Page 46 - All About History - Issue 28-15

Becoming Marilyn

Whatwasitlike?

Hollywood

1947

In the post-war years,
Americans were finally free to

relax and enjoy the fi ner things

Fashion
In 1947, Christian Dior launched his
‘New Look’, which was a mid-calf-
length full skirt, rounded shoulders
and pointed bust. Much of the
fashion of the late 1940s focused
on making the waist look as tiny
as possible, with cinched waist
jackets and long skirts becoming
popular. Skirts were either very full
or narrow, and women made efforts to
make themselves look as feminine as possible with
accessories like pearls and gloves.

Stars
All the biggest stars of the era were
presented as wholesome and likeable
– Ingrid Bergman and Bing Crosby
starred in many of the biggest films
of the era. Betty Grable, Bette Davis
and Clark Gable were also very
popular. This year would also see the
early beginnings of method acting,
with the establishment of the Actors
Studio in New York City. 20th Century Fox claimed that
they ‘discovered’ Monroe while
she worked as a babysitter
Cinema
In the late 1940s, American
moviegoers were keen to put the
war behind them. Escapist, nostalgic
entertainment was popular and
musicals with elaborate production
numbers and simplistic plots were
common. Action-adventure fun
attracted large audiences, with lots of
Western and gangster flicks produced.
Violence and sex appeal continued to be
popular, and the people’s need to forget about their
past hardships led to the emergence of comedies.
Economy
The USA enjoyed a period of economic
expansion in the post-war years,
which lasted into the 1970s. It was
a golden age for capitalism and the
growth was distributed across the
classes reasonably equally. Many
farm workers moved to better paying
jobs in major towns and cities and the
middle class swelled.

Families
Marriage rates soured in the post-war
years, and unsurprisingly birth rates
quickly followed suit. Women who
had taken on jobs in factories during
the war returned to traditional
‘mother’ roles and gender roles were
sharply defined. This also led to the
emergence of the suburbs as a popular
place to live and bring up a family.
46