Conservatism: A Social Construct In Pink Think: Becoming a Woman in Many Hard Lessons by Lynn Peril, Peril describes social conservatism as a a key feature of society in the 1950s. Consumer capitalism and commercial advertising not only helped perpetuate social conformism, but also defined gender roles and expectations for men and women. In this article, I will argue that consumerism and the influence of social pressure have helped create the structure of traditional and strict gender roles. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Consumer capitalism was a key hallmark of the 1950s. The devastation of World War II crippled the American economy and plunged its citizens into despair. This gave Americans hope for social and economic recovery, giving rise to modernity and suburban growth in the 1950s, both of which shaped the development of American culture of the time. Women, as Peril's Pink Think describes, have played a special and active role in consumer capitalism. Commercial advertising, which was a new and advanced vehicle for social and economic growth, pressured and encouraged women to participate in consumer spending, making personal and social unrest imminent and widespread among women. Women were caught on the threshold between choosing society, with the advantage of living comfortably but with restraint, or against the status quo, with the advantage of living freely, but as outcasts. The advent of consumerism “symbolized their future role as housewives, drawing a very clear image of the woman of the 1950s” [1]. If a 1950s woman lived outside the confines of what constituted the "ideal woman" of the 1950s, as Peril demonstrates in the book, the individual suffered the consequences, jeopardizing her own title and status in the world. American society. The Cold War, which took place between the mid-1940s and the 1990s, sparked a deep fear of social instability among Americans across the country. The fear of communism, also known as the “Second Red Scare,” forced individuals to conform, thereby bringing upon society shame and disgust toward any behavior reflecting any sort of nonconformity. Individuals placed a high value on conformity because it helped bring some social stability and social order amidst the chaos resulting from war. Nonconformity included engaging in same-sex and interracial relationships and, as Pink Think illustrates, violating any social expectations of a man or woman in society – key elements that later shaped the he conservative era of the 1950s. Nonconformity, or the violation of gender expectations in society, as demonstrated in Peril's novel, dictated the social behaviors of men and women in America. Another key feature of the 1950s was the polio epidemic. Polio, a deadly disease causing paralysis and even death, was contracted due to the unsanitary conditions of urban cities – an area “[lacking] doctors or decent hospital facilities” [2]. This caused many Americans to flee to housing areas, later known as white suburbs. Migratory populations have led to considerable growth in suburban areas. The suburbs were primarily made up of American residentsmiddle-class white people. This exclusive community led over time to the strict and rigid formation of the “nuclear family” [3] – a post-war domestic ideal. The typical nuclear family lived in a house with a white picket fence and each family member was assigned a role. Mothers, in particular, as described in Peril's novel, were given the role of carrying out domestic responsibilities and maintaining domestic stability in the home. While the image of the perfect suburban wife was "efficient, patient, [and] always charming"[4], men, on the other hand, were embarking on more business-oriented careers, arriving in a clean house with a dinner waiting for them at the dining table. This intensified social pressure and influence among women, thus laying the foundation for later objectification and degradation of women in society. American society in the 1950s placed a high emphasis on commercial advertising and consumer spending. Consumer spending, helping to repair the economic damage of World War II, became the embodiment of social status in society. The emergence of television helped catapult consumption across America, with many of these advertisements appealing to young women. As Peril describes in her book, marketing campaigns placed status and materialism on a pedestal, exposing women to pressure to adopt and become the social norm. Commercial advertising, a strategy used to broadcast what was considered normal and “the norm” to American individuals, fueled the economic stimulation of monetary wealth. These advertisements taught women to be ashamed of their natural beauty, thus influencing them to buy their cosmetic products to boost their confidence. “The ads suggested that there was nothing consumerism couldn't solve, as if the only thing between sorrow and happiness were the appropriate stemware from a set of monogrammed napkins” [5]. Companies advertised their products as an end and solution to all their life problems. In reality, however, this belief has only worsened women's insecurities, as it has made them feel that their standards do not measure up to those of society. Peril further describes society's norms towards women when she states that the advertisement for "Listerine played on women's fears of being single alone...their advertising also highlighted other anxieties . “You can look at it quickly when your charm starts to slip,” a 1955 ad began” [6]. This ad, exacerbating women's already pre-existing insecurities, insinuates that their outward appearance plays an important role in their love life and their ability to find a partner. This added enormous pressure on women to meet societal expectations by maintaining a hyper-feminine image – a self-deprecating practice for women influenced by commercial advertising industries. Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, refers to the cynical truth of marketing that is also paralleled in the food industry when he says, “The market is a useful tool. But the worship of this tool is an empty faith. [7]. Americans, who lived through the Cold War, experienced a deep fear of social instability that further widened the walls of conservatism in American society. Not only did Americans fear communism but, more importantly, nonconformism or any behavior that deviated from their role in society. A key example of this, asas Peril describes, is the social expectation of a woman's duty to society. “If little women did not assume their duty to have children and maintain the home,” asserts Péril, “the national economy was threatened” [8]. These extreme statements sum up the extent of stress and pressure that women were under in the 1950s. If women did not live up to social norms and the expected role of the "ideal woman", in the eyes of society, they disrupted the very nature of humanity, betraying society's manufactured image of women – a dark contrast to the very ideals of conservatism. . In his novel Fast Food Nation, Schlosser states that the founders of food industries, such as McDonald's, "cannot trust some people who are not conformists...[they] will make conformists out of them in a hurry...the organization will not cannot trust the individual; the individual must trust the organization”[9]. Society, a product of the system, operates on uniformity. However, the system, which aims to create social order, in doing so silences the voices of its subjects – an act that unknowingly plunges American individuals into oblivion. This plays an influential role in individual condemnation of non-conformity and subversive behavior – granting great power to the voice of the system while silencing those below it. Conservatism, however, manifested itself in a higher exercise of social power: the objectification of women in American society, or gender hierarchy. The idea of ​​the nuclear family played a central role in the development of gender expectations, because while embodying American perfection and success, it also emphasized the ideal "relationship", which Peril continues to describe as being, in essence, motivated by the male ego. “Boys [like] being with a popular girl because 'in her company they feel more manly, more intelligent or better'... Boys also bring out the femininity in girls. The girl who is feminine wants the man to lead her… She likes to be with a boy because he brings out those feelings in her” (47)[10]. Much like capitalism, the traces of narcissism and superficiality inherent in consumer spending unconsciously play a role in men's behavior because they determine who they choose as a partner. This practice underestimates women. Rather than finding value in each other, the individual found value in how the other could feed their ego – a feeling also provided by that of materialism. High selectivity and fierce competition, which similarly encompass the very ideology of capitalism, also fuel the social dynamics of men and women in society – all of which shape the gender roles of men and women in society . Writing in Fast Food Nation, Schlosser says: “What inhibits long-form investigative reporting is fear – fear of being sued, of being unpopular, of being criticized by very powerful groups » (236)[11]. Just as Schlosser describes, the fear of failure and falling short of perfection, the tenet of American success, is also apparent in the fast food industry; desensitization, a byproduct of the system, is an infestation on both an individual and social level. The fast food industry and commercial advertising, as exemplified by Pink Think and Fast Food Nation, are dominant forces in society. While both have brought significant benefits to the individual, they have also come at a high cost: consumer loyalty that has not only cost deep pockets, but also generated gender roles shaped between.