1957

Ah the days, smack in the middle of a millennium: the 1950’s, the days of, “keen,” and “swell,” and Marilyn Monroe.  1956, the year that Norma Jean Mortenson took on the name Marilyn Monroe, the minimum wage in the United States was $1.00, Eisenhower was president, and Elvis Presley came out with his famous song, “Hound Dog.” 1956 was quite a year, and with the kickoff of 1957 many changes came along.  A Vogue magazine straight from January of 1957 is very telling about the times.

In their article, “1957 Changes,” a very inventive title to say the least, they prepare the reader for the changes happening at the start of the New Year.  Evidently, there was a new thread construction on stockings to help prevent runs (though I still don’t think there is a way to prevent them; my ballet tights all eventually get runs no matter what,) the open-itself umbrella came about, and the first sweater made of Irish linen was machine-knitted.  Of course, on the side of technology we launched the Vanguard, a satellite for transmitting weather data, the 20-year battery was created, and the picture phone was created at Bell Laboratories, which “transmits images of both speakers, snapshot size.”  I think it’s interesting that even today we are still interested in changes brought about with the new-year, and we were even fifty-four years ago.  Humanity is always interested in itself.

As I flipped through I stumbled upon an article titled “How to Turn Yourself into an Amiable Arguer.”  It’s brilliant.  The main statement of the article is easily summed up in its opening paragraph:

 “Why argument is such a favourite indoor pastime of the human race is hard to determine, for there is nothing at all to be said for it.  Socially it can be disastrous and, if reading maketh a full man, argument often maketh an empty room.  It puts a shine on the nose as no other agent can; and it leads nowhere, for a difference in a matter of fact can be settled by looking it up and one of opinion can not be settled at all.”

I cannot count the number of times I’ve engaged in an argument with good company and we argue until exhaustion kicks in, but reach no conclusion if it is a matter of opinion.  I refuse to talk politics with anyone; I’d rather leave the room, seeing as even listening to other people argue can be exhausting.  Yet on the contrary I love discussing faith, which many would also stray from.  I must admit that though I fully side with the article states about argument, it is still a guilty pleasure.  No matter how happy, enraged or upset I am after an argument there is still some sense of freedom in it.  I think it is because it shows passion, that I am alive and still thinking, not numbed by an opinion-less stupor. 

As it continues on it draws a difference between a sort of belligerent arguer, “usually male, who relies simply on the power of his lungs… to merely increase the volume until they (the other party) fall silent at last from utter exhaustion,” and “a deadlier school and certainly female… who never directly argues or contradicts, being content to drop a little depth charge when all is over.” That’s still mostly true today; many women don’t raise their voice to get their point across because more silence and a more potent word choice typically does the trick.

On a separate note, the 1950’s fashion is gorgeous.  Dresses pictured on the large pages showed ultimate femininity in their cut and color, always paying heed to the waistline, and the glamorous feel from old movies is ever present in these wonderful spreads.  Red lipstick could be worn daily and the hair always looked polished and neatly done.  Eyes were lined with a slightly winged outer corner creating the seductive kitten like eyes that were iconic on the beautiful Marilyn Monroe, and pearls or rhinestones graced the décolletage of many a woman.

 Such a beautiful era is still fondly remembered by older generations, and graces the walls of many small diners, as well as the bedrooms of many Elvis and Johnny Cash fans.  It’s strange to think that Fifty or sixty years from now, a very different generation will be looking back on the highlights of our years as we ponder our own younger days.