1950s+Teenagers+ILMM

__1950s Teenagers Research Assignment __


 * 1) During the 1950s, a new term for the increasingly altered youth came out- teenager. With a new outlook on life, teenagers, or the young adults of society, began gaining more independence and freedom. Wanting to be no longer so conformed in a set society, "rebellious" actions were taken to make known exactly who teenagers were. The creation of rock n' roll was a main form of teenager independence, showing off their dancing abilities and no longer listening to what their parents liked. Rock n’ roll appealed to teenagers because it was easily relatable to their daily life with songs about high school love and parties. What they really loved though was the fact that it was sung by other teenagers, which initially formed the “King of Rock n’ Roll,” Elvis Presley. Rock n' roll added to this new found independence to form a connection of teenagers everywhere.
 * 2) Another thing that came alive during the 1950s for teenagers was a new sense of style. An increase in spending money for all members of the family allowed teenagers to find new ways of expressing themselves by being able to buy their own clothes. There were two main looks for a teenager- greasers and preps. Greasers were known for their infamous leather black jackets and denim jeans. They were considered outrageous and wild, partially due to the fact that they were most commonly seen racing around town on motorbikes. Preps on the other hand were seen as neat and prestigious, completely differentiating from the greaser look. Some of the most commonly seen looks involved poodle skirts, blouses, cardigans, and polo necks. American teenagers were developing a new sense of independence, style, and dominating the fashion generation.
 * 3) Prior to World War II, life for America’s youth was not to be taken as a joke. Parents wanted their sons and daughters to either have a steady, set job to help bring in money for their families for both the present and near future or to be able to hold down their household. The path for most boys was a job in the military, while most girls were taught that their place was in the home to take care of their husband and their children. Expectations changed in 1950s as the economy started booming. Parents now wanted to their children to finish high school and go off to college, considering they would be able to financially support them. Parents no longer wanted their children joining the war, but instead to take advantage of the opportunities they were now being given. The small change of an economic boom led to a great one for teenagers. This was another aspect of growing independence for teenagers everywhere.
 * 4) In the 1950s, teens were becoming more private and secretive, and often times being very disrespectful to their peers and the members of their society. This sudden burst of rebelliousness was blamed on the new generation of music, rock n’ roll. It was the only thing parents really knew about and the only problem they seemed to focus on. The rise of juvenile delinquency also was to be blamed on automobiles, which allowed teenagers one of the greatest freedoms. But the more rock n’ roll and teenage independence was attacked, the greater the want to be rebellious was. Juvenile delinquency reached a new high as this freedom that had just been discovered was now being threatened and taken away.
 * 5) One of the greatest freedoms a teenager in the 1950s had was dancing. It varied from being low and smooth to being wild and angular, depending on whichever the teenagers preferred. New variations, moves, and dances were discovered so teenagers could avoid dancing like their parents who wildly disapproved of their new lifestyle. Dancing to rock n’ roll, another highly criticized discovery, became a rebellious and freeing experience for most teenagers. The banning of dances and rock concerts only forced teenagers to want what they couldn’t have and do anything possible to satisfy their rebellious needs. As the want for more independence grew, so did the teenage outrage.

__Primary Sources__


 * 1. Dress Code for High School Students in New York (1956)**
 * Board of Education, Buffalo, New York**
 * January 24, 1956**

//BOYS// ACADEMIC HIGH SCHOOLS AND HUTCHINSON-TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOLS //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:**
 * 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
 * Not Recommended:**
 * 1) Dungarees or soiled, unpressed khakis
 * 2) T-shirts, sweat shirts
 * 3) Extreme style of shoes, including hobnail or "motorcycle boots"
 * Recommended:**
 * 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
 * Not Recommended:**
 * 1) Dungarees or soiled, unpressed khakis
 * 2) T-shirts, sweat shirts
 * 3) Extreme styles of shoes, including hobnail or "motorcycle boots"
 * Recommended:**
 * 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
 * Not Recommended:**
 * 1) V-neck sweaters without blouse
 * 2) Bermuda shorts, kilts, party-type dresses, slacks of any kind
 * 3) Ornate jewelry
 * 4) T-shirts, sweat shirts

The dress code for schools were very strict to try to stop the teenage rebellion. The forced uniforms, or what was recommended and not recommended, only made students want to rebel against what was considered approved or not. Boys and girls both had to look very polished and conservative to follow along with society's idea of conformity and what was appropriate and not appropriate.


 * 2. Fashion Trend for Teenage Girls in the 1950's**
 * 1953**



Throughout the 1950s, teenage girls style developed into new fashion trends including this one of dog collar's fastened around their ankles and over their socks. They were also used to distinguish between a girl who had a boyfriend, who wore a on the left ankle, or a girl who was single, who wore a collar on the right ankle. New fashion trends were developed to help enhance the teenage identity.

__Loss of Innocence and Emergence of Identity__

The independence being discovered throughout America allowed many young adults to lose their innocence and find their own freedom, which often times caused them to be seen as rebellious teenagers. Music and the discovery of rock n' roll showed these teenagers how to find themselves and break away from the protected child they were seen as in the eyes of their parents. The booming economic generation also led to teenagers using their extra spending money to buy the apparel that appealed to them and form their own self-expression using their own sense of style. For years teenagers were stuck in between being seen as a dependent child or an independent adult. Neither of these two terms could clearly sum up who these young men and women were, forcing them to become the unidentified youth. But the term teenager fully described them; they were more mature than a child but not nearly as mature as an adult. With this new found term and viewpoint on life, teenagers emerged their own identity. For parents, that identity was rebellious. Rock n' roll music and artists were blamed for influencing teenagers into becoming juvenile delinquents and finding a pleasure in disobeying their parents, rebelling against conformity, and sexual experimentation. But what these teenagers were simply doing was no longer hiding in their in-between stage but instead making the world known to who they were. Teenagers expressed themselves in any way possible, most popularly seen in their dancing. Dancing to rock n’ roll was highly criticized but became a rebellious and freeing experience for most teenagers. What parents didn't seem to realize was that the more rock n’ roll and teenage independence was attacked, the greater the want to be rebellious was. The new discoveries of rock n' roll, dancing, dating, and being rebellious led to both the identity of teenagers and the loss of their innocence. The banning of dances and rock concerts only forced teenagers to want what they couldn’t have and do anything possible to satisfy their rebellious needs. As the want for more independence grew, so did the teenage outrage. Teenagers were not ignored, and parents had clearly taken a toll on their rebellious actions. Throughout the 1950s, teenagers found themselves and emerged their own identity simply by putting themselves out there and making it clear that independence was what they wanted, therefore independence was what they got. Teenagers were a part of new beginnings and paved the way for generations to come.

__Works Cited__

"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 15, 2011).

"Fashion Trend for Teenage Girls in the 1950s." //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE52&iPin=AHI2568&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 15, 2011).

Cox, Erika. "Teenage Life in the 1950’s." //Rewind the Fifties//. Rewind the Fifties, 2009. Web. 15 Nov 2011. .

Weston Thomas, Pauline. "1950s Teenager's Fashion." //1950s Teenager's Fashion//. Fashion-era.com, 10 June 2005. Web. 15 Nov 2011. .

Penney, DK. "The Teenagers." //The History of Rock 'n' Roll//. The History of Rock 'n' Roll, 10/15/2009. Web. 15 Nov 2011. .

Powers, Richard. "Teen Dances of the 1950s ." //Social dance at Stanford and elsewhere//. R. Powers, n.d. Web. 15 Nov 2011. .