March 17, 2006 - Volume 34 Issue 11
Then and Now Lifestyle Changes Since the Fifties
Fashion is less modest,
more casual
By Haley Barton, sr.
Photo Editor
Can anyone truthfully say they have never seen the movie Grease?
Those who have, could say that it is not a stretch to understand the fashion
of the decade and could guess what many of the people were wearing.
As silly as it seems, many people in the 1950s wore very similar clothing
and caught onto the trends of the times, just as teenagers seem to do today.
They looked to magazines, movies, television stars, and to their teen idols
for inspiration.
Greased back hair for men and ponytails on young ladies were the normal hairstyles
of the time. Cashmere sweaters, poodle skirts, rolled up t-shirts, and leather
jackets first came into real prominence in the fashion world during the ‘50s.
Saddle shoes and bobby socks were classic examples of teeny bopper fashion.
This trend often accompanied a long sleeved sweater and poodle skirt. The
modern-day equivalent of this trend might be a jean skirt with flip flops
and footless tights.
One major difference in today’s world of fashion is the
not-so-new obsession: denim jeans. Anyone who has walked along in any city
or town could see that the vast majority of the people were wearing jeans.
Honestly, how many skirts does a person see?
Unless a person works in a legal office, not many women in this day and age
can say they own one. Many girls in today’s society would rather be
seen in their ripped jeans and screen t-shirts than a skirt on any occasion.
Jeans are ever-popular with men as well, as they do not have many options
for casual pants.However, in the 1950s, many young men may have chosen to
wear what teens now consider “dress slacks” as casual pants.
One change in the 1950s that affected the fashion world was the emergence
of rock ‘n roll music.
Many saw this form of music as a disaster for the country that would make
kids act wild and crazy. In fact, as far as the fashion world is concerned,
rock ‘n roll freed teenagers to dress in a new way. While it did make
many of them dress in the “black jeans with a white t-shirt look,”
it changed the face of the fashion. Skirts became looser and fuller, and young
men wore looser slacks, as they were easier to dance in. Clothing began to
really reflect the energy of the music.
Also, as opposed to the formal ‘40s, the 1950s ushered in a sense of
more color and more exciting clothing. Things were more controversial at the
time, so the clothes reflected this in the 1950’s fashion. Bold polka
dots and contrasting prints were all the rage in the mid fifties.
For teenagers today, music still plays a very big roll in creating new fashions.
Every time a performer comes out in something drastically different, it will
probably be seen in the latest magazines and often talked about for several
months.
One major change from the 1950s to today is conservatism or the lack there
of. In the 1950s it was not common to see women walking around with their
belly showing, but today it is a common factor in clothing. So, as time goes
by, every decade of fashion begins to show more and more skin.
Women’s skirts have long since been shortened to such lengths that by
no means could they be considered conservative. Shirts also reveal much more
than what was acceptable fifty years ago.
Men’s clothing has become much baggier, more casual, and by some opinions,
much more comfortable since the 1950s.
Even as fashion continues to evolve, one prominent theme is that things from
past decades tend to come back into style.
Modern designers are often inspired by trends from the 1950s. Today, everything
from polka dots to scoop necked sweaters and Converse shoes are back in style,
and their popularity originated five decades ago. Even the mini skirt is losing
its popularity, as hemlines are lengthening to more modest proportions.
Automobiles evolve
in favor of safety, complexity
By Derrick Onnen, sr.
Reporter
Tremendous changes have occurred since the 1950s, especially
when it comes to vehicles. From new body styles to added technology, cars
have faced major makeovers in the past 50 years.
Back in the 1950s, most cars did not have seatbelts, so if the driver and
occupants were to get into a wreck, they would be more likely to get hurt
or even killed.
Steel was typically the material used to create the outer body of 1950s vehicles,
while the cars of today are mostly made of aluminum. Although one would assume
that aluminum would cause the cars of today to cost less than those of the
1950s, this is not true.
Even though inflation comes into play, cars in the 50s were in the $1,000
to $8,000 range, while the cars of today cost anywhere from $10,000 to $250,000,
prices that would have been unbelievable five decades ago.
Despite the fact that most cars in the 50s had poor gas mileage,
it is also true that gas prices were a whole lot cheaper than they are today.
Paying $2.30 and up for a single gallon of gas may seem outrageous today,
but think about what people in the 1950s would think. Back then, paying 50
cents for a single gallon, and sometimes being able to fill up for less than
$2.30, was very common.
Radios were pretty much the only form of entertainment inside the cars of
the 50s, something that most people of the more recent generations would find
very hard to imagine. With the big screen televisions, global navigators,
CD players, huge speakers, and cell phones that have been added to the cars
of today, things like simple radios seem like they belong back in the Renaissance
period.
“Cars from the 1950s were much simpler than today’s. There were
no computers or CD players, and people were considered lucky to have a radio.
Cars were much easier to work on, so people did not need to take their cars
to a mechanic,” said Ryan Olson, sr.
