Synopses & Reviews
As the leading fan magazine in the post-war era, Photoplay constructed female stars as social types who embodied a romantic and leisured California lifestyle. Addressing working and lower-middle class readers who were prospering in the first mass consumption society, the magazine published not only publicity stories but also beauty secrets, fashion layouts, interior design tips, recipes, advice columns, and vacation guides. Post-war femininity was constructed in terms of access to commodities in suburban houses as the site of family togetherness. As the decade progressed, however, changing social mores regarding female identity and behavior eroded the relationship between idolized stars and worshipful fans. When the magazine adopted tabloid conventions to report sex scandals like the Debbie-Eddie-Liz affair, stars were demystified, and fans became scandalmongers. But the construction of female identity based on goods and performance that resulted in unstable, fragmented selves remains a legacy evident in postmodern culture today.
Synopsis
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.
About the Author
Sumiko Higashi is Professor Emerita in the Department of History at The College at Brockport, SUNY, USA. She is the author of Cecil B. DeMille and American Culture: The Silent Era and Virgins, Vamps, and Flappers: The American Silent Movie Heroine.
Table of Contents
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