A quote taken John McKeon which served as a very accurate representation of teenage life and culture in the 50’s. But, of course, the teenagers didn’t care about the rules in this decade, especially in North America. With newfound freedom from an economic boom after WWII which didn’t require teenagers to work anymore, teenagers, with a lot more free time, did all sort of things like listen to “rock n’ roll” and “bop” or go dating or adoring black rock stars, all of which were considered “rebellious”. The lists of “rebellious” activities are endless in number and some are quite ridiculous by today’s standards. However, the only reason teenage life is what it is today, is solely because of the sometimes “rebellious” acts of independence from teenagers in the 1950’s. The creation of modern dating, the outlandish and irresponsible appearance of teenagers, and the unapproved interests and behaviour of teenagers all made very good points of proving their independence as teenagers. Despite having little to no presence before WWII, the teenagers of the 1950’s would drastically change the definition of the term “teenager” and change the lifestyle and culture of teenagers for decades to come and did it all without even knowing the legacy they would leave.
Firstly, the most important and remarkable change the teenagers of the 50’s made was the creation of modern dating virtually around the entire world. Prior to dating at the time , the primary way of courtship was “calling” and this was when a man arrived at a woman’s house during an “At home” session where he presents his card to her maid who then shows it to the young lady. She would then be given the choice to accept him by letting him in or rejecting him by coming up with an excuse. Thi...
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...approved of to disliking anything that expressed them, it is understandable why the teenagers wanted to break free of the conformist society the adults have shaped for them in their image and they did succeed in doing so.
All in all, teenagers and their defiance to the norm and the rules shaped into what teenage life and culture is today. The teenagers of the 1950’s are credited with changing dating as we know it, changing the expected attire of the youth, and making a great amount of interests today be accepted by society. While teenagers today and in the future will always be defiant to some degree, the defiance will only pale in comparison to what it accomplished in the 1950’s. The teenagers of the 1950 have shaped the lifestyle for teenagers for many centuries to come and they didn’t even have to try in order leave a big mark in the vast timeline of mankind.
The institutions, cultural forms, and economic powers were lifted as the term “teenager” itself was created to differentiate young men and women from adults (University of Toronto 145). The clothing trends, hairstyles, dances and even the language was different from that of adults (Armstrong et al, 134). Young men and women enjoyed dressing themselves with blue jeans, leather jackets,and pony tails for women, which stood as an identity for teenagers as it differentiated them from adults (Armstrong et al,135). This idea was amazing to acknowledge because a new type of people are emerging, and this added to Canadian multiculturalism and acceptance of the different types of people.The adults response to the wild nature of teenagers was that they were left shocked at first, yet later they acknowledged this act as just a phase during one’s life, they got used to this unique behaviour as time progressed (OC University 10). With the brutality of World War 2, the youth at the time were simply left neglected (OC University 10). Many believe that teens during the 1950’s were greatly influenced by being raised during a war generation (OC University 10). The youth distinguished themselves through shocking, yet enjoyable behaviour such as dance moves and their overall mindset on life. In addition, advertisers convinced teens to purchase certain products which
(Goldberg, 2004) The 1950’s was a decade of fear, but it was fear that came with hope that peace and prosperity should never be taken from the people again. A shift from families crowding around their radio trying to hear the news, they began sitting down in front of their television watching their favorite shows that only aired once a week on either CBS, ABC, or NBC. Richard Powers said, "There have always been inter-family conflicts between parents and their adolescent children, but this cultural division was larger.” (Powers) he went on to say “A significant proportion of the adult generation disapproved of the values and lifestyle of the teens, and was doing something about it, including setting new rules, restrictions and prohibitions.” (Powers). This quote ties directly into the movie. This decade had many ups and many downs. It launched the
The demographic of the Teenagers was created in the 1950’s due to the giant number of population in this age group and due to teenagers gaining more independence, freedom and privacy.
Since the beginning of time, humans have been changing, developing, and evolving. The 1950s was a fascinating era in American history, and whether its people altered for good or bad is debatable, but one thing is for certain - many drastic changes were made during this time, especially involving teenagers. Juvenile delinquency erupted from the depths of the community, and countless gangs arose. Different genres of music were also emerging. Old perspectives were being replaced with controversial ideas; a lot was about to change.
The 1950’s have received a reputation as an age of political, social and cultural conformity. This reputation is rightfully given, as with almost every aspect of life people were encouraged to conform to society. Conforming is not necessarily a negative thing for society, and the aspects of which people were encouraged to conform in the 1950’s have both negative and positive connotations.
