Over the course of the 20th century and especially with the aid of developing technology, major consumer industries of Western powers, specifically the United States and Britain, underwent significant evolutions which reflected social changes in their respective mass cultures. Selling the idea of liberation to a growing consumer culture was vital to shaping public opinion, as these industries advertised freedom of consumer choice and promoted the idea of product accessibility for all. The resulting social changes manifested themselves in the general populations’ shifting personal values and identification within a common social or economic sector, such as females in the fashion world throughout the 20th century, a patriotic nation during the mid-century World War, or a comfortable middle class in the market of the late century.
The rapid evolvement of women’s fashion throughout the 20th century reflected the freedom of expression that women increasingly encountered in the wider range of style choices within the consumer market. The general trend of increased physical exposure, such as the popularization of raised hemlines, indicated an expression of liberation as women took control of themselves and their bodies through more options in their self-presentation. The sense of power acquired by such freedom was reflected in the strengthening of the feminist movement and the expanding roles of women in the work force. Feminist ideology was prevalent in women’s fashion, as raised hemlines gave way to the incorporation of shorts in women’s dress attire, emphasizing the fading gender distinctions in fashion. Furthermore, the mass culture of the 20th century spread worldwide by means of the rising success of fashion magazines, such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. This was a turning point in women’s fashion because the styles that were breaking social norms were now able to reach women everywhere, potentially empowering them and spreading the metaphorical idea of liberation through clothing. The beginning of the 21st century has exhibited a similar idea, as fashion continues to be viewed as a means of self-expression.
An iconic example of a shift in the American mass culture’s values was during WWII, when the dissemination of news became a vital part of society. The functional evolution of the press and radio for political, emotional and propaganda purposes reflected deeper social changes in the priorities of the American people, towards a more nationalist and globally aware mindset. With a constant demand and supply of fresh updates from the war’s front, these news industries promoted an idea of the liberation of information to the tension-fraught mass culture, in which everyone had the “right” to know the facts as soon as possible. The American news media played a vital role in the nation’s mass culture and political endeavors as it contributed to the conceptual practice of “democracy” through its consistent spread of accessible information and its support of America’s military conquests abroad. The common identity found by many Americans in their everyday reliance on this commodity was further strengthened by their sense of national unity and perception of U.S. supremacy in its wartime resources and strategies, derived largely from the press itself. In recent years, as a result of the emergence of new media such as social networking sites, American mass culture has shifted to an even more integrated and casual dependence on the accessibility of new information as an aspect of everyday life.
Apart from societal changes in the general Western culture, mandates by authorities have also often initiated developments in mass consumerism practices. In 1989, the British Conservative Party under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher published a white paper, or an authoritative guide, entitled “Roads for Prosperity” which proposed the expansion of roads networks in the United Kingdom. Hoping to achieve what Thatcher claimed to be “the largest road program for the UK since the Romans,” one could argue that Thatcher’s plan for a “great car economy” was deeply rooted in the idea of liberation for the consumer, as individuals were to be granted more reliability and space to travel as well as to assist in urban regeneration. Roads for Prosperity did, in fact, lead to some economic growth through pressure for development of and in surrounding areas as well as encouragement of car ownership and use. However, its minor success was overshadowed by protests from those the Conservative Party had hoped to enrich. Thoughts of congestion and environmental issues ultimately proved that sometimes the plans which hope to hold the consumer’s best interest at hand, fuel the economy and enrich the surrounding areas sometimes do not pan out.
The social shifts discussed above were primarily reactions to several major turning points in the mass and consumer cultures of the Western nations throughout the 20th century, which drastically reshaped public perceptions and national aspirations. The Second World War left countless people in a state of paranoia and confusion; the feminist movement, partly arising from the societal shifts caused by the war, challenged and redefined gender constructions as Western society moved towards a more industrialized and liberal mindset; and the national work forces and luxury-affording consumer markets made technological leaps and bounds towards the later half of the century in an attempt to expand under new economic norms. The ideas of liberation and self-identification which guided these changes through the 20th century continue to drive much of our social, political and economic pursuits today.