Post World War II victory culture and its fallout-the consensus ideology-led to
the creation of a middle class willing to conform to a prescribed set of ideals, safely
removed from all danger, and enjoying the material benefits of a growing middle-class
income bracket. Walt Disney and Hugh Hefner, two seemingly ideologically opposed
businessmen, recognized this economic, political, and cultural shift and sought to
capitalize on it financially.
A cultural-history study of both companies revels many similarities in each
company's design, development, and impact on American culture. To begin with,
Disneyland and Playboy appeared in the mid-1950s as Americans were settling into
postwar affluence and consumerism. Disney and Hefner each recognized the changes
occurring within society and intended to design areas of reprieve. As such, Disneyland
and Playboy were designed as areas of refuge where one could escape the stifling
conformity of middle-class America and simultaneously forget Cold War fears. Instead,
Disneyland and Playboy embraced the consensus and became reflections of society and
culture rather than operatives of counter-culture.
To understand how each company could fail in its original intent but remain as an
emblem of American culture, it is necessary to understand the era, the men behind the
visions, and how each company absorbed and reacted to cultural attitudes and strains.
Disney and Hefner manipulated their way into the American cultural
consciousness through a series of ironies and inconsistencies. Each sought to provide a
haven of diversity as an alternative to the consensus conformity rampant within 1950s
society. Ultimately, Disneyland and Playboy came to represent the homogeneity Disney
and Hefner sought to escape. / Graduation date: 2002
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/29612 |
| Date | 21 May 2001 |
| Creators | Allen-Spencer, Patricia C. |
| Contributors | Lewis, Jon |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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