Youth in the 50's

The term teenager was given to those in between the year of 12 and 19 and made them an easy target for the media to exploit. The media put the stereotype on youth as being rebellious and being the source of social disorder. It was during the 50's that the first teen-aged youths started to stand out as a distinct group with interests, fashions, musical tastes and economic power of their own. For the first time, young people had both the money and the freedom to express themselves and what they wanted. The entertainment industry realised that there was now a whole new market that wanted to be represented with their own films and their own music. Teenage rebellion began in the 50’s due to the increased levels of freedom and independence. It is also around this time that the media began to show teenagers to be rebellious, destructive people. Before and during the war you were either a child or an adult, there was no stage in between. The media was produced by white middle aged men. Medhursts theory "They are awful because they are not like us" is applicable to the media in the 50's as the middle aged men would attempt to mock the youth of the day by depicting them as being rebellious and social deviants.