1950's+Teenagers+TNAT


 * 1950's Teenagers**


 * __Facts__**

1.During the 50’s, teenagers everywhere were trying to find their selves through everything that they do. They did everything that they could to go against the rules to hopefully be different from everyone else. There were many expectations with teenager’s clothes and style during this time. Many rules with their looks existed. All boys weren’t allowed to wear blue jeans out in public. Also, many girls weren’t allowed to wear pants. Because of not being able to wear pants, fashion trends toward teenage girls were poodle skirts. These new skirts were a big hit along with girls wearing ankle socks, also known as bobby socks back then. Another rule toward the teenage appearance was that boy’s hair was not accepted touching their ears. Older adults took this rule very seriously with punishments all the way up to expulsion from school. With this rule in place, many boys started to follow the trend for crew cut. These crew cuts imitated favorite celebrities. Other fashion that came out and was followed was the greaser look. This look was very common in repletion teenagers.

2.For teenagers in the 1950’s, life got a lot better. Before, kids of all ages were to take life as serious as it got. Many boys were likely to join the military. Other then going into the military, males were expected to support their families and to get a good job. Females of all ages also had expectations. They were taught to be a housewife. Learning how to take care of a household and how to be a good wife was the things that were constant in their lives. Rather then getting an education or a job, being prepared for marriage and a family was on female’s minds. During the 50’s, all of these things changed for the average teenager. Many families faced more money, freedom and independence, also for teenagers due to the economy booming. Teenagers were more encouraged to go to college to better themselves for the future. With families experiencing more money and more freedom, teenagers had more spending money and had more time to be with their friends.

3.Teenager’s own form of music also emerged in the 1950’s. Beforehand, the music that teens would listen to was their parent’s, but then a new type that was later named Rock ‘n’ Roll. Teenagers everywhere loved this new music. Along with this music came new dancing. Dancing was freedom to teens. Although teens loved Rock and Roll, parents hated it. If their kids were listening to it, they believed that it would taint their children. Fears of children lives being wasted, many radio stations band this type of music. Teenagers became more rebellious, disrespectful, and cautious all the time. Teenagers’ listening to Rock and Roll music was the cause of most rebellion, which is apart of what made the teenager of the 1950’s.

4.The social lives of teenagers grew during the 1950’s. Having more freedom with their parents, teens began to spend more time with friends. This frequently included spending more time with both boys and girls, which often lead to dating. Cars during this time helped a lot with the privacy of teenage dating. Although there was a lot of dating going on during the 1950’s, adults didn’t like it. Instead of forbidding it, they had things set up where cars could park in the nighttime to hopefully make teenage dating harder. Before the 50’s, there was a term “going steady” which would mean that a couple would be close to marriage. But the 1950’s teenagers changed the rules of dating and formed what dating is today. The teenagers during the 50’s were very important in alternating dating to what it is today.

5.Entertainment during the fifties was an important thing for teenagers. Television and music were mainly the entertainment in the teenager’s lives. Having a television as a teenager was a way of being popular in the block. More TV stations came out just fir teenager’s liking. One of the most popular shows for teenagers was American Bandstand. Other from television, there was also the love of music. Teenagers would go listen to Elvis and other icons while dancing to have a good time. Rock ‘n’ Roll music turned into “teenager music”. Parents thought it was bad music, which made kids love it more. Entertainment started to come up with more things just for the teen age.

__**Primary Sources:**__


 * This primary source is a picture of Elvis Presley. He was a legend of Rock 'n' Roll music which was the teen's music in the 1950's. This type of music in general gave teenagers during the 1950's a piece of freedom to escape all of the other strict moments in their life with their parents. This picture also shows teenager's icon during this time. Everyone love Elvis. Girls screamed his name and boys followed his sense of style.

Dress Code for Hight School students in New York (1956)

January 24, 1956
//BOYS// ACADEMIC HIGH SCHOOLS AND HUTCHINSON-TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL **Recommended**

and tie or conservative sport shirt and tie with suit jacket, jacket, sport coat, or sweater **Not Recommended:** VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOLS **Recommended:** **Not Recommended:** //Note:// The apparel recommended for boys should be worn in standard fashion with shirts tucked in and buttoned, and ties tied at the neck. Standard of dress for boys, while in school shops or laboratories, should be determined by the school. //GIRLS// ACADEMIC AND VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOLS **Recommended:** **Not Recommended:**
 * 1) Dress shirt and tie or conservative sport shirt and tie with suit jacket, jacket, sport coat, or sweater
 * 2) Standard trousers or khakis; clean and neatly pressed
 * 3) Shoes, clean and polished; white bucks acceptable
 * 1) Dungarees or soiled, unpressed khakis
 * 2) T-shirts, sweat shirts
 * 3) Extreme style of shoes, including hobnail or "motorcycle boots"
 * 1) Shirt and tie or sport shirt and tie
 * 2) Sport shirt with sweater or jacket
 * 3) Standard trousers or khakis; clean and neatly pressed
 * 4) Shoes, clean and polished; white bucks acceptable
 * 1) Dungarees or soiled, unpressed khakis
 * 2) T-shirts, sweat shirts
 * 3) Extreme styles of shoes, including hobnail or "motorcycle boots"
 * 1) Blouses, sweaters, blouse and sweater, jacket with blouse or sweater
 * 2) Skirts, jumpers, suits or conservative dresses
 * 3) Shoes appropriate to the rest of the costume
 * 1) V-neck sweaters without blouse
 * 2) Bermuda shorts, kilts, party-typre dresses, slacks of any kind
 * 3) Ornate jewelry
 * 4) T-shirts, sweat shirts


 * This primary source shows how strict things were for the teenagers of the 1950's. All of these dress codes and rules applied to everyone and consequences would come to those who didn't follow. In attempt to discourage delinquency and gang-related behavior, public schools everywhere began to create dress codes for their students. This one above was the one the state of New York had followed.

My research defends the loss of innocence and emergence of identity by many teenagers of the 1950's. During this time, Teenagers in general had their own name for themselves. With my research it shows how teens dressed. Whether it was their school dress codes which were very strict or how they rebelled against it teenagers had made an identity for themselves. Also along with their own type of music Rock 'n' Roll. My research explains everything that has to do with teenagers creating an identity for themselves. Their music, how they rebelled against the rules, and how they spend spare time all helped them emerge.

__**Work Cited**__

Bailey, Beth. "America in the 1950s."//Teenage dating in the 1950s//. HONR 269J, 2000. Web. 8 Nov 2011. .

Cox, Erika. "Teenage Life in the 1950's." //Rewind the Fifties//. Rewind the Fifties, 2009. Web. 8 Nov 2011. .

"Dress Code for High School Students in New York." //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE52&iPin=E14091&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 8, 2011).

Molly,. "The 1950'2." //kidsnewsroom//. kidsnewsroom, 2000. Web. 8 Nov 2011. .

Powers, Richard. "Teen Dances of the 1950s." //www.socialdance.stanford.edu//. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 November 2011. < [] >.

"Presley, Elvis." //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE52&iPin=AHI2387&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 13, 2011)