Newsweek

            This trip to the library was much easier than the first. I didn’t consult someone at the help desk, but I knew where to look. I headed over to the same section I found Time last time and was lucky enough to stumble upon the Newsweek periodicals. Since 1963 was right in front of me, I went ahead and pulled a book from that year.

            Man, magazines have changed since the 20s and 30s. The pages no longer looked or felt like newspapers. There were also some color photos! Mainly beer advertisements had the extra pop of color, which I found laughable. The advertisements in general were far different. The majority were concerned with business specifically bringing up things like income and savings. Some of the most entertaining advertisements were those for Avis rental cars. They were all different forms of the phrase, “Avis can’t afford (insert statement about a different aspect of cars).” No matter the statement, they made it clear that they aren’t the biggest in rental cars, and thus they have to try harder. They do, even though are number 2. I found them pretty entertaining.

            While thumbing through, I was stopped by some pictures of Frank Lloyd Wright homes. Incredible really. As I looked down the page, I began to read an article titled “Age of Portraits.” It seemed interesting enough, probably about people getting paintings of themselves done. On the surface I was correct, but the author gave some interesting insight to what the portraits revealed about their time. According to those at the Cleveland Museum of Art, modern portraiture is dwindling because the modern man is quite different than those over the past few hundred years. Sixteenth century portraits show men full of pride in class, culture, character, and wealth. Said portraits depict that being a man revolved around a new sense of self-awareness.

            Modern Portraiture is on a decline because of “the redeployment of individuality.” –whatever that means- It began to make a little more sense when the author later explained that in the current day, attention has been focused on notions of humanitarianism, efficiency, and success. Apparently as time goes on, portraits have become softer in a sense, allowing for more vulnerability, less regality.

            Who knew portraits could be so revealing? Much of what the author noted as being of importance to manhood seemed consistent with the advertisements throughout the issues. As I noted early, there are now advertisements that question the reader’s ability to earn a high income, and save the right amount of money. There are advertisements for cars, projectors, and other products that are faster and do more; they emphasize efficiency. It was harder for me to find humanitarianism in advertisements, but with several articles focused on the war in Vietnam, I’m sure issues of humanitarianism would come in to play.

            It’s interesting to me how there are definitely timeless themes concerning coming of age, but the things that define it vary with time. Coming-of-age in the sixties seemed to concern entirely different ideals than that of the twenties and thirties. While it has been a while, I can’t recall advertisements concerning success in business and personal savings. In fact, I don’t remember money being a very big concern of the magazine. In this era, it is a prominent issue. Interestingly enough, the people of this time knew their world was changing quite a bit. One article entitled The Real Trouble With Teenagers makes the claim that the real trouble is that teenagers have not been around long enough to adjust to an ever more complex world. It notes that teenagers of their time are stronger, smarter, healthier, and do more work than those before them. Perhaps the reason coming of age changes is because people are always changing. Each generation has its own take on the beliefs of the past and as a result, views adulthood, or any sort of transitioning period, according to their understanding.