Decoding Boomers & Post WW2 Narrative

LECTURE THREE DECODING POST WW2 NARRATIVE Analyzing Trends School of Design Strategies Parsons the New School for Design Instructor: Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 1

Baby GI Silent Gen X Gen Y Boomers Generation Generation 1901-1924 1925-1945 1945-1964 1965-1981 1981-2001 Industrial Era Mass Media Era Micro Market Era Cable TV Interstate Highways Manufacturing WW2 Internet Global resources TV Advertising Scientiﬁc advances Social Networks ocus on their generation, not their age. Generations UNDERSTANDING GENERATIONS What contrasts and unites generations helps us decode how trends manifest in unique ways. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 2

GI Boomers Silents cautious optimistic rebellious money technology politics social/economic forces Generations WHAT SHAPES EACH GENERATION? Emotions that imprint life narrative during childhood and as the generation matures. 3 Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu

1965 1945 1925 Silents enter adulthood childhood cautious Boomers childhood rebellious social/economic forces Generations GENERATIONS ARE NOT HOMOGENOUS The code shifts as we move in time - but it is grounded by a common set of forces. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 4

gender models what we eat patriotism morality how we make money GI Silents Boomer Parents parent Boomer Gen X Gen Y child Kids Generations ASSIMILATION/DIFFERENTIATION Establishing difference is a natural part of the maturation process - it becomes critical in understanding how each generation deﬁnes their own cultural narrative Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 5

Generations individualism patriotism GI GENERATION Grew up during the Depression. The oldest living generation, born into a world without television. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 6

Generations conformity awareness SILENT GENERATION Too young to have fought in WW2. Childhood memories of rationing during the war. Came of age in the ﬁfties. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 7

Generations traditionalism rebellion BABY BOOMERS Grew up with TV. Deﬁned the ﬁrst mass youth movement of sixties Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 8

Fear/ Progress/ childhood Disillusionment Freedom imprint network rites of passage The Road Independence/Rebellion DNA Generations traditionalism rebellion UNLOCKING BOOMER CODE Deconstructing the key themes that make up the code of the Boomer path to maturation. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 9

Suburbia Rites of Passage GI Generation Reconnecting Silents Search for Identity Boomers Rebellion & Revolution Generations THE ROAD AS CULTURAL NARRATIVE The Interstate System was hailed as the \"Greatest Public Works Project in History\". It shapes each generation as they grow up. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 10

Revolutionary Road (2008) GI Generation Reconnecting Generations individualism patriotism RECONNECTING WITH HOME The optimism of the postwar years created a desire to \"get back to normal,\". Couples postponed marriage and children during the war, but now that the economy was good, there was a emotional drive to settle down sooner. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 11

Silent Generation Search for Identity & Knowledge Generations conformity awareness ON THE ROAD Based on the spontaneous road trips of Kerouac and his friends across mid-century America. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 12

Boomers Generations traditionalism rebellion INEQUALITY REVEALED New highways and TV news afford us new views that shape our attitudes. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 13

Boomers Generations traditionalism rebellion BROADCAST HORRORS OF WAR Technology connects us to once hidden narratives. A crumbling of the hero mythology. 14 Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu

Boomers Generations traditionalism rebellion ROAD AS SOCIAL EXIT Paths and destinations of social collectivism. San Francisco - Canada - Woodstock Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 15

Trading up Reconnecting to idealized memories of childhood. American Beauty (1999) Boomers as Adults Seek to reconnect with the old pre-disillusionment codes Generations traditionalism rebellion SUBURBIA REDUX Ironically, the road leads back to suburbia as Boomers mature and raise children. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 16

Archetypes Hero Mythology SOLDIERS, COWBOYS & SUPERMEN Heroic archetypes shape the childhood play of Boomers. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 17

Good Bad White Hats Black Hats Law Outlaw The codes of The genre evolves American with ongoing cinema cultural shifts The Riﬂeman (1958) Hero Mythology Archetypes WESTERN GENRE AS MYTHOLOGY Fueled by TV networks use of Western movies to ﬁll airtime in early days of the medium. There were 26 TV westerns running in prime-time in 1959. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 18

Gung Ho by Marx Hero Mythology Archetypes WAR AS HEROIC PLAY Prior to Vietnam, war still offered a play narrative that was untouched by the reality - things still ended well. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 19

Recasting Archetypes Hero Mythology BOOMER MYTHOLOGY Post war male mythology plays out in contemporary politics. The language borrowed directly from the Western genre. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 20

