Teenage Life
• 1940s- parents were very strict.
o Boys- military/find job to support family
o Girls- take care of house, marriage > education, not allowed to date until 16
• 1950s- teens got more freedom because the economy started booming and the expectations started to change. Both boys and girls were encouraged to attend college.
“Slang”
• Most teenagers talked like Holden.
o The big cheese- the top guy
o Broad- chick
o The cat’s meow- splendid or stylish
o Chrome-dome- bald guy
o Heebie jeebies- jitters
o Kisser- mouth
o Jalopy- old car
o Skip/skipped- to skip town
o Call-girl- hooker
o Beef- “you got beef with me”
o Black and whites- police cars
o Book- “book him”/ arrest
www.alphadictionary.com/slang/
Fashion
• Men- the zoot suit
• Women- Women’s convertible suit
o Jacket
o Short skirt
o Blouse
• Teenagers- denim jeans, jean jackets, leather jackets
o Girls- poodle skirts, polka dots
o Guys- hair combed back
• After the war, Christian dior came out with a new look; long dresses, full skirts, and tight waists.
Music
• Listened to mostly Rock-n-Roll.
o Elvis Presley
o Little Richard
o Buddy Holly
• Also listened to pop.
Spare Time
• Danced (jitterbug)
• played cards
• dice games
• board games
• drive-in movies
• bowling
• sports
• girl/boy scouts
• little league baseball
• sitcoms (I Love Lucy, honeymooners, etc)
Random
• Average salary: $1,299
• Minimum wage: $.43/hr
Works Cited:
www.loti.com/fifties_history/teenage_life_in_the_1950s.htm
http://www.popculturemadness.com/Entertainment/Decades/50s-Music.html
I really like how you guys added the slang words and phrases. It's pretty cool to see where the slang originated from.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though, females took a step backwards in the 50's, throughout the early nineteenth century they were all gung-ho for fighting for equality, but in the 50's they shrunk back into their roles of motherhood and being a good housewife
ReplyDeleteMariah, Addie, Tyler- Great amount of information! Very thorough. I would like you to aim for more of a summary of your findings for your next post.
ReplyDeleteInteresting array of information however.
Maddi brings up another good point--it seems like there is a double standard here: males were educated so they could become the "bread winners" while females were taught how to cook and clean, take care of children.
More on high school education in 1949: http://bul.sagepub.com/content/35/179/115.extract
On women's roles:
"Throughout most of history women generally have had fewer legal rights and career opportunities than men. Wifehood and motherhood were regarded as women's most significant professions. In the 20th century, however, women in most nations won the right to vote (1920 in the U.S.) and increased their educational and job opportunities. Perhaps most important, they fought for and to a large degree accomplished a reevaluation of traditional views of their role in society" (http://www.wic.org/misc/history.htm).
I think it is weird that everyone used to dress so nicely back then and they were always looking good. Now people just wear sweats half the time.
ReplyDeleteI think some of these slang terms need to be brought back...anybody else?
ReplyDeleteAlso, is it wierd if I find all of the new age music from back then, to actually be really good?
to be totally honest i would love it if the music that was listened to back then was brought back to now because buddy holly and elvis were pioneers of the modern day rock no matter how distant they may seem. you could trace the influences all the way back
ReplyDeleteIts weird how we look back and see how they use to use words as. Now its all modern and stuff.
ReplyDeletei cant believe these people made up all this slang in the time period
ReplyDelete