1950s the Era

     I don’t know why, but for as long as I can remember, I have been obsessed with the ‘50s. Everything I have learned about it has exhilarated me. I constantly daydream about living in the 1950s. I even own things that were from that time. 

     My room is covered with things of and about the 50s. Like my big black album book, that has dozens of photographs that were taken during that time period, which I have collected from various friends, family members and neighbors. Some of the photographs show slick hot rods in the late hours of the night being raced in illegal drag races, or girls in poodle skirts and saddle shoes, and boys in white t-shirts and penny loafers, dancing at sock hops. Other photographs show girls and boys dancing to hits of the 50s on the jukebox, at a local soda shop or at a diner enjoying malts, burgers, and french fries.

     My closet has a lot of clothes that are similar to what teenage girls would wear during the 1950s. Girls my age, which is 16, would wear poodle skirts, or swing skirts, button down blouses, bobby socks with saddle shoes, and a wide cinch belt with dresses to try to define their desired hourglass figure. And if girls wanted a hip and nostalgic look, they would put a pair of cat-eye or horn-rimmed glasses on. Girls would normally put their hair in a simple ponytail and tie it with a colored ribbon to match their outfit. Boys who were around that same age, would wear a button down shirt, sometimes with a cardigan and/or a thin tie and penny loafers. Gangsters, or “rebels” would normally wear t-shirts with leather jackets and jeans, and grease their hair back, to try and get that cool look. 

     In a corner of my bedroom, I also own a very colorful 1950s jukebox, and I love to listen to songs on it. It took me a long time to find one for myself, since it is very difficult to find jukeboxes nowadays. In the 1950s, you used to be able to find a jukebox in practically every soda shop or diner. They would always have the hottest rock and roll hits in the jukebox, to dance to like Jailhouse Rock, Johnny B. Goode, Splish Splash, Hound Dog, and At the Hop. Many teenagers would dance to the songs either doing the Twist, the Bunny Hop, Jump Swing, or the Madison. If you felt like a change of pace, jukeboxes always had a few slow songs mixed in too, like Earth Angel by the Penguins and In the Still of the Night by the Five Satins.  

     You know, I have always wanted to eat at a real 1950s diner. When I see photographs of them, they always look so quaint. Diners were very popular back in the 50s, and there were a lot of reasons why. Like, it might seem crazy nowadays, but back in the 1950s, twenty-four hour restaurants were scarce. So diners really were the only places you could go to eat at any time, day or night. The food at the local diners were much faster to make and much cheaper to buy, than restaurants. So a lot of adults and teenagers would eat there, and hang out while listening to the latest hits on the jukebox. The food, diners served, was always American, like pancakes, burgers, french fries, and malts. If it was lunchtime or not, the lunch counters in the diners were always busy. People were going there constantly to get a quick meal, like a sandwich and a soda or to order a cup of coffee to drink, while reading the newspaper. 

     Another place I would love to go to, would be a soda shop. They were also very popular back then, but mainly with the teenagers. Soda shops, often known as malt shops, was a popular spot for teens to hang out either after school, or on the weekends. Soda shops mainly served milkshakes, chocolate malts and ice cream sodas. The shops were normally furnished with large mirrors that were behind marble counters and spinning stools, where people sat at. They also had marble-topped tables with wireframe sweetheart chairs, that were set sporadically throughout the shop. They also had jukeboxes in every soda shop, which contributed to them becoming a popular gathering spot for teenagers. 

     I think all the eateries were really cool back in the 1950s, with all the diners, jukeboxes and soda shops. Even department stores had dining rooms back then so that shoppers could leisurely eat a meal while they ran their errands. Also booths used to be a lot more common during the 1950s. They were in almost every eatery, from the fancy restaurants all the way to the casual, twenty-four hour diners. 

     Another thing I thought was very nice about the 50s, was that families were a lot closer and spent much more time together compared to the families from this time period. Almost every single day, families would sit down together to have dinner, and talk about what happened during their day. After they were finished with their meal, they would all sit down in the living room, either watching or listening to a regular program that came on their television set or radio. Also couples getting divorces were very uncommon back then and almost unheard of. 

     Except for pinball machines and television sets, there weren’t many electronics. So adults and kids mainly would socialize and do activities with friends or family, or go to drive-in movies or dances. Drive-in movies were very popular in the 1950s, and a common form of entertainment for the teenagers. Families or friends would get together often to play card games like rummy, canasta and bridge, or board games like scrabble, and checkers. 

     I have always loved old cars, and I could stare at them all day. Whenever someone is driving one of those classics on the road, I find myself staring, holding my breath, and thinking “what an amazing car that is!” In my opinion, some of the most classy, exotic and beautiful cars existed in the 1950s. There were the sleek Hudson Hornets, large family-sized DeSotos, beautifully curved Volkswagen Beetles and of course the popular 1950 Chevys. Once I have enough money and I know how to drive, I am going out and buying myself one of those old classic cars. 

     I am normally the one that always feels left out, when all the teenagers are grouped together talking about the latest fashion, newest T.V. shows, or the video games that are about to be released. I never know what they are talking about half the time, since I don't follow the latest, newest things. The only thing that I have a lot of knowledge on, is the 1950s. And I can tell that all the kids don’t want to hear about that, and they always think I am really strange for liking that kind of stuff. Like I said, I am not sure why I like the 1950s so much, I just do. Maybe I am the only one that thinks the 1950s is so appealing, or I was just born at the wrong time. Or maybe I have lived in the past as a different person before and that is why I am so obsessed with that time period. Whatever the reason may be, I just think that life just seemed much simpler and slower back then, and I would have loved to have lived during that period. And maybe, just maybe one day, time travel will be invented, and I will be able to accomplish my never-ending fantasy.