Anti-Hero Mythology Subculture Archetypes THE REBEL An evolving post war archetype that impacts rites of passage for Silents and Boomers. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 21

pop culture subculture narrative narrative Motorcycles Cars The Wild One (1953) Anti-Hero Mythology Subculture Archetypes RESTLESSNESS ON WHEELS A post-war subculture of DIY and anti-establishment narrative. Hell’s Angels borrows the language of the returning GI. Fraternity of the lawless - war-time socio-economics. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 22

Rosie the Riveter The Pinup Over there Over here Wartime Archetypes Utility & Fantasy ROSIE & THE PINUP The two faces of female - at home and with the GIs abroad. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 23

Claire McCardell Safety Styles WW2 \"Most of my ideas come from trying to solve my own problems.\" Wartime Archetypes Utility & Patriotism “FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY & CASUALNESS” Designers such as Claire McCardell produced clothes for the working women - which stood for 'freedom, democracy and casualness'. Levi jeans and sloppy Joe sweaters swept across the American teenage population This vision spawned the “American Look” and postwar Ready to Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 24

Ozzie & Harriet Marilyn Monroe The Housewife The Bimbo the right woman the other woman Post-War Archetypes Utility & Fantasy REGAINING CONTROL The 50’s female archetypes are about men regaining control after the war. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 25

Recasting Archetypes MADONNA CHANNELS MARILYN In the 1980s, the pop star recasts the ideal of the other woman. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 26

Faster Pussycat Kill Kill (1965) Detour (1945) Subculture Archetypes THE FEMME FATALE The WW2 power female archetypes go underground and emerge more in tandem with feminist discourse later in the 60s. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 27

The rockers in postwar Britain were called \"Teddy Boys\" because they adapted Edwardian-era styling cues (drainpipe trousers, long coats, etc.) to American rockabilly fashion. Borrowed & Remixed Subculture Archetypes TEDDY GIRLS Women in the early scene opted for the male elements of the style, like short pompadour haircuts and trousers. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 28

From grease to glue Deconstructing Archetypes PUNK / VIVIENNE WESTWOOD Remixes elements of 50s teddy boy culture with a new sprit of DIY. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu

Hair Cat’s Eye Makeup Pinup Girl Tattoos Recasting Archetypes AMY WINEHOUSE Recasting old subculture signs. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 30

Progress Fear Freedom Anxiety/Loss of control Exploration Invasion POST WW2 POLARITY This tug between opposing ideals shapes Boomer code as they transition from childhood to adulthood. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 31

P Working Living Playing F Spaces shaping behavior TRENDS ARE PERCEPTIONS THAT MANIFEST AS BEHAVIOR Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 32

P Work spaces Home spaces F Spaces shaping behavior Gender Lifestyle Identity FORCES THAT SHAPE BEHAVIOR Our home grows as a reﬂection of our status and consumption Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 33

Mad Men (AMC) P Lifestyle Identity Gender F Consumption reﬂecting emotions MADISON AVENUE SHAPING NARRATIVE The business of connecting people to products. Learning to sell intangibles and emotion. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 34

Fear/Disillusionment Forces at Work Urban Flight Consumerism Cold War Nuclear Anxiety Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 35

Fear Delinquency Communism Race FEAR OF “OTHERS” During WW2, the country is marinated in propaganda messages that bleed over into post-war life. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 36

Fear NUCLEAR CHANGES EVERYTHING A powerful symbol of both progress and complete extinction. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 37

Fear ATOMIC ANXIETY A strong emotional imprint on the childhood development of Boomer children. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 38

Target You - Civil Defense Film (1953) Fear YOU ARE THE TARGET The fear of potential nuclear attack fuels a constant and nervous state of preparedness. Am I doing enough? Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 39

Fallout Shelter Denver Colorado Model Fallout Shelter (Long Island) Fear BACKYARD FALLOUT SHELTERS ''The fantasy about the perfect shelter was the fantasy of the perfect family,''. door-to-door salesmen hawked fallout shelters in the same way post-9/11 anxiety entrepreneurs have peddled gas masks and Cipro. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 40

Fear SAFER FOOD Can Manufactures claim “No other container protects like the can.” - a progression away from fresh produce. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 41

Graj + -Gustavsen Fear/Disillusionment Current Trend Context New economics coupled with post-9/11 fears SURVIVAL STORE CONCEPTS Simon Graj, CEO of Graj + -Gustavsen is pushing a concept he smartly brands the \"survival store.\" Graj envisions a place where you can get the goods you need — low-cost food, clothing built to last a few winters, a bike to substitute for the new car you can't afford — while offering experiences that help you cope during these difﬁcult times. (Source: Time Magazine) Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 42

The Aesthetics of Transparency Fear CONTAINING THREATS Ziploc becomes the unofﬁcial brand of new TSA imposed airport security post-9/11. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 43

