The Conservative 1950s

The 1950s were a sobering era for the United States. The victory of World War II was short lived, as a Cold War crept into the living room of every American through the radio and television set. In spite of the social uncertainty, industry and production in the United States reached new heights, as assembly line and mass produced goods like toasters and automobiles became staples in the homes of middle class families. In short, the 1950s were a time of change in America, for a society that thought it wanted stability.

Music

Swing music was still popular in the 1950’s, but a whole new genre was in the making. Rock music got its start during the 1950’s. Loud, syncopated beats made rock easy to dance along to, and the teenage population went crazy over it. Artists like Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry could often be heard on the radio. The parents of this younger generation were not as accepting of this new genre, and some viewed it as something dangerous for their children. Jazz and blues continued to remain favorites of the older generation

Fashion

For girls, bouncy, short curls known as poodle cuts became the hairstyle to have. Ponytails became a trend among teenage girls. Clothing tended to be a bit more conservative, featuring skirts and dresses with synched in waists. Heels were a must with almost anything worn, unless you were younger and flats were trendy. Poodle skirts were also a common sight. Sweaters started to appear early on in the decade and by the end of the 1950s everyone owned one. Converse shoes were taken up by the youth, both girls and boys. Ear piercing started during the 1950s. Bright, vibrant, lipsticks in all shades of pink and red became a must for any girl to have in her make up collection. It became more acceptable for girls to wear jeans during the 1950s, however the majority of parents were quite conservative and disliked this trend. At home hair dye kits were popular during the 1950s, in many colors including bright orange. Marilyn Monroe made moles hot, seriously. Everyone drew on fake beauty marks.

For men, clothing was also conservative. Suits were professional day wear, and grey was a popular color. Polo shirts with plaid jackets over them were more casual. Jeans also became very popular among working men who were involved with doing manual labor, and soon spread to become a fashion trend for everyone. As the decade progressed onwards, pants became narrower in the leg. Shirt sleeves were usually rolled up for those interested in a grungy style. Flannel pants were a more preppy style often paired with a cardigan sweater.

Entertainment and Leisure Activities

Sports, as always, remained very popular in the 1950s. Kids spent a lot of time collecting and trading baseball cards. The majority of families owned televisions, and sports could now be broadcasted making them even more popular. Televised news series were many peoples source for information about the world around them. All kinds of shows could be found on TV just like today; comedies, talk shows, westerns, action, game shows, and variety shows with a little of everything. The growing popularity of TV actually hurt the movie industry slightly. To keep up with the changing times, many film corporations began making movies specifically for broadcasting on television. Cinemascope films also revived the film industry, and made drive-in movies an extremely popular pastime among the youth.

Radio stations were also affected by the increasing popularity of the television. There was no point in having radio comedy or action shows, because nobody wanted to listen to a show when they could watch it on TV. Instead, radio stations began playing more music and providing public broadcasting information. This change in program content proved to be a good move, and radio popularity remained constant.

Kids played marbles a lot during the 1950s, and hula hoops were another popular toy. Disney cartoons, just like in the 1940s, remained to be a favorite among children. Model trains, matchbox cars and Legos were all things every little boy wanted to have. Towards the end of the decade, practically every girl in America owned a Barbie doll. Disneyland also opened during the 1950’s, being a dream destination for all kids who watched the advertisements on television.

Comics and magazines were something everyone could enjoy during the 1950s. The Peanuts comic series was started during the 1950s, and new and exciting super heroes were being introduced as well. The first issue of Playboy magazine was published in 1953, with none other than Marilyn Monroe on the cover.

Teenage Culture

The generation gap was first significantly noticed during the 1950s. The older generation pushed for conservative behaviors, while the youth of the nation wanted independence and rebelled. Sometimes the need to rebel got them in quite a bit of trouble, and juvenile delinquency rates increased dramatically during the 1950s. Teenage dating was also less restricted, and soda shops, school dances, skating rinks and drive in movies were all popular spots to take your date.

The conflict between parents and kids was a result of several things. Rock ‘n’ Roll music was perceived as dangerous by a lot of parents, and they blamed it for juvenile delinquency. Teenagers, however, seemed captivated by their rock idols, which lead to uneasy tension building up in relationships between parents and their children. Clothing was another issue. Every mother wanted their daughter to wear pretty sun dresses and have cute, tight curls. Teenage girls however, wanted long pony tails and jeans. A lot of parents had the attitude that children should be seen and not heard, and when they protested against rules it was quite difficult for them to deal with, just like it was difficult for kids to feel like they were being controlled.

Activism: The Lack of It

Previous decades had been a time for change and action, but the conservative attitude of the 1950s did put a damper on the activist causes. The working role many women had earned before was now seen as unacceptable again. Magazines glamorized housewives and penalized unmarried, single working women. When men came home from the war, they were now expected to work and women were no longer needed. Most women now were given the task of running a house. Men mowed the grass and performed maintenance tasks; that’s as far as their household duties went. Women cooked, cleaned, and raised the children on their own.

Aside from being judged on how neat and tidy a woman’s house was, she was also judged on how she looked. Advertisements, television shows, and movie stars stressed the importance of having perfectly manicured nails, not a hair out of place and a flawless dress. Intelligence wasn’t seen as an attractive quality in women, no man wanted to date someone they could discuss politics with. They were interested in someone who would be content to stay and take care of the home. The brave women who broke this stereotype were ridiculed and gossiped about by those who conformed to the stereotype. If you weren’t married by the age of 25, it was assumed that you were just undesirable and had defects. With such strong, conservative stereotypes, it seemed that all the activism and pushes for equality were pointless. This lack of activism proved to be a temporary thing. The 1960s became a time of change against many forms of discrimination; including racism, sexism, and war protests.