After World War II, Americans viewed their nation as an example for the world of what society that was committed to mass consumption looked like. Mass consumption transformed American life leading Americans to buy a lot of material goods and while this was good for the American economy, it also led to troubles. Lizabeth Cohen in her book “A Consumers’ Republic the Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America”, argues that after World War II, there was a shift in Americas economic, political, and cultural system. Mass consumption was beginning to be a common action taken by many Americans during this time. Some of the shifts in the American system were good and some bad. Cohen’s book discusses the rise of consumerism in the second half …show more content…
As discussed in class, buying on credit was a way for individuals to buy items they wanted and enjoy using them while paying for it gradually. Layaway was another way individuals were purchasing items. This is an arrangement of paying a deposit to secure an item for later purchase. This allowed people to have what they wanted kept on hold to ensure they get it once able to afford it. Cohen mentions how at least half of all major household appliances and 60% of car sales involved credit (Cohen 124). This is significant because buying on credit led to a rapid increase in the rate of families going into debt due to the surpassing of their income wages. Cohen then goes to mention how the expansion of credit cards also led to the flare-up of consumer credit (Cohen 124). Stores were making it easier to obtain credit cards which resulted in individuals swiping cards and buying what they wanted which was an easy way for people to go into debt. The image Cohen includes of the map on page 250 I really believe did a great job in showing how shopping and buying was very important to people in America. The map depicts two shopping centers in New Jersey surrounded by a bunch of boroughs, and villages. I saw this as a very smart idea for whoever built the shopping centers because these shopping centers being in the center of many boroughs and …show more content…
Cohen comments how the gendering of the consumer began shifting from women to couples to eventually in some cases just men alone (Cohen 147). Women did indeed still purchase but as Cohen states, “the female citizen consumer evolved into the male purchaser as a citizen who, with the help of the state policies, also dominated as head of household, breadwinner, home-owner, and chief taxpayer” (Cohen 147). Cohen includes an interesting image showing how the consumer and gender played key parts in America when mass consumption was at its peak. The advertisement is selling insurance to the market of new homeowners making a quick assumption that the prospective consumers were male (Cohen 152). We see in the image that the man is standing in front of the house almost as if solely he has ownership to the entire land and his wife and kids are on the side engaging in what seems to be gardening. The smaller images in the same advertisement too only depict men rather than women as well. Initially there were men and women consumers but gradually it changed to couples and then in other cases solely
Lizabeth Cohen’s books “A Consumer’s Republic” argues that post-war America was deeply affected by mass consumerism and new trends in marketing, purchasing, home-ownership, and personal identities. This report describes the goals and source material of the author, as well as providing a summary of her narrative, a personal reflection on it, and an analysis of her place within historical and scholarly study of this period.
The gendered patterns in advertising that Craig outlines in his essay still exist today, in commercials of how men and women are portrayed. In Steve Craig’s, “Men’s Men and Women’s Women,” it is stated that large advertisers and their agencies have evolved the pseudo-scientific method of time purchasing based on demographics, with the age and gender of the consumer generally considered to be the most important predictors of purchasing behavior. Therefore, Craig argues that computers make it easy to match market research on product buying patterns with audience research on television viewing habits, eventually building a demographic profile of the “target audience.” According to an article titled Web Advertising: Gender Differences in Beliefs, Attitudes and Behavior, previous research suggests males and females exhibit different beliefs about and attitudes toward traditional media advertising along with different advertising-suppressed consumer behaviors. Craig talks about how in John Fiske’s book, Television Culture (1987, Chs.
However, American consumerism was praised as contributing to the ultimate success of the American way of life. People wanted televisions, cars, washing machines, refrigerators, toasters, and vacuum cleaners (PBA). Between 1945 and 1949, Americans purchased 20 million refrigerators, 21.4 million cars, and 5.5 million stoves (PBS).... ... middle of paper ...
Society in America during the 1950’s was one that portrayed men and women in very different, but rigid roles. Women were housewives, secretaries, and mothers. Men were providers, war heroes, and businessmen. Television, newspapers and magazines played an important role as well in determining ways men and women should behave. Advertisements for real estate were designed to sell to the “All-American” family. For example; Dad would be the returned home veteran who is now running the company, Mom is an ideal housewife who works a couple days a week for extra vacation cash, little Billy likes baseball and his sister Susie plays with dolls. Houses designed with this type of family in mind would prove very effective in luring away many from the city to live in suburbs like this at a rapid pace. Most jobs in the work place were gender divided. Help-wanted ads placed in newspapers in the 1950’s were very gender biased as well. Some ads with attention getting headlines could have read: “Sales Girl,” and “Brides! Housewives!” Occupations offered to women at this time were very limiting.
Advertisements in Life magazine showed women mainly in ways were they were responsible for kitchen duties and taking care of their husbands. In the early 1950’s, there were recurring ads of women with refrigerators. In an advertisement from 1950, a woman is dressed like a typical housewife standing next to the refrigerator showing all the features it entails. It gives off the message that during this period of the 1950’s, society saw women as the face of the kitchen and a majority of the duties as a housewife took place there. Another advertisement from 1950, gives a clear indication of gender roles. In the advertisement for a refrigerator, the women and her daughter are shown organizing their refrigerator, and the man is shown as carrying in the refrigerator. The advertisement expresses that women are more fit for domestic work and that men are more for the labor tedious work that a woman cannot do. In an advertisement from 1953 to sell health insurance, the man who is selling health insurance puts a picture of himself and his...
As a result of the war, America felt a new patriotism. As the wealth of the country increased the people were inclined to celebrate their success. They also celebrated having a much easier life than in comparison to the hardship and compromises of the war years. This was evident in the products that were designed to save Americans time and effort. There was advertising particularly aimed at women in the home household products. The consumerist beliefs were perpetuated by the mass media, radio, television, cinema and print media. Household objects and celebrities faces were the way to sell these products. Art became visible to greater sections of the population and to lower classes. Because of its positioning, images were seen in conjunction with advertising and printed on clothing and acce...
