Hey guys, so sorry its been forever since we've posted, especially me!
Don't you wish that we could just grow up?! Everyone thinks we can't do anything because we're teenagers and are incapable of being responsible! It truly stinks if you ask me, but if you think about it, why do they think we can't do anything? Its not like they just woke up one morning and were like, "Teenagers are irresponsible and stupid!" NO!!! We, well maybe not you in particular, but over the years the "teenager" has become more and more lazy. But the question I have is, why and how?
Written by a girl growing up in the 50's - 80's, Barbra Diggs. "When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait to be a teenager. To my mind, when I reached that magical idyll, there would be a never-ending stream of convertible cars outside my house, a closet full of poodle skirts, and a stack of 45s, to which I would dance in my bedroom, between dates at the soda shop. To be sure, I would be asked by a handsome college student to “go steady” and would sport his fraternity pin or Letterman jacket with pride. I got excited just thinking about it. Being a teenager of the ‘50’s would be so much fun!
Unfortunately, when I was doing all this daydreaming, it was already 1978. My vision of teenage hood had been led badly astray by retro 1950’s television shows such as “Happy Days” and “Laverne & Shirley” and, of course, the film “Grease.” There would be no saddle shoes or sock hops in my future –the big hair and acid wash jeans of the late ‘80s awaited. I have always felt a bit cheated.
But was I? Had I been a teen in the ‘50s what would it really have been like?
The term “teenager” was scarcely heard at the start of the 1950’s, but by the decade’s end, the word rolled off every American tongue with ease. The teens of the ‘50’s were the first teen-aged youths to stand out as a distinct group with interests, fashions, musical tastes and economic power of their own. Their rise to prominence was largely because, unlike the youth of previous generations, the youngsters of the 1950s were unencumbered by responsibilities brought by world war and economic depression. In the 1950s, America was as prosperous as it ever had been; the morale of the white middle-class was high, and parents, smilingly indulgent. For the first time, young people had both the money and the freedom to do what every generation of teens since has expected as its right: have fun. And fun, they had. The average white middle-class teen in the 1950’s often engaged in the type of wholesome activities for which they are so well remembered. They hung out with their friends at malt shops, “necked” at drive-in movies, and gathered around the television with their families – only one set per household in those days – to watch respectable programs such as “I Love Lucy” and “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Teenage boys – from slick-haired “greasers” to cardigan-wearing preppies – spent ample time salivating over the increasingly sleek and sporty cars that were being churned out each year. Girls swooned over pin-ups of teen idols like Troy Donahue and Fabian, and consulted newly inaugurated teen magazines for advice on dating or fashion. Perhaps if the teens of the ‘50s had gone no further with their exploration of fun, perhaps the world would be a different place. But America’s first teenagers clearly wanted more than wholesome fun. And when rock ‘n rollers such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Elvis Presley burst onto the scene, teens were ready. They latched onto rock ‘n roll’s reckless, thrilling beat and refused to let go. With the advent of rock ‘n roll, and a spate of movies featuring disaffected teens (most notably being James Dean in “Rebel Without A Cause”), America got its first taste of teenage rebellion.
Most parents were appalled. Rock ‘n roll, with its powerful beat, gyrating singers, and sexually suggestive lyrics, was considered to be utterly unsuitable for children. The fact that such music also had strong roots in the African-American blues and gospel traditions made it all the worse. It was denounced by conservatives as “jungle music” or “Satan’s music” – which made the teenagers, in true teenage form, crave it all the more. Record producers were happy to oblige them. Teens flocked the record stores, dropped millions of dimes in the jukebox, and joyfully jitterbugged away in thousands of high school gyms across the nation. And as the song goes, rock ‘n roll was here to stay. Naturally, life in the ‘50s wasn’t one sock hop after another. Teens spent most of their time in school, and were constantly pressured to conform to society’s extremely conservative standards. One such method of pressure were the frequent showing of “mental hygiene” films in schools. These 15 minute films (with titles such as, “Keep off the Grass”, “Are You Popular?” and “Safety or Slaughter”) attempted to steer – or frighten – young people away from drugs, sex, slouching, speeding, or anything that might render them socially unpopular. The consequences for teens that veered from the norm were severe: an unwed pregnant teen would quickly find herself a pariah; homosexuality could result in a jail sentence; an interracial relationship would practically guarantee ostracism from everyone, including your own family. But, overall, Happy Days wasn’t outrageously far off the mark. Few teens stepped far beyond their social boundaries, and life for a white middle-class teen was good fun.
That was written by, Barbra Diggs, if you couldn't tell she grew up in the 50's. You know what i kept noticing? It was TV shows and music that really influenced these teens, and if you ask me i would say that TV, movies, and music STILL influence us! That's why its so important to be careful in what you watch and listen!
