Wallstreet.
Women in film – not just on camera but behind the camera are also a widely accepted practice. In fact, there are now separate award giving bodies like the Lucy Awards that recognize women for their contribution in films be it behind the camera or on camera.The boom of the fifties that also gave way to centralized city centers has also evolved today to people moving out of these city centers to go out in the suburbs and nearby smaller and inner cities where there are more amenities and space for raising a family. Suburbs are also a lot cheaper to live in and crime statistics are a lot lower and there is less congestion in terms of population density.While there are similarities in pop culture and women’s fashion today from the 1950s period, a lot of revolutionary changes has forever changed American society and the women’s role in it.
As outlined in the above discussion, women today are accepted as movers, doers and innovators as well.