The youth of the 1950s were built off of their rebellious personalities, their sense of morality, and the metaphorical phrase of being rebirthed. This is best shown in the film Rebel Without a Cause, where teens are seen running away from their parents and getting involved in stuff they shouldn’t be. The reasons why teens were depicted as rebels against conformity was because of how youth culture formed, such as the growth of cars, being involved with love, and forming gangs within their group of friends. When comparing 50s kids to today’s kids, it can be seen that the generation’s culture is drastically different. The biggest goal for parents today are to wipe out the source of rebellious thoughts, and keep strict conformity amongst their family so it would not cause society’s downfall.
Stephanie Coontz's essay `What we really miss about the 1950's' is an essay that talks about a poll taken in 1996 by the Knight-Ridder news agency that more Americans preferred 1950's as the best decade for children to grow up. Coontz doesn't believe that it is a decade for people to remember fondly about, except for financial reasons and better communication within families. Coontz doesn't believe in it as the best decade because of the votes, the 50's only won by nine percent, and especially not by African Americans. Examples from family and financial issues in the 50's that makes it better than other decades from 20's to 80's. She doesn't believe that the 50's should be taken `literally' because from 50's there were changes in values that caused racism, sexism discrimination against women. Even though the 50's were good, it didn't lead to a better 60, 70, and 80.
As World War Two came to a close, a new American culture was developing all across the United States. Families were moving away from crowded cities into spacious suburban towns to help create a better life for them during and after the baby boom of the post-war era. Teenagers were starting to become independent by listing to their own music and not wearing the same style of clothing as their parents. Aside from the progress of society that was made during this time period, many people still did not discuss controversial issues such as divorce and sexual relations between young people. While many historians regard the 1950s as a time of true conservatism at its finest, it could really be considered a time of true progression in the American way of life.
While the materialism of the 20’s faded into the economic depression that followed, and the glow of the 1950’s was dimmed by the onset of communist fever, both decades proved to be successful and iconic in the way that they brought about massive prosperity, and because youth found new ways of expressing themselves and inviting progress. Unfortunately, not all outcomes were good, and both eras triggered an onslaught of racial tension that would continue well into the future.
In the 1950s, society viewed teenagers as different and rebellious because of differences like expression of emotion that separated them from their parents’ generation. The older generation noticed that "In contrast to a more respectable emotional repression, white teenagers increasingly valued the expression of passion and desire" (16). Expression of passi...
The term teenager came to light at the early 1950’s due to the large population of individuals in that group. This group of individuals had a lot of freedom to purchase clothes, food and any type of music they preferred due to the increase in money for spending. It is during this period that the young individuals flocked up to listen to the most preferred music during those days; rock music. The situation today is very different despite the presence of a few similar elements.
Before the big evolution of rock and roll, the United States was heavily involved in World War II. In this era, teens were expected to grow up at a very early age. Going to school was not one of the main priorities for these young adults during this time, and because of that "teens were expected to take life seriously. [Meaning,] the young men were expected to join the military or go get a job to support their family or their future families, while the young women were taught to take care of the household and prepare themselves to be a dutiful wives and to take care of their [future] children," (Cox). Even though they were expected to grow up early, “teens had very little economic power, freedom, independence, and input into [many of their own] decisions" (Cox).
How come these brief differences in time resulted in a tremendous shift in social values that changed the face of dating? Nevertheless, the youth dating culture of the 21st century rivaled that of the 1950s due to the differences in the principles of dating, the exclusivity of relationships, and the prominence of the entertainment industry. One of the essential differences between the social customs of the 1950s and the 21st century was the function of dating. For example, men were responsible for asking women out, gaining parental approval, doling flattery and extravagant gestures in order to impress their prospective partners, providing the financial means, and lastly, provide a physical token that signified that the relationship was official.
The nineteen fifties was a decade of prosperous times in America, but the average lifestyle of an American seemed extremely dull. The average American conformed to social norms, most Americans in the nineteen fifties dressed alike, talked the same way, and seemed to have the same types of personality. Music is what started to change the conformist lifestyle in America. Teenagers started to rebellion against their families by listening to Rock-n-Roll...
Whether you are new to the dating scene, are reentering the dating scene, or are a serial dater, you can use dating tips and advice. No one is a dating expert – even the most beautiful and wealthy people all struggle with matters of the heart. Everyone can learn something about how to date more, how to attract the types of people we want to attract, and how to make sure initial chemistry blooms into an enduring relationship.