Consumerism in the 1950’s
The Great Depression in the 1930’s brought the unemployment rate to a staggering 17.9% (Witkowski , 1998). Consumers were forced to ration their spending habits to only include bare necessitates for the home. Aside from the addition of indoor “…flush toilets and electric lighting and appliances” families were not concerned with updating their material lifestyle (Witkowski , 1998). In 1940, 33% of Americans could not afford the luxury of running water and 48% had no refrigerator (Witkowski , 1998). Soldiers returning home after WWII were greeted by a vastly changing market for the American consumer. The war had caused inflation back home. In 1945, “the economy created 17 million new jobs” (Witkowski , 1998). The increase in incomes changed the dynamic of how American families viewed consumerism. Rationing of goods reformed into increased spending habits on recreational goods. Advertising dominated the market encouraging consumers to “keep up with the Jones’s”; a coined phrase that promoted consumers to spend money on material goods and update household appliances in order to maintain their desired social status.
After the Depression ended wages more than doubled in 1950 compared to 1935, making consumers eager to spend (The Boom Years, 2012 p 274). Americans wanted to live “the good life” which meant having the latest household appliances like washing machines and refrigerators, a cookie-cutter house in the suburbs, a driveway for the family car, and small yard for the children to play on with all their new toys (American Experience: TV's most-watched history series, n.d. & The Boom Years, 2012 p 274). Americans during the post WWII era chose to buy their happiness. A husband bringing home a new refrigerator meant a happy wife although achieving happiness was not the only outcome of increased spending. A true patriotic American was also a “…good purchaser” (American Experience: TV's most-watched history series, n.d.). Utilizing the previous decade’s mentality of conservation, advertisers emphasized patriotism in spending. During the Depression working class citizens struggled to put food on the table leaving them no room for day dreaming about reaching a higher economic standing. Advertisers targeted the working class with “the good life” illustrating the ability to achieve higher class standings through domestic spending. Purchasing a washer and dryer meant the family consumer was not defined by their class but instead are defined by their ability to maintain an updated home.
Advertisers took advantage of the changing market and deemed spending as a form of patriotism and pursuit of happiness. Items that were rationed in the 1940s were now readily available. The idea was to obtain goods that were once scarce. Lucky Strike cigarettes developed an ad slogan that symbolizes the mentality of the post war American consumer, “Lucky Strike means fine tobacco” and, “Be happy go Lucky” (Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising, 2011). Below is an ad by Lucky Strike from 1951. It shows a young female student cheering for Lucky Strike cigarettes. The picture emphasizes her enthusiasm to enjoy, “fine tobacco that combines both perfect mildness and rich taste…”. The adjectives used to describe the product fall in line with living the good life and striving for high quality goods.
Advertisements such as these encouraged consumers to only purchase the best quality of products. The bold colors and colorful wording used in ads seemed as if they were shouting, “The time of rationing and scavenging for bare necessities is over, now is the time to enjoy yourself!”.

Advertisements in the 1950’s steered the American consumer to a new mentality following the war. No longer was the need to conserve and ration goods. The post war era meant enjoying oneself, the pursuit of happiness, updating household appliances and living in the suburbs all by the means of consumerism. Advertisers for goods like washing machines, cars, cigarettes and television sets encouraged Americans to spend their money freely. The world had changed from a once depressing time of war and struggle to a time of suburbs, increased wages and innovative technology. It was the decade to consume to the American hearts content.

References
American Experience: TV's most-watched history series. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/tupperware-consumer/
Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising. (2011, February). Retrieved from http://tobacco.stanford.edu/tobacco_main/images.php?token2=fm_st134.php&token1=fm_img3888.php&theme_file=fm_mt015.php&theme_name=Targeting Teens&subtheme_name=Be Happy, Go Lucky
The Boom Years. (2012). In History (1st ed., pp. 274). Schaumburg, IL: Words of Wisdom, LLC.
Witkowski, Terrence H (1998), "The American Consumer Home Front During World War Ii", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 25, eds. Joseph W. Alba & J. Wesley Hutchinson, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 568-573. Retrieved from http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=8204