High+-+The+1950s

__​Outline__ __how__ the changing social and cultural aspects of the 1950's __impacted__ on the Australian population in the 1950's.

**In your answer you must refer to all of the following**
 * 1) **Music**
 * 2) **Sport**
 * 3) **Fashion**
 * 4) **Entertainment**

 The 1950's are known as the decade of change, which  is clearly shown in the advancements in technology and the different behaviours of teenagers. The four main features of the 1950's were entertainment, music, fashion and sport . These features have gone through massive changes and they have influenced today's society.
 * This Question will be answered by: **
 * 1) Margaret
 * 2) Morgan

Entertainment has probably gone through the most changes because of the amazing advancement in technology. In the early 1950's, entertainment was mainly listening to the radio and playing sports with your friends. As the decade went on, black and white televisions began appearing in homes across Australia, bringing TV shows and their stars to the people worldwide. Although television was very popular, it cost too much money for the average household at the time, which resulted in crowds of the public standing outside electrical stores, to watch the programs through the windows. Popular programs were sitcoms, such as 'Perry Mason' and 'I Love Lucy', starring Lucille Ball, which were rated very high in Australia as well as overseas. Television was loved mostly by teens and children . It provided not only entertainment, but a way to connect with the rest of the world. It distracted them from doing more active things, which resulted in children becoming lazier. By 1957, over 600 000 people in Australia owned a television license. <span style="color: #ff001a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Although television took many by storm, drive-in cinemas remained popular as they gained new advancements such as 3D, cinemascope and surround sound <span style="color: #ff7900; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, <span style="color: #181616; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">improving people's viewing experience and giving teens a new outlet to be with friends.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Fashion was impacted enormously in the 1950's, mainly focusing on teenagers. <span style="color: #ff001a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Before the 1950's, fashion was conservative, but soon waist lines were being revealed, in high waisted skirts and cinched blouses, revolutionising fashion for the years to come. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Movie stars and musical performers influenced fashion fads, for example: James Dean wore leathers in 'Rebel Without a Cause' and soon young boys across the world were copying his style and making it their own. Other stars that fashion concious people looked up to were; Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, Dusty Springfield and, of course, Elvis Presley. <span style="color: #ff001a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">It wasn't long until a whole new style was created, and <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> with <span style="color: #ff001a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">this style <span style="color: #ff7900; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">teens took a stance, finally having their own identity and a sense of individuality. A new name was pinned to the young people...Bodgies and Widgies. The boys were the Bodgies and the girls were the Widgies. These kinds of teenagers wore; leather jackets and jeans, Winkle Picker shoes, brightly coloured, open shirts with upturned collars, Brylcreemed hair, poodle skirts, boufant hair-do's, capri pants, cropped cardigans, ankle-cut socks and neck scarves. These fashions were based on Americanised styles, seen in films and on television.



Music in the 1950's was revolutionised by a new genre-"Rock 'n' Roll". <span style="color: #ff001a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">It was a blend of rhythm and blues and country and western music. It was brought onto the scene, most popularly by Elvis "The King" Presley and Australian star Johnny O'Keefe. Teenagers latched onto it, finally having a style of music they could identify with. Although the kids enjoyed it, <span style="color: #ff001a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> parents simply shook their heads disapprovingly. The adults weren't used to the new genre and hated the idea that it was rapidly turning their children into rebels and juvenile delinquents, <span style="color: #ff001a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> but the bodgies and widgies simply embraced the changes of society <span style="color: #ff7900; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">and Rock 'n' Roll is still ever-present in Australian culture.



<span style="color: #ff001a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">In the 1950's, sport still remained popular in Australia, <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">evolving from a simple leisure activity, to a professional industry, <span style="color: #ff001a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">especially due to the 1956 Melbourne Olympics <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> (the first to be held in the southern hemisphere) which gained Australia <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"><span style="color: #ff001a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">35 medals <span style="color: #ff7900; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Television gave people the opportunity to watch live games in the comfort of their own homes. Sports like Soccer, Gymnastics and volleyball became popular because of the influx of European migrants arriving in the country. Some influential Australian sporting stars of the 1950's were Betty Cuthbert (sprinter), Dawn Fraser (swimmer) and Sir Jack Brabham (racecar driver).

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> <span style="color: #ff001a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">There were many changes in the 1950's, <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> as we now know, it was the decade of change. Revolutionising the progress of technology and impacting on how we live our lives today. We are now, at large, greatly <span style="color: #ff001a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">impacted by American culture. Most of these changes were for the good, however some of those changes had negative impacts on teenagers, especially. Teens were the main focus of the 1950's because they enjoyed all the changes, while most of the older citizens greatly disapproved <span style="color: #ff001a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">They very quickly had a bad reputation and unique individuality which has sky-rocketed over the last five decades, indicating the impact entertainment, music, fashion and sport has had on people, shaping Australia and it's society and culture to what it has developed into today.