Life of a 1940's Teenager
Hans Schmit
Being a Teengaer 1946-1952
It is very hard to be a teenager in this time period. The expectations are very high to get a job and be successful. Now, we are getting more and more independence as the war is beginning to slow down.Compared to the 1940s teenagers get more time with friends and to have more freedom such as listening to rock and roll music. But, the bar is set high and you have to be successful and fit the mold. Some people my age have trouble because they are homosexual. Being homosexual is negatively portrayed by media. They think they all are rapists or just bad people, this makes it hard to live the life they want without being stereotyped. Another group of people my age that has trouble is non-white Americans because in every picture, in every magazine they show happy families or teens that are the mold of a successful 1940s-1950s American. The problem is all the families or teenagers in the magazines are white. This makes people of other races feel uncomfortable like they can't fit in and be together with the rest of society. This would make me feel very dejected and unhappy. The media portraying only one type of people as the standard, would make me feel unhappy to be a American.