In this essay we will be looking at popular culture in early 1950s America. We will look at the situation of America in the 1950s. We will then look at the influence of music, television and fashion in the period. Finally we will look at the impact of these things on the youth and older generation of America.
I am going to talk about the situation in America in the 1950s. At this point America became wealthier then they ever had been because of the boost in the US economy, after the hardship of fighting in WWII so this meant that they had more cash then they did before to spend on what they wanted. There was new wealth and cheap Levitt houses were made so this meant that more people were able to afford houses. Levitt houses were houses that weren’t attached to other houses, they had a lot of space around them and they were away from other houses. Places that were built at the outskirts of town and cities where there was plenty of available space were called Suburbs, the word suburb came from Sub meaning under or junior to something and urban meaning town. People who lived in the suburbs needed a car in order to travel to the city because they lived a long distance away. People couldn’t really commute to the city for work and for shopping without a car, in those days buses weren’t so frequent. Many designed trendy new cars were out and people had money to afford it so cars were very popular. Another popular thing was television which created the biggest consumer market ever. Advertising grew which attracted people to buy products from the marketing companies. Advertisements were growing, people were attracted by what they had to say and they were encouraged to buy the products they were advertising. Television also helped advertisers a lot with selling many products to the viewers of America. This made the marketing industries wealthier and more powerful in terms of who they could reach.
Now I am going to talk about the influence of music, television and fashion in America at that time. TV was a huge influence on people at that time. During the 1950s television became a huge media, people were wealthier they brought television into there homes and watched TV for many hours then ever before. People were beginning to accept what they heard and saw on TV. Television changed the face of entertainment and leisure we can see this by examining the growth of the Disney phenomenon. After months of hype on the popular TV show by the same name. Disneyland finally opened in 1995. Disneyland itself blurred the boundaries between TV and reality by presenting a sanitized version of America which is no litter, no cities and no ethnicity. Television was showing shows that were entertaining, appealing and encouraging to people. There were many shows such as TV sitcoms which were showing the very values and morals that people were trying to maintain in real life. Lassie, Father Knows Best and I Love Lucy were sitcoms that featured popular characters whose lives many viewers copied and followed. I Love Lucy was about a women called “Lucy” who usually did mad things to impress her husband. The two stars were also a couple in real life and married. Domestic comedies were popular and emphasized the nuclear suburban white family. Westerns were also massively popular, they showed what was right and wrong. John Wayne was the biggest western film star. Western films always showed the native Americans as the bad guys, they showed how tough and strong Americans were and that God was always on there side which was why they became very popular and appealing to people. Families enjoyed watching varieties types of shows like Disney and the Ed Sullivan show which was about Ed inviting guests and interviewing them and also allowing them to perform. Also television influenced people on fashion as well, people were copying the stars fashion in the shows. Influence of music was huge at the time there were lots of new singers who became role modals of many Americans. Music was everywhere many new singers started producing music that people were loving. Music virtually influenced everything because it was the decade that gave birth to Rock and Roll. When singers like Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and Jerry Lee Lewis was on everyone’s mind. They influencing many people especially youngsters not just on the type of music but on fashion and style as well so I think music influenced people on fashion as well because take Elvis Presley for instant people loved his music, loved the way he sang, loved the way he danced but they also loved his fashion, the way he dressed and did his hair. Elvis Presley was new he was exciting and he was a sex symbol. He was new and different, he was a white kid singing like a black guy and his music made people go wild and crazy. Their music was new, fresh and different which made it very popular with people extremely with teenagers who were trying to escape from boring middle class America into a more exciting lifestyle America. Also singers like Doris Day and Rosemary Clooney influenced their music with their fashion on many young women’s. Another influence of music was from “The Rat Pack” who were male performers famous not only for their music but also for their glamorous lifestyle. I think music influenced people on going out more, doing things and having fun and mixing with different culture and society.