Them! (1954) The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) Fear INVASION AS NARRATIVE The 'Monster Movies' of the 1950s reﬂect aspects of cultural uncertainty - fears of “others” and the growing impact of technology. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 44

Fear/Disillusionment Current Trend Context 9/11 REIGNITES FEAR NARRATIVE Fears re-engage Boomers old 50s childhood narrative. 45 Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu

Fear/Disillusionment Current Trend Context BUILDING FENCES Immigration becomes cultural context for “the others” narrative. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 46

Fear ROOTING OUT “THE OTHERS” The HUAC (House Committee on Un-American Activities) focused its investigations on real and suspected communists in positions of actual or supposed inﬂuence in American society. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 47

Obama is Anti-America and a Socialist Fear/Disillusionment Current Trend Context REPLAYING OLD FEARS Socialism as the tag of Anti-Americanism plays out in the presidential campaign in 2008. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 48

Lyndon Johnson”Daisy” ad 1964 “It’s 3 AM” Hillary Clinton ad 2008 Fear/Disillusionment Current Trend Context FEAR POLITICS THEN & NOW “The stakes are too high” Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu

The first toothpaste to include fluoride was Crest, which came out in 1956. Fear FLUORIDE FOR YOUR PROTECTION Early in the 20th century, dentists discovered that naturally-occuring fluoride in the water supply was helpful in preventing cavities. Towns began to add fluoride to their drinking water in 1945. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 50

Soapy the Germ Fighter Fear IN PURSUIT OF CLEAN Clean becomes interwoven with codes of patriotism. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 51

Fear Current Trend Context ANTI BACTERIAL RITUALS In 2005 more than $67.3 million US sanitizers were sold, a whopping 53.5 per cent increase from 2004, according to ACNielsen ﬁgures. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 52

Disillusionment Am I keeping up? CONSUMER ANXIETY Choice and conveniences bring new pressures. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 53

Folgers Commercial 1960s Disillusionment Am I keeping up? CONSUMPTION AS GENDER NARRATIVE Consumption casts the home/work tension of keeping up and ﬁtting in. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 54

High School Hellcats (1958) Fear JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AS MORAL PANIC In 1954 Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency investigate comic books as cause of increase in youth crime. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 55

Fear/Disillusionment URBAN DECAY Racial tensions compounded by a migrating economy. Race riots and rise in poverty level. Increased urban ﬂight to the suburbs. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 56

Real Housewives of New York City Fear/Disillusionment Current Trend Context NEW URBANISM ASlate nineties BADGE City becomes neo-suburb fueled by economic boom. More status than Westchester - and the search of the myth of “Sex & the City”. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 57

Fear/Disillusionment Current Trend Context SUBURBIA’S TRAP The old model of suburban sprawl requires an inﬁnite supply of cheap energy in order to function. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 58

Fear/Disillusionment Current Trend Context SUBURBAN BLIGHT Our original concept of the suburban ideal may evolve into a new era of regional suburban renewal. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu

Progress/Optimism Forces at Work Highways Cheaper Materials Space Program GI Bill Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 60

Progress/Optimism national trust GI BILL OF RIGHTS “no down payment to acquire a house in the new suburban subdivisions” Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 61

Reynolds Metals Film (1956) Progress/Optimism innovation WAR FUELS CHEAPER MATERIALS Products like Dow Saran Wrap and Reynolds Wrap come from material innovations used during the war. Saran was sprayed on ﬁghter planes to protect them from salty sea spray. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 62

A garage for Dad New kitchen for Mom Progress/Optimism ﬁnding home SUBURBIA AS UTOPIAN NARRATIVE Suburbia also shapes new polarities in our culture. Polarities that ignite gender, race and political differences. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 63

automation “push button” culture In the early 1950's, Monsanto Chemical Company, MIT and Disneyland collaborated their resources and creative brainpower to build \"the house of 1986.\" Progress/Optimism imagination HOME OF THE FUTURE Establishing new codes of perfection and status - “Honey, we need to trade-up” Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 64

Progress/Optimism THE DREAM OF COUNTRY LIVING A piece of the good life and an antidote to stiﬂing over-industrialized cities. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 65

Sliding glass doors open onto decks and patios for summertime patio living. open with living areas - blending into one another. Kitchens are often adjacent to the the family room (where many a TV dinner served on a tray could be enjoyed by Mom, Dad, and the kids while watching \"Ozzie and Harriet\" or \"Bonanza\"). Garages attached to home Progress/Optimism THE RANCH HOUSE The dream of relaxed livability. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 66

Progress/Optimism SWIMMING POOL BOOM In 1950 there were 2,500 residential pools in the USA. By 1955 there were 26,000. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 67

