This week’s reading focuses on the origin and spread of plastic as a commercial product after WWII. A lot of the promotion of plastic products coincided with the household market and housewives as a consumer target. The “connection between a life of gaiety and colorful plastic surfaces” was indicative of “the aestheticized consumption by females in the 1950s” (292). Plastics were often promoted for their cleanliness, durability, and colorful look; the aesthetics of plastics made them a big household item during this time. Furthermore, as knowledge about plastics became more widespread, there was concern for the harmful effects it might have. When it comes to the promotion of these products, “in the 1960s adverts from material producers became scarce” and plastic kitchen products are advertised instead (298). Plastic in the kitchen was more acceptable and widely known by then. Overall, the creation and spread of the use of plastic products coincided with the 1950s housewife and the post-WWII era, but as concerns for the environment grew in the 1960s and 70s, people became more wary of the potential harmful effects of this new product.
A current case that relates to this is the trend of popular home products that became highly promoted during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, many people had to start working from home because of this event, so home office furniture became highly marketed. Additional products that became more popular were also home workout equipment, as well as contactless/curbside pickup and delivery services. Many of these products still persist today, five years after the start of the pandemic, but people have also started to shift back to going into an office at least part of the week, working out at gyms again, and shopping in person.
An ad from 2020 by NordicTrack for home workout equipment (from NordicTrack.com).
An example from House Beautiful that relates is an advertisement for vinyl flooring. This ad promotes it as having “timeless beauty” and that they are easy to maintain. Vinyl wasn’t necessarily a brand new product/material in the 1980s, but it did become popular after WWII, similar to plastic. The need for affordable, but durable materials still persists today.
House Beautiful, 1981, pg. unknown
Original Caption: “Beauty that lasts, with minimal care.”
Both of these applications are similar because they occurred after a major world event. They were newly promoted products and services that met the need of the time, whether that was being an affordable material or at-home office or workout equipment. Additionally, plastic, vinyl, and home equipment are all products for the the household and were advertised as such, even though they have different purposes and contexts.