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Playboys in Paradise

Masculinity, Youth and Leisure-Style in Modern America

By: Bill Osgerby

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Paperback | 1 September 2010 | Edition Number 1

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244 Pages

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23.2 x 15.4 x 1.2

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Post-war America was an exciting time. It was an age characterized by backyard barbecues and beach parties, mai-tai cocktails and Ford Mustangs, high school hops, Hawaiian shirts and Hugh Hefner's Playboy empire. This book charts middle-class America's move towards an ethos of conspicuous consumption and sexual license during the fifties and sixties. Focusing on two of the period'smost visible icons -- the swinging bachelor and the vibrant teenager -- this book looks at the interconnected changes that took place for American youth culture and masculinity as consumption and leisure established themselves as the dominant features of middle-class life. The author draws on a wide variety of popular examples--men's magazines, fashion and style, books, film and music--to argue that the bachelor and the teenager were complementary and interrelated stereotypes that shaped America's youth. Magazines such as Esquire and Playboy, and bands like the Beach Boys, framed and shaped a new meaning of the young American male that contrasted sharply with previous values of sobriety and moderation. This book discusses the images and icons that shaped masculinity in particular. By focusing on the changes both in masculine identity and in the form and representation of youth culture, American life is looked at from a fresh and innovative perspective.

Industry Reviews

"Osgerby ... has written a provocative account of the changing descriptions of masculinity in US culture from the late 19th century to the present." --Choice

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction History Specific Events & Topics in History Social & Cultural History Society & Culture Social Groups Gender Studies Gender Studies: Men and Boys Age Groups Age Groups for Adolescents Cultural Studies Popular Culture

Gay & Lesbian Studies Gay Studies for Gay Men Sociology & Anthropology Sociology Sociology & Sport & Leisure

Other Editions and Formats

Hardcover

Published: 1st September 2010

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List of Figures	p. vii
Preface and Acknowledgements	p. ix
Introduction: Young Men of Action and Acquisition	p. 1
Notes	p. 14
'this Side of Paradise': the Emergence of the Man of Style	p. 17
Notes	p. 35
Lessons in 'the Art of Living': the 'playboy Ethic' Takes Shape	p. 39
Notes	p. 58
'people of Plenty': Constructions of Masculinity in the Promised Land	p. 61
Notes	p. 83
'the Old Ways Will Not Do': Youth, Consumption and Postwar Leisure-Style	p. 87
Notes	p. 117
High-Living with the 'upbeat Generation': the Cultural Currency of Playboy	p. 121
Notes	p. 147
Bachelors in Paradise: Masculine Hedonism Comes of Age	p. 149
Notes	p. 176
'turn On. Tune In. Step Out': Counterculture, Nonconformity and the Masculine Consumer	p. 179
Notes	p. 196
Conclusion: Cultures of Narcissism	p. 199
Bibliography	p. 205
Index	p. 223
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Playboys in Paradise

Masculinity, Youth and Leisure-Style in Modern America

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

Other Editions and Formats

Hardcover

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