Make HowStuffWorks your homepage
5 Fabulous Fads from the 1950s
If you were around in the 1950s, you probably remember the Korean War and McCarthyism. But that's not the fun stuff to visit on Memory Lane. It's much more fun to remember the fads, the crazes, and the pop culture sensations that emerged in an age when moms still made dinner every night and a car with fins could get you a date. The following is a list of some of the most decade-defining fads and trends of the 1950s. Don't get too excited, though -- nice boys and girls never do.
1. Poodle Skirts
Undoubtedly, the poodle skirt was one of the most iconic fashion trends of the 1950s. The long, swingy, often pastel-hued skirts had a motif appliqued below the knee. Some common images were musical notes, flowers, and, of course, poodles. Dancing to the new rock 'n' roll music was popular, but it required dancers to wear clothes that allowed them to move. Since women rarely wore pants at the time, A-line poodle skirts were a nice alternative.
2. Sock Hops
Those 1950s teens were so thoughtful! Informal high school dances were named "sock hops" because students would remove their shoes so as to not scuff the floor while they danced. And they really liked to dance! Elvis made his famous appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956, and youngsters across the country were moving to the beat of the neat, new sound of rock 'n' roll. The always chaperoned sock hops were hugely popular -- where else could you show off your hand-jive, bop, stroll, or box step?
3. 3-D Movies
Just as the proliferation of downloadable music sent the record industry scrambling at the turn of this century, the advent of television spooked movie executives. Would anyone go to the movies when they could be entertained at home? In an attempt to offer something unique, studios like Warner Brothers released movies in "3-D." This meant that the movies were projected simultaneously from two different angles in two different colors, red and blue or green, and viewed with special glasses. The colored filters in the funky, paper-framed glasses separated the two different images so each image only entered one eye, creating a three-dimensional effect. Early 1950s titles included Bwana Devil and House of Wax. In 1953, there were more than 5,000 theaters in the United States equipped to show 3-D movies.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. The 1950s saw the invention of the "3-D" movie, which could be seen by wearing special glasses. |
4. The Conical Bra
Though it was invented in 1943, the cantilevered brassiere really came into the spotlight in the 1950s. Jane Russell sported one of the bras in The Outlaw, and her lifted and separated bosom caused quite a sensation. The new silhouette was invented by none other than director, eccentric, and ladies' man Howard Hughes, who directed Russell in the movie. The look became popular and heavy-duty brassieres stuck around -- at least until women started burning them a decade later.
5. Beatniks
Every generation has a rebellion and the "beats" emerged from the 1950s underground. While good girls and boys were heading to sock hops, these writers, artists, and musicians were pushing cultural expectations and embracing taboo subject matter. Writers Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg were admired by this group of largely New York City-based artists. Today, the beatnik has been reduced to an image of a guy with a goatee wearing sunglasses and a beret and beating bongo drums. That's not exactly what the beats had in mind, but many were intrigued by their acts of "spontaneous creativity" that blended words and music, and they continue to influence poetry and music today.
Helen Davies, Marjorie Dorfman, Mary Fons, Deborah Hawkins, Martin Hintz, Linnea Lundgren, David Priess, Julia Clark Robinson, Paul Seaburn, Heidi Stevens, and Steve Theunissen