World War II, while having its many losses, brought prosperity and power to the United States at its conclusion. The US not only escaped the depression, but flew out of it as one of the largest world powers. As the men at war returned home, industry no longer needed to produce wartime goods, and instead focussed on production of consumer goods. One of the consumer goods mass produced in the late 40's leading into the 50's was the automobile (Sivulka, 1998). Production of automobiles had nearly halted during World War II, and the car industry boomed as the decade of nearly no car sales had ended. Five million cars were sold in 1949, beating the record set two decades before in 1929. Automobiles became more stylish, but also more practical. They were advertised both to the average american family, as well as fashion-seekers. The car represented a lifestyle. Someone who drove a Chevrolet was no longer the same person who drove a Cadillac. "You are what you drive" became the theme of car sales in the postwar period (Silvulka, 1998). Economic security was at an all time high, focus turned back to family. Suburban population was growing, which ensured the market for automobiles (Sivulka, 1998). The Oldsmobile advertisement from 1957 to the left represents this "american dream" picture. The car is built for adventure, and features two couples and a child in winter outfits. The car is advertised to both young couples and families, and doesn't advertise purely to the fashionable. Everyone has the opportunity to drive, to have adventures, and live the American Dream. Just as cars were advertised to families, they were advertised as fashion. Images of cars appeared on the covers of Harper's Bazaar in 1954, and the insides of the magazine how fashion styled in correspondence to cars. For example, a photograph in Bazaar of a white Corvette with red interior lining would be paired with a model in a red car coat (Martin, 1997). An example of cars being sold as a lifestyle would be this Cadillac Fleetwood advertisement from 1956. The advertisement features a celebrity-like couple in the latest fashion and a stylish automobile in a fashionable red that would correspond with the woman's dress. This car isn't something bought for transportation, but instead status. Thanks to the economic boom after World War II, industries found a rebirth and experienced serious growth, the most obvious being the automobile. As the industry grows, the advertisements must also grow and adapt to society. As society seeks more than utility, car advertisements represent lifestyle and status. |
Works Cited:
'57 Oldsmobile Super 88. 1957. Cruise O Matic: Automobile Advertising of the 1950s. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle, 2000. 15. Print.
'56 Cadillac Fleetwood. 1956. Cruise O Matic: Automobile Advertising of the 1950s. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle, 2000. 12. Print.
Martin, Richard. "Fashion and the Car in the 1950s." The Journal of American Culture 20.3 (1997): 51-66. Web.
Sivulka, Juliann. Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes: A Cultural History of American Advertising. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub., 1998. Print.
'57 Oldsmobile Super 88. 1957. Cruise O Matic: Automobile Advertising of the 1950s. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle, 2000. 15. Print.
'56 Cadillac Fleetwood. 1956. Cruise O Matic: Automobile Advertising of the 1950s. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle, 2000. 12. Print.
Martin, Richard. "Fashion and the Car in the 1950s." The Journal of American Culture 20.3 (1997): 51-66. Web.
Sivulka, Juliann. Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes: A Cultural History of American Advertising. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub., 1998. Print.