Dude Ranch Craze

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Recommended: Women's status in two world wars

Jeans and denim have become the most popular and versatile clothing options in America, but it hasn’t always been that way. Between the time of invention to present day, traditional blue work jeans and denim changed from being a sign of lower-middle working class and frowned upon by the upper class, to being conventional and worn by most Americans as a result of The Dude Ranch Craze, the influence of media on rebellious teens and young girls, as well as wearing denim to show patriotism during World War II.
Jeans were invented in 1873 by Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis, two business partners looking to make money during the California Gold Rush. This new kind of pants were distinguished by the rivets in the material that made them sturdier and …show more content…

Western films had created an image in the mind of people living in the East of the Western lifestyle, which included cowboys in their blue jeans and boots with a lasso and horse for rounding cattle. Along with Western films, Levi Strauss & Co. advertised their jeans as being “traditionally Western”, as seen in a 1950’s print ad depicting a man wearing Levi’s jeans and a cowboy hat with the text “The West Grew Up in Levi’s”. The people in the East wanted to experience the Western culture they had seen in films and visited dude ranches on vacation to get a sense of it for themselves. Dude ranches, also known as guest ranches, are a form of agritourism that allow guests to participate in a variety of ranch-oriented activities, such as helping with cattle, riding horses, and learning new skills, like how to use a lasso. The Dude Ranch Craze refers to the growing popularity of dude ranches across the United States during the late 19th and 20th …show more content…

Factory work during the war was seen in a positive light, and therefore denim came to symbolize patriotism during World War II due to the denim the war factory workers wore. Women, who rarely worked in factories pre-WWII, found the ability to wear jeans, granted by the need for laborers, liberating in contrast to their usual tight and uncomfortable dresses. The need for women to work in factories to provide for the war also helped accelerate the development of women’s rights. Denim became a symbol of power for women during World War II, as seen in the iconic Rosie the Riveter print ad, with the woman in the picture wearing a denim shirt and showing her bicep with the text “We Can Do

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