Stars, fans, and consumption in the 1950s : reading Photoplay / Sumiko Higashi.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Higashi, Sumiko, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Motion picture actors and actresses--United States--Biography--Periodicals.

Motion picture actors and actresses.

Women consumers.

History.

Popular culture.

United States.

Popular culture--United States--20th century.

Women consumers--United States--History--20th century.

Genre:

Biographies.

Periodicals.

Physical Description:

xii, 298 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Summary:

"The fan magazine Photoplay pioneered the construction of both female stars as social types and fans as aspiring consumers in the first mass consumption society. In the 1950s, stars embodied a leisured California lifestyle based on goods. Addressing working- and lower middle-class readers, Photoplay published beauty tips, fashion layouts, sewing patterns, home decorating advice, recipes, and vacation guidelines so that fans could live like the stars. This book traces the changing social mores regarding female behavior and the new relationship between stars and fans. When the magazine adopted tabloid conventions to report sex scandals like the Debbie-Eddie-Liz affair in 1958, stars were demystified and fans became scandalmongers. The construction of female identity based on goods and performance in a consumer society resulted in multiple, fragmented, and unstable selves - a legacy evident in postmodern culture today"-- Provided by publisher.

"As the leading movie fan magazine in postwar America, Photoplay constructed stars as popular social types like the girl next door signifying small-town values in the midst of suburban affluence. And fans were addressed as aspiring consumers to be initiated into the rituals of feminine self-making and gracious living. When glamorous stars were demystified in scandalous headlines at the end of the decade, however, fans exchanged Cinderella dreams for a fascination with scandal"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note:

General Introduction: Fan Magazines, Suburban America, and Consumer Goods

PART I: THE STARS

Introduction: The Stars

1. Esther Williams: The Million Dollar Mermaid as the Girl Next Door

2. Doris Day: The Big Band Singer as the Girl Next Door

3. Debbie Reynolds: The Suburban Teenager as the Girl Next Door

4. Susan Hayward: The Gal from Brooklyn as a Fiery Redhead

5. Grace Kelly: The Philadelphia Socialite as the Princess of Monaco

6. Audrey Hepburn: The Gamine As a Givenchy Fashion Plate

7. Marilyn Monroe: The Playboy Centerfold as a Sex Symbol

8. Kim Novak: Miss 'Deep Freeze' as Columbia's Lavender Blonde

9. Natalie Wood: The Rebellious Teenager as a Junior Femme Fatale

10. Elizabeth Taylor: A Superstar as the World's Most Beautiful Woman

Conclusion: The Stars

PART II: THE FANS

Introduction: The Fans

11. Advertisements for Movie Star Glamour and Romance

12. Self-Making with Beauty Tips and 'Photoplay Fashions'

13. Starring in Photoplay Dream and Story-Book Houses

14. Advice Columns for Readers in Search of Romance

15. Contests, Gold Medal Awards, Commodity Fetishism, and Southern California Tourism

Conclusion: The Stars.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781137433992

113743399X

OCLC:

881656066