Come Fly With Me to the 1950s

I was born in the wrong era. 

Now women were viewed very differently during that time and chances are I would not be able to go to Law School had I been alive during the 50s. But it’s hard to think about whether or not I would even want to be a lawyer during that era. Considering the fact that I want to have a family some day and also become a successful lawyer, I’m not sure if the latter part of that sentence would be true if I didn’t believe it was an option. I am very appreciative of the rights that I have as a woman now but given my personality and beliefs from growing up in this day and age, I don’t know how politically active I would have been back then. So if there are any feminists reading this, please don’t crucify me for wanting to live in the 50s. 

Let me just say, I love Frank Sinatra. I love his voice, his songs, his appearance, everything about him just screams “classy” to me. And regarding the rumors about his mob connections, well, he was Italian, that’s pretty standard if you ask me. 

Another icon that emerged in the 50s that I love is Marilyn Monroe. Yes there’s controversy surrounding her drug use and death and affair with JFK but it was only a controversy because of the time period she was in. If someone now-a-days would have lived the same life as her, we would still view them as an icon even after their death. She was naturally beautiful and wasn’t a size zero.  She had an amazing career as a woman and didn’t conform to the normal way of life for women during her time. Her words still live on. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen quotes of hers as Facebook statuses or posters, etc. She was just looking for love in the world. What girl isn’t or hasn’t done that same thing at some point in her life today? 

My favorite show is “I Love Lucy.” It’s just fun. And another controversy arises there with Lucille Ball being a communist. Regardless of that fact, she was an amazing, independent woman who had huge influence on the film industry. She opened her own studio, directed her own show, got her husband recognition for his talents through that show and did it all on her own. Her show is just good, slapstick, silly humor that few in my generation seem to appreciate. 

And the fashion in the era, let me tell you, was awesome. I see some of the dresses Lucille Ball wears in “I Love Lucy” and I want them. The full, twirly skirts, (twirly is a technical term of course) the classy, pressed, suits that even the gangsters wore. The fedoras, the cinched waistlines, the poodle skirts, the long sleek formal dresses (as seen in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s) all of which I wish would make a comeback into today’s fashion cycles. 

Yes the 50s had their troubles, the threat of nuclear war, McCarthyism, the Korean War, racial segregation, etc. were all terrible historical events but what era doesn’t include things like this? 

Anyways, I was born in the 90s, not the 50s. And gangsters today do not dress or act like the gangsters of the 50s do. Courtship has dwindled down to “friend-zoning” and being “friends with benefits” and rarely going on dates. Most of the music has gone downhill and the fashion is sometimes hard to understand for me (i.e. leggings as pants) but we have modern medicine and technology and more equality for all than in the 50s. But if I could only see what it was like for a day or two, that would be a blast.

“You never know what life is like, until you have lived it.” ― Marilyn Monroe“