Leave it to Beaver Progress/Optimism Gender Codes & New Spaces Women cook in the kitchen Men BBQ in the yard SUBURBIA SHAPES GENDER NARRATIVE Suburbia reclaims old stereotypes put into question during WW2. Advertising and television propel these new mythologies. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 68

Progress/Optimism THE FITTED KITCHEN In 1950 Poggenpohl introduced the ﬁrst ﬁtted kitchen with continuous countertops and organized around new appliances like refrigerators. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu

Progress/Optimism NEW TECHNIQUES FUEL DESIGN Durability with the added beneﬁt of designer colors to coordinate with new kitchen designs. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 70

The “Look” of Food Progress/Optimism BETTY CROCKER General Mills creation from the 20s takes on a new life in the ﬁfties as the code for successful cooking. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 71

Progress/Optimism TV RESHAPES FAMILY TIME & EATING From the shared narratives broadcast over the sets to the rituals built around spending increased time in front of them. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 72

Progress/Optimism COOLING COCOONS Once considered a luxury to the average homeowner, room coolers made residential air conditioning affordable. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 73

Progress/Optimism Current Trend Context WATER COOLS Beyond green - a return to water and the relationship to our basic human physiology. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu

TIME cover May 15th, 1950 Progress/Optimism consumption = national identity GLOBALIZATION OF BRAND USA A taste of home while away during the war. Bottling plants follow the GIs and set the stage for a post-war global economic narrative. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 75

Something to stock up in that brand new refrigerator Progress/Optimism COCA-COLA TAPS INTO AMERICAN DESIRE TO RECONNECT AFTER WW2 Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 76

Current Trend Context Progress/Optimism RETHINKING GLOBALIZATION Globalization has brought 4 billion people into the world economy - going forward requires a more sustainable approach to global economics. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 77

Gender Codes & Fashion Progress/Optimism PUT A BRA ON The language of bras comes from war time - garments were positioned as protection - the cone bra & bullet bra take their names and technology from the wartime assembly line. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 78

Victoria’s Secret Current Trend Context Progress/Optimism BRA AS CONSUMER BADGE Victoria's Secret was started in San Francisco in 1977 by Roy Raymond who felt embarrassed trying to purchase lingerie for his wife in a public and awkward department store environment. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 79

In 1954 an Army colonel on an American base in Frankfurt, Germany, bans military wives from wearing blue jeans, saying it reﬂects poorly on the U.S. Gender Codes & Fashion Progress/Optimism LEVI’S1950s, blue jeans wereUPprimarily by factory workers, cowboys, sailors, GROW worn WITH BOOMERS Before the and miners. Starting in the 50s jeans became far more popular among people of all ages. Today, the typical American owns seven pairs of jeans. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 80

In the 1940’s the ﬁrst McDonald's restaurant opens on Route 66. New cheap food sources allow youth to disconnect from home Progress/Optimism FASTER & CHEAPER FOOD McDonald’s invents the \"Speedee Service System\", a streamlined assembly line for hamburgers. At 15 cents, the burgers are about half as expensive as at standard diners, and they are served immediately. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 81

Tang Commercial (1965) Progress/Optimism FOOD SCIENCE The evolution of 1950s food production has contributed heavily to the unhealthy eating practices of today. Preservatives, along with added salt and sugar, now imbue almost every convenience food found in supermarkets today. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 82

Progress/Optimism Current Trend Context FAST FOOD BANS A new study states - a fast food restaurant within 500 feet of a school may lead to obesity rates climbing. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 83

Michelle Obama plants organic Victory Garden at the White House Progress/Optimism Current Trend Context RETURN OF VICTORY GARDENS Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit and herb gardens planted at private residences during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply brought on by the war effort. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 84

Progress/Optimism CAR CULTURE Cars shape every aspect of how we live after the war. From where we live to how we date to aspirational road trips. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 85

Two Ford Freedom (Ford Victoria 1955) Progress/Optimism SECOND CAR TRADE UP Cheaper materials and improved ﬁnancial propensity fuels trade-ups. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 86

TATA Nano Progress/Optimism Current Trend Context TRADEthat offers only the most essential DOWN TATA’s Nano is a $2,000 car functions. Cheap and plentiful cars in India and China poses a huge potential impact on the global environment. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 87

Progress/Optimism Cool, clean, consistent THE ROAD TRIP & THE MOTEL Cars fuel a new economy in leisure travel. Home away from home - But with many amenities that are just out of reach of many consumers (i.e. swimming pools). Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 88

Progress/Optimism Current Trend Context STAYCATIONS Focus is on building vacation features into the home and exploring hyper-local travel options. Tim Stock stockt@newschool.edu 89

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Decoding Boomers & Post WW2 Narrative

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