Effect of 1950s Television on Women Analytical Essay by Kimberly
Effect of 1950s Television on Women
An analysis of how the media's portrayal of women in America in the 1950s affected real women's societal roles.
# 154071
| 1,719 words
| 10 sources
| 2014
| 
Published
on Nov 11, 2014
in
Sociology
(Media and Society)
, Women Studies
(General)
, History
(General)
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From the Paper:
"Historians today have the luxury of access to a wide variety of source material to use to study the past. The development of television in the twentieth century provides historians a glimpse into a past era unlike any other type of source because television itself was revolutionary; it transformed the distribution and dissemination of messages and advertisements. Messages themselves changed too as the country progressed after World War II. Situation comedies, commonly abbreviated sitcoms, in particular portrayed women in a specific idealized way, which in turn influenced the way real American women saw themselves and their role in society."The advent of television changed how companies were able to advertise, the means by which Americans sought entertainment, and the way in which news was broadcast. Prior to the 1950s, very few homes contained a television set. For entertainment, families would listen to radio programs or go to the local movie theatre (Mintz). News and advertisements traditionally came from these sources as well, in addition to magazines, newspapers and billboards. During the 1950s, TVs became the chief source of media for the majority of Americans. It was not feasible to mass-produce TV sets until 1946- 47 (Gordon 300) because factories were previously engaged in producing aircraft, weapons and ammunition for the war. After the war ended, the popularity of television soared. More and more Americans had access to the new medium of television; by 1955, around thirty million Americans owned a TV (Davidson 349), often more than one. It revolutionized the world of media. Familiesopted to stay in and gather round the TV set to watch images of their favorite television programconveniently projected into the comfort of their own home, occupying two senses instead of one, as with radio. The hugely popular television program I Love Lucy was adapted from a radio program called My Favorite Husband. It was a new era. The memorable 1955 episode of The Honeymooners, "TV or Not TV," paralleled what was happening in America."
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Effect of 1950s Television on Women (2014, November 11)
Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/effect-of-1950s-television-on-women-154071/
MLA Format
"Effect of 1950s Television on Women" 11 November 2014.
Web. 25 March. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/effect-of-1950s-television-on-women-154071/>