The Consumers’ Republic began in 1933 when Franklin Roosevelt launched the New Deal to fix the American economy after the Great Depression. The New Deal allowed more government intervention to strategically invest in industries which created more production and jobs opportunities. The New Deal was slow to fix the Great Depression, but when World War II came into play in 1937 production was booming and many jobs were created due to the need for military production. This era, called the age of mass consumption or “The Golden Age of Capitalism”, revitalized the health of the American economy, but was also an ideological weapon in the political struggle of the Cold War era. The United States explained how the mass consumption of cars, new homes,
Men and women both drive cars, it’s a simple necessity to be able go to work for most people, however, from the commercials on television, one would assume that men are the primary purchasers of cars. In Steve Craig’s essay, Men’s Men and Women’s Women, he analyzes four commercials to illustrate how advertisers strategically targets the viewers. Craig argues that advertisers will grasp the attention of the viewer by the gender ideals that both men and women have of each other. Not only do advertisers pick a target audience demographic, but they also will target the audience at specific time to air their commercials. By analyzing an Audi and Bud Light commercial, one can see that Craig arguments are true to an extent but it appears that commercials have gone from an idealized world to a more realistic and relatable stance. for are still [true, however it seems that commercials may have altered to appear more realistic.] [relevant to an extent. This is to say, it appears that advertisers may have altered their commercial tactics. ]
Different historians may argue how the boom of consumption shaped our nation during the mid 18th century. Some may say it led to farmers becoming more independent and being self-sufficient for the first time. The farmer’s were able to trade big items such as rice, fish and tobacco and in return get all the luxury imports such as fine thread, black silk, and tea . Some Marxist historians may say that the boom was early Angelo Americans creating a class conflict between economic self-interest and materialism. They wanted the money and power. With wealth comes power and power inevitably has a major political perk. The break-up of the classes separating
Early in the process of mass market consumers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers realize significance of using their advertising to target women. Ads were designed and published to speak primarily for women. In the years preceding World War I, marketing techniques targeting women consumers became increasingly effective. Throughout history, women have always struggled for a recognized place in society. Despite the activities of the Suffragettes, support of the Labor Party and some members of the Liberal Party, women still had very few rights in 1900 and certainly no political rights. During the 1900’s women were still trapped in the “cult of domesticity” (Srivastava). A good illustration of the life of women early during those days can be seen in the advertisement O-cedar print ad year 1900 (fig. 1 below). This print ad speaks to house wives, saying that they have a wide variety of products to choose from. Ranging from a polish to protect her floor wood and furniture, dusting pads and mops that, according to their ad “reduce cleaning, dusting and polishing to almost nothing”. It is obvious that this advertisement reflects the stereotypical depictions of women as a “Happy Homemaker”, apron-clad and committed mothers portrayed in self promotional ads.
America’s current standard of living is going to cause our demise. Consumerism is a problem throughout Americans culture since mass production began in the late nineteenth century. The obsession with consumerism has led to mindless wastes of resources, a diseased society and economic instability. Rick Wolff, a professor of economics at University of Massachusetts, states “economics of capitalism spread consumerism—now uncontrolled, ecologically harmful, and fiscally disastrous—throughout the United States”. Wolff’s viewpoint on consumerism aligns with mine. Believing that an economy based on promoting endless consumption is volatile and unsustainable. Consumerism can be analyzed and seen to be embedded by corporations and politicians.
On the heels of war, new technology caused a decrease in prices of goods in the 1920’s and in the 1950’s the GI Bill increased income. The bureaucratization of business in the 1920’s meant that more people could be employed in higher paying white-collar jobs than before, including, for the first time, housewives. This new income combined with the reduced prices for goods that resulted from mechanized production, assembly lines and a general decrease of the cost of technology created a thriving consumerist middle class that went on to fuel the economy in all sectors, especially the upper classes. Likewise, during World War II Americans saved up around 150 billion dollars, and this sum combined with the income of the GI Bill allowed normal people to buy expensive things, from houses to cars to electronics to educations at a rapid rate, fueling the trademark prosperity of the 1950’s. The new automobile culture of the 50’s spawned new businesses that catered to mobile Americans, such as nicer and more standardized hotels like Holiday Inn, and drive-up restaurants like McDonalds. Just as the culture of the 1920’s was transfo...
American Society on the Change during the Post-World War Years. After World War II, Americans experienced a time of rapid social change. American soldiers were discharged and returned home from the battlefields, hoping to find work and to get on with their lives. Marriage rates increased dramatically after the war.
After World War I and during the 1920s, America’s economy was growing to be the best in the world. Consumerism had led to the increase in purchases made by Americans and the amount of products that had been produced. Some of the consumer goods that were now in demand had included the automobile,
This “new trend” consumerism simultaneously fascinated and annoyed Europe. With its talents in production, art and entertainment it grew to become a major economic and military power during the early 20th century. There were unusually increased in standard of living because of the increase in mass manufacturing. Productivity, creativity and mass production were the core elements of building a powerful economy. America reinforced European ideas through art by demonstrating their new status culturally, economically, technologically in society (Rydall, 104). America’s skills, talents and progress in civilization was displayed and appreciated through their technological inventions that were exhibited throughout Europe. America had succeeded in creating a significant identity on foreign terrain. People hated us and loved us at the same time. There was jealousy floating around because of the independence that America had from their Anglo Saxon influence which at this time was not possible for other nations. America became the icon for civilization not only at home but also on foreign land. It was known as a nation that was moving forward in an “upward direction” (Rydell,