However, to the people of the 50s, things such as CD players and loud music
did not matter much to them. Back then, it was all about the looks, from speed
to the style of their vehicles.
Trimmed out in chrome, 1950s cars were constantly washed and shined to a sparkle
in order to show off in front of everyone. Tail fins were also popular in
the 50s, even though they did not cause the cars to go any faster by improving
their performance.
“In many people’s opinion, the 50s and 60s were the best time
for cars, because people could do their own work on them, and many kids found
working on cars as more of a hobby,” said Olson.
In the 50s, racing was extremely popular, with people in souped up hot rods
meeting at airport strips or wherever it was that they wished. Just like the
racers of today, these people would pick locations along with other details,
and either race for money or fun.
Throughout the years, the evolution of the automobile has created nearly unrecognizable
new breeds of transportation. Cars have become sleeker and more reliable,
but may have lost that classic charm.
Technology takes
leaps and bounds toward future
By Phillip Vernon, so.
News Editor
What do people think about when they look at the 1950’s?
Is it the cherry-red hot rods, the slicked-back hair? Usually when we think
about the 1950’s, or any other decade for that matter, we tend to look
at their technology.
Nowadays, it seems that the definition of old technology is the 60-pound “laptop”
that moms and dads still carry around, or the gigantic cell phone that got
shoved in the closet about twenty years ago. It seems that throughout the
different generations, our definition of technology is very different from
that, say, 50 years ago.
For some families, the four-year-old can run the computer better than the
mom or dad. It seems that the main difference between these individuals can
be the way that they were raised. For example, students or children that were
raised around advanced technology will be more adapted, while parents and
other individuals that were not brought up with that kind of technology will
have no idea how to adapt to our changing environment.
As a matter of fact, technology in the 1950’s was very
advanced for its time. Such inventions in the 50’s included the polio
vaccine, the beginning of the space program, or the figuring of the structure
of DNA. All of these were invented in the 1950’s.
It is strange to look at such a decade and think, “How did they survive
without this?” The fact is, we as a generation tend to take things for
granted. To go from Pong to the most realistic video games in only 50 years
is pretty amazing. The possibilities for the future can seem endless in terms
of technology.
“It definitely has changed the way math is done. Math problems are much
more difficult now that we can use calculators,” said Doug Leonard,
math instructor.
Just think about it. We have gone from computers as big as classrooms to computers
that can fit inside a pocket. It is practically impossible to watch television
without seeing the new 20-blade razor or the cell phone that is so small it
might be floating. Even the almighty calculator has only developed in the
last 30 years, and to think that only 10 years ago, the VCR was the hottest
thing on the market.
The moral of the story is to learn to appreciate what we have and not to take
advantage of what has become available to us. Who knows, maybe our children
will one day be able to run the family computer (or whatever is new at the
time) better than us.
Youthful spirit ever
present
Favorite pastimes last through decades
By Erica Greve, sr.
Feature Editor
Even half a century ago, the raw energy and dynamic attitude
of teenage culture could not be stifled. Young people in the 1950s were taking
the country by storm in a society that had become very focused toward this
new teen culture.
Teens were searching for pastimes, and the world was suddenly brimming with
options.
The birth of rock and roll in the 1950s spawned an entirely new American culture.
Much like today, teenagers really took their music to heart. It helped them
to define their generation, and their independence from the stuffiness of
their parents’ world, and they really embraced it. They attended concerts
and listened to vinyl albums at record store booths to keep up with the rock
and roll craze.
Teenagers began to let their hair down in a buttoned-up adult
society. Movement and dance became a huge fad, and teenagers would flock to
attempt the latest dance crazes at parties and concerts. Popular dances included
the bop, swing, hully gully, and the twist, in addition to the many more which
were invented, especially as a result of the popular television show, American
Bandstand.
Cruising was an important aspect of 1950s teen culture as well. Much like
modern teenagers, teens in the fifties spent a lot of time riding around with
friends during their free time.
Drive-in theaters reached the peak of their popularity, as Saturday night
movies were regarded as a big event. In larger cities, a live act such as
a famous movie star would appear onstage before the show.
Dating in the fifties was regarded with a great deal of importance. Dating
was based on etiquette, and basic dating was actually taught in high school
‘civics’ classes. The drive-in theater was a popular destination
for teens who were ‘going steady’, or just out with a group of
friends scouting potential dates. Also, teens often went on double dates to
the soda shop or burger joint.
Young people enjoyed activities such as roller skating and bowling, just as
teens do today. They also enjoyed simple things such as watching television
and attending sporting events.
Football was the great American favorite of the time. However, there were
few to no opportunities for young ladies to get involved in sports, so many
of them learned cooking or crafts.
Life was not all fun and games for teens in the fifties, however. Schoolwork
was taken very seriously, and many teenagers held jobs just as young people
do today.
Times have certainly changed since five decades ago, but teenage culture is
alive as ever. Teenagers back then were not so different from their modern-day
counterparts.
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