American Popular Culture In Australia Essay

The fifties and 1960s were whiles of unprecedented change, and Australian smart set was influenced abundantly by the Statesn favorite polish, through with(predicate) various mediums, ofttimes(prenominal)(prenominal) as medicinal drug, film, boob tube and fashion. This especi bothy bear upon teenagers. It will be explained how Australian society was impacted by the Statesn stamp forbiddenular nuance, and similarly wherefore American usual ending had such(prenominal) an affect. Australian developed its make responses to these influences, and the goal of this will also be explored.The 1950s meant the emergence of the teenager it also brought alleviateness and prosperity to more. And during the fifties at that place were far more than American films released in Australia, and they became more popular than umteen Australian films. Films were of salient influence to the youth of the 1960s, films such as The Wild One and Rebel Without A lawsuit showed a new emblem of teenager, peerless who was non only different, only when was rebellious. This new view of what a teenager could be gave birth to the idea of bodgies and widgies which is what many a(prenominal) teenagers became known as during the fifties.These bodgies and widgies were capit onlyy influenced by the conclusion of quake-n-roll music. The term Rock-n-Roll was invented in the mid 1950s for a new and exciting music. This type of music was to belong popular beyond belief, it not only began to dominate the tastes of Americas youth, and it soon became the popular music of plectrum for youths throughout Australia, too. common artists such as Elvis Presley and Bill Haley and the comets were among the top entertainers influencing Australias impressionistic youth.The life-style tr closes of Australia were also, to a great extent, impacted by the tr curiositys of America. During the 1950s the life style of a typical American was truly different to that of a person duri ng the forties. The lifestyle was more laid prat, mainly ascribable to the end of the fight nation believed that they were entering a new age, where any social function was possible. Australia followed Americas lead, and many of their lifestyles changed with the Americans. By the young 1950s, television was the to the highest degree important work on of mass entertainment and culture it had become an important spell of many peoples lives. Through television Australia maxim the American life, and then modelled (to a sealedextent), parts of their lives on what they byword of the American lifestyle.During the 1960s, Australian society remained enormously affected by American popular culture. And although the culture of the youth was no where near as strong or powerful as it was in America, Australia was, to a great extent influenced by what was happening in America at the time. What happened in America was closely always mirrored by Australian teens (although to a smaller e xtent). Fashion-wise, the mid-sixties saw the flowering of the Hippie Movement. All of a sudden the tight sick pants, shiny socks and hair grease of the fifties were gone, and in came the mini-skirt, velvet pants and paisley shirts. As American teenagers began to grow their hair longer and longer, it conmed Australian teenagers opted to follow this new trend.Films took on a new genre the films of the sixties began to deliver the story much more realistically. Blockbusters such as Easy Rider were on the scene. In the film industry in the sixties Britain tended to lead, but America ad scarceed, and Australian society continued to follow.Of course, thither is one aspect of the sixties, which will remain in everybodys mind forever Psychedelia. A style like no opposite. It was a period like no otherwise, a earthly concern of hallucinogenic drugs, swirling shaped and bright colours. It was LSD, which provided the mental and visual stimulus crapper psychedelia. psychotropic patte rns and colours chop-chop anchor their way in to mass-produced fabrics and c attractorhes.Psychedelia also influenced the music industry substantively, with great bands such as the Beatles producing songs such as Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds with thinly disguised references to drugs. The Beatles were hugely popular in Australia as well, and it was the Beatles number of Australia in 1964, which proved just how much this American pop group influenced these Australian citizens. During the tour parents and police were ignored, and Australian teenagers were lie it up, the overseas ferment was finally on that point for then to fully be a part of. just the psychedelic styles of the sixties were so strong and unsympathetic toother styles that it was inevitable that Psychedelia departed as quickly as it arrived.The fifties and sixties were all different in so many ways the times had changed a lot in the transition of decades. The types of music, for one, were in great contrast. By t he sixties the rock-n-roll and pelvic thrusting of the fifties had transformed into the pop, rock and folk music of the likes of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and track Dylan. Teenagers changed a lot over the twain decades a lot, too. The tight pant, leather tip bodgies, with their greased hair, and the widgies, with their rope petticoats and flared dresses, were replaced by the teenagers of the Psychedelic era. These teenagers preferred the swirled shapes and bright colours, with their newly make up mini-skirts, and for the guys it was paisley shirts.Although the two decades were different in themselves, there is still a parallel caterpillar tread between the two. Both were times of change, with popular culture culminated for the newly recognised youth, individually decade had their own brand of pop music, and their own brand of teenagers.However, the teenagers of the sixties, despite the overexploitation of drugs, remained a lot more politically minded, by holding many wa r protests, for example. The fifties played home to a time where the brand teenager was jump recognised, and the sixties were a carry on from this, an expansion where teenagers gained more and more out of life and the world.We have seen how Australian society was influenced by American popular culture in the fifties, now the question is why. thither were many detailors that contributed to this sudden change in ideals. One of the main factors bear on was the end of WWII, WWII had brought America to Australia, it became one of Australias major trading partners, and our major investor. Economically and culturally we identified with America. Also, following the war communications around the world had been significantly ameliorate, indeed giving Australia greater opportunities to be affiliated with America, and therefore see and copy (in a way), just what they were doing. otherfactor of significant importance is the impact that television had on society overall. With the intervent ion of television Australians had a clear and axiomatic view of America, as many of the programs shown on Australian television were in fact American. With more and more people sightedness these programs the excitement grew and the popular culture of American society grew in Australia. Through the transit of time Australian culture absorbs these aspects of American culture and they become linked with our identity.The reasons for why Australia was impacted so greatly in the sixties can be traced back through the fifties. As the fifties went on America seemed to continue to dominate more and more. And by the time it reached the sixties there was an abundance of America programming on Australian television and radio, which influenced many young, impressionably minds. Another main factor was that Australias preservation had substantially increased by the sixties, due significantly to such Government programs as the Assisted Immigration Scheme. With more gold to spend, many Australia n youths put their bills to items, which then enforced pop culture, such as CDs and popular fashions of the time.But it all came down to the fact that America sells its culture and products to the world and teenagers in the western world are vulnerable to advertising. And perhaps the most important factor in all this was the Vietnam War. Many soldiers spent their R&R time in Australia. This impacted greatly upon the youth of Australia because many servicemen brought with them their own music and style which influenced the society that they brought it to.Of course, Australia didnt just sit back and watch the excitement unfold, Australian society had their own responses to the current trends. The culture, of course, in Australia was no where near as strong as that in America at the time. But still, in many ways Australia decided to copy the popular trends of the time, but in many other ways they had their own. Young Australians formed their own gangs, made up of bodgies who wore tig ht black pants and greased their hair and their womanly counterparts widgies who wore rope petticoats and flared dresses, throughout the fifties these groups became progressively violent. These groups were in response to suchAmerican hits as Rebel Without A Cause and The Wild One.The way that media targeted teenagers and advertising gave them a larger opportunity to get involved with the latest popular trends. Because teenagers got more money they had the means to respond to this advertising in the sixties. They had the means to be a part of Psychedelia (to a small extent).We can see from all this that the fifties were a largish turning point for Australian society. This was the time were American had first been brought to Australia, until the 1950s Australia had not had as much contact with America. But through means of television and improved communications American popular culture influenced Australian society a great amount, in music, film, lifestyle and fashion. This same th ing worked through the sixties, Australian society stay significantly impacted upon by American popular culture, and we can see that still today we are affected to a certain extent, by American Popular culture.