ABSTRACT
Near total employment and the rationing of goods during the war meant that many Americans were flush with cash when the war ended, perhaps for the first time in their lives. The combination of personal savings and public investment in creating the infrastructure for new suburbs, new schools, and subsidizing the college educations of millions of returning G.I.s created sweeping changes in the United States. Just as millions of Americans became homeowners in the new suburbs, fan magazines’ celebrity features emphasized domestic bliss. Rather than describing celebrities’ massive wealth, as magazines did during both the boom years of the 1920s and bust years of the Depression, coverage in the late 1940s and 1950s suggested that celebrities had moved to the suburbs too. Celebrity homes seemed modest, mirroring the tract homes many readers had likely just bought. Middle-class life allegedly arrived for all; in reality this was still an illusion, as racial and other forms of inequality persisted. To this end, the fan magazines’ suggestion that all Americans enjoyed suburban bliss diverted attention from significant social and economic inequality. At the same time, these feel-good stories offered a sense of social cohesion by suggesting we could all enjoy the spoils of victory, and these stories perhaps helped less well-off readers believe that their prosperity would be coming soon, too.
