The 1950s was an important era in United States history as it welcomed new beliefs, perspectives, inventions and styles. It also marked the end of World War II shifting the country’s focus to the fight against communism and the Cold War. Domestically, the country’s gender roles stiffened as men tended to have jobs outside the house while women tended to work at home. Popular culture was also an important factor during the 1950s as it shaped how the decade would be perceived in the future. Depending on the topic or issue, popular culture either did or didn’t portray the reality of what was going on during the 1950s. Regarding foreign affairs and gender roles, popular culture accurately portrayed the reality of the 1950s because it truthfully
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In 1951, a movie called Battle Circus was released which is about a surgeon and a nurse who fall in love at a M.A.S.H unit during the Korean War.1 A big reason this movie was able to accurately portray what was going on during the war was because the technical adviser of the movie operated a M.A.S.H unit while serving in Korea.2 Because of this, the movie is able to provide insights into various aspects of the Korean War such as military culture and the brutal deaths of soldiers.3 The fact that the movie incorporated the many brutal deaths during the Korean War proves that it accurately portrayed what was going on. In fact, at least 54,246 American soldiers were killed during the Korean War.4 Next, a song about the Korean War called “A Dear John letter” by Jean Shepard that was released in 1953 accurately portrayed America’s foreign affairs in the 1950s.5 This song is about a woman who lost her love for her husband who is currently in Korea fighting the war (Appendix A). It accurately portrayed the Korean War because during this time period, it was very common for women to get divorced from their husbands who were soldiers and then remarry. During the war, this song was extremely popular throughout the U.S. as it was number one on the charts for six weeks and remained at the top charts for 23 weeks.6 The last popular culture category that …show more content…
When looking at television shows, specifically I Love Lucy, this is especially true. I Love Lucy was a famous show between 1951 and 1957 that was about a housewife, Lucy, and her husband Ricky, who had a job outside the house.9 Throughout the series, Lucy always ends up finding herself in crazy situations. In one episode, Lucy and her friend Ethel switch roles with Ricky and Fred as they go and try to work at a chocolate factory while Ricky and Fred try and do housework.10 It ends up being a disaster for both the men and women as the women struggle to complete the work at the factory and the men virtually destroy the kitchen.11 This show accurately represents gender roles in the 1950s because it’s sending the message that women usually do housework while men work outside the house. This was a reality because in 1950, wives only earned wages in 21.6 percent of families.12 In a 1953 advertisement about Del Monte, gender roles are also accurately portrayed (Appendix B).13 By saying, “You mean a woman can open it?”, this advertisement claims that women are inferior to men and also are dependent on them.14 Although this is fairly extreme and sexist, the general concept of the advertisement aligns with gender roles in the 1950s in that woman
In 1951, a movie called Battle Circus was released which is about a surgeon and a nurse who fall in love at a M.A.S.H unit during the Korean War.1 A big reason this movie was able to accurately portray what was going on during the war was because the technical adviser of the movie operated a M.A.S.H unit while serving in Korea.2 Because of this, the movie is able to provide insights into various aspects of the Korean War such as military culture and the brutal deaths of soldiers.3 The fact that the movie incorporated the many brutal deaths during the Korean War proves that it accurately portrayed what was going on. In fact, at least 54,246 American soldiers were killed during the Korean War.4 Next, a song about the Korean War called “A Dear John letter” by Jean Shepard that was released in 1953 accurately portrayed America’s foreign affairs in the 1950s.5 This song is about a woman who lost her love for her husband who is currently in Korea fighting the war (Appendix A). It accurately portrayed the Korean War because during this time period, it was very common for women to get divorced from their husbands who were soldiers and then remarry. During the war, this song was extremely popular throughout the U.S. as it was number one on the charts for six weeks and remained at the top charts for 23 weeks.6 The last popular culture category that …show more content…
When looking at television shows, specifically I Love Lucy, this is especially true. I Love Lucy was a famous show between 1951 and 1957 that was about a housewife, Lucy, and her husband Ricky, who had a job outside the house.9 Throughout the series, Lucy always ends up finding herself in crazy situations. In one episode, Lucy and her friend Ethel switch roles with Ricky and Fred as they go and try to work at a chocolate factory while Ricky and Fred try and do housework.10 It ends up being a disaster for both the men and women as the women struggle to complete the work at the factory and the men virtually destroy the kitchen.11 This show accurately represents gender roles in the 1950s because it’s sending the message that women usually do housework while men work outside the house. This was a reality because in 1950, wives only earned wages in 21.6 percent of families.12 In a 1953 advertisement about Del Monte, gender roles are also accurately portrayed (Appendix B).13 By saying, “You mean a woman can open it?”, this advertisement claims that women are inferior to men and also are dependent on them.14 Although this is fairly extreme and sexist, the general concept of the advertisement aligns with gender roles in the 1950s in that woman