1950s

From paint-by-numbers to cars, colors were a big part of the 1950s. From Grandma Moses, one of the most famous artists of the country, to Elvis Presley, the rock n’ roller whose movements were controversial, each product had critics, whether they be good or bad. Television was one of the most important consumable products of the 50s. Along with the television came the mainstream of TV dinners and tray tables that allow a person to watch TV while eating dinner. Another thing that came with the TV were the cooking instructions, after the popularity of the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook. In the 50s mobility, perfection and details, and colors were most important.

            In the 50s, cars became a big definition of where people ranked on the social ladder. People who had more than one car in the driveway were higher up the social ranking compared to those who only had one car. As the book says “gorp”, or excess, non-functional, parts on a car brought the cars more to show the advancements in the auto industry and what people, men specifically, looked for in a car. The most noticeable change was the amount of chrome on the car and the size of the tail fins. Some people, such as Elvis, were able to get cars that matched what they wore.

            Along with Elvis being able to buy cars according to his shirt color, came a big controversy about his movement. In the 50s, movement was becoming bigger and bigger, except for movement of actors or singers. Elvis, according to As Seen on TV, had clothes tailored to allow easy movement for his body, but not easy movement of his clothes. Along with the clothes, Elvis’s hair also added to the movement in his dancing. Elvis’s pelvic movements did not fair as well as the movement to in front of the TV for dinner with the inclination of TV dinners and special TV trays.

            Even though Elvis was not on TV due to his controversial pelvic movements, the television became a big deal. There were table trays made for the use of eating in front of the TV, TV dinners becoming more popular, and the fact that people placed the TV so they could watch it from more than one room in the house. One big use of the TV, was showing step-by-step instructions on how to cook something while watching a TV show. This became big after the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook.

            The Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook, along with the boxed cake mixes and other foods that came pre-prepared with minimal work, helped with showing that people wanted nothing less than perfection. Americans wanted easy ways for perfection it seemed. The housewives wanted easier ways to cook, so here comes the picture cookbook. As the picture cookbook was not enough companies turned to ways to come to perfection easier, such as using brown and serve dinner rolls. All this perfection came from the craze of paint-by-numbers.

            The rise of do-it-yourself and paint-by-numbers came about. So did the wanting of perfection. Americans felt complete with being able to do things perfect. They did not care that they were not the one who made the actual painting or the do-it-yourself train model. Perfection also came in the colors that were chosen for the paint-by-numbers or which recipe wanted to be used from the cookbook, but either way the end result was something perfect. The change of doing something by oneself came about when Walt Disney created Disneyland.

Disneyland was where everyone felt like a kid, no matter what age. The train going around the park allowed for adults to take a break from the hectic world of housework for the woman, and the hard work at the job for the man. Along with the break given to lighten up the attitude of people at Disneyland, colors of everything changed. From cars to home appliances, everything was splashed with color.

Everything in the 50s helped with what was meant to be American. Perfection was one characteristic of the Americans that helped with the attitudes coming out of a war. Everyone bought paint-by-numbers and models, such as trains, to help with the perfection. Later in the decade came cake mix, which also helped with perfection. Along with perfection as being a trait, came mobility. Cars became big, even though there was a lot of “gorp” added. Along with cars there was Elvis and his controversial dancing.