Activity 1: Technology and Consumer Culture

Have students brainstorm postwar technological advancements that shaped daily life. Discussion points:

• How did consumer culture in the United States influence Australia in the postwar era?
• In what ways were developments in America and Australia similar or different?

Activity 2: Economic Changes and Advertising

Have students use the Internet to investigate the economic circumstances of the postwar era.

• What financial situation was Australia in after the Second World War?
• How did this situation compare with other countries?
• What changes to work roles did the end of the war bring?
• What was the most common type of housing built after the war? Where were these houses built?

Discuss how these factors shaped advertising and influenced the consumer landscape, particularly for home appliances, clothing, and beauty products.

Activity 3: Analysing Advertisements in The Weekly

Ask students, why do you think The Australian Women’s Weekly was such a popular publication for companies to advertise in?

Have students browse issues of The Australian Women’s Weekly from the 1950s and 1960s on Trove. Using the same categories as before (the ideal Australian home, masculinity, feminine beauty, and health), finding one ad for each category to answer this series of questions:

• What kind of mood does the ad create? How does it do this?
• What is it about? Does the ad tell a story?
• Is the product a major one-time purchase or a consumable item?
• What sort of people is the ad targeted at? Why is that sort of people targeted?
• Are there any political, economic, cultural, social or gender attitudes reflected in the ad? What are they?
• Is sustainability or energy efficiency emphasised in the advertising. Why? Why not?
• Is the brand or product still around today?

Have students give a short oral presentation on one of their ads to simulate a class discussion.