See it, want it, have it a visual diary of the suburban housewife, 1946-1958

Abstract

Post-World War II America was hustling and bustling with change. These changes are too numerous to discuss in detail. For the sake of focus this thesis will limit its investigation to the development of what would become the postwar stereotype of the middle class suburban housewife and her middle class life. The irony of this era begins with a mixture of power and player. The purchasing power in the middle class household often rested in the hands of the wife, but the income was made by the husband. She influenced financial decisions, but it was his responsibility to be the provider. Intertwined with the notion of suburbia and the housewife is the social and economic status within middle class America. Increased income level allowed families to possess more material objects. Neighborhoods, too, contributed to this socio economic system. Advertisements demonstrated these trends and catered to specific audiences within the middle class America. The interdisciplinary nature of this project provides methods of explaining the intricacies of this post-war era and provides a full appreciation of the effects past actions have on present day.