The 1950’s

Learning Targets• I can explain what life was like for

teenagers.• I can evaluate the effects of the

changes in diet and food in the 1950s.

• I can describe changing roles of women in the 1950s.

• I can analyze the effects of planned obsolescence on society.

• I can describe the growth of suburbia.

Life as a Teenager• Boys’ hair touching the ears wasn’t

allowed, punishable by expulsion from school.

• Most girls weren’t allowed to wear pants, and boys weren’t allowed to wear jeans.

• People worried about teens dating and “heavy petting.”  No one talked about sex.

• Dancing to rock & roll music was often banned, with school and teen dances shut down.

Birth of Fast Food Restaurants

• Burger King – 1954 • Dunkin’ Donuts – 1950 • McDonald’s – 1955 • Pizza Hut – 1958

• BUT most people didn’t eat it regularly.• At the same time, the quintessential

50’s meal involved red meat—usually steak.

“Unnatural” Things in Foods• Chemicals or man-made things start

to appear in foods more frequently.– High Fructose Corn Syrup – invented in

1957– Hydrogenated Oil (trans fat) was

becoming widespread– Saccharin (artificial sweetener) became

very common (such as Sweet’n Low in 1957)

– Lots of pesticides used on food

Changing Role of Women

• 60% of women dropped out of college to marry.

• Average women’s size shrank from 1930s – 1950s.

• First Playboy magazine was in 1953 and featured Marilyn Monroe.

LIFE – Dec. 24, 1956

Planned Obsolescence• Companies make products that won’t

last long on purpose so that you buy more!– Began in the mid-1950s, even worse

today.

• Result = changes in consumption patterns

Like stereos,

appliances, and cars!Like clothes and cell phones! Like

computer operating systems!

Levittown & Suburbia• Began in the late 1940’s• Cookie-cutter uniformity• Very cheap!– $8,000 for a house (equiv.

of $70,000 today)– $10 deposit! (equiv. of $85

today)• Assembly line process for

building• Had restrictive covenants

(i.e. all white).

Levittown Home

Building of Levittown

Design of the Homes• Bathroom and

kitchen share plumbing.

• Still had the feel of urban living.

• Center of focus is the front of the house.

• Kids played in the front, not the back.

Transition to “Suburban Life”

• Focus shifted from urban to suburban life.

• Design of homes “flipped” to make the backyard to focus.

• People were isolated from the front.

Aerial View of Levittown