Postwar real estate developers built massive suburban communities from the ground up, touting a vision of a convenient, efficient, carefree life made possible by modern technology. Miles of new highways and government programs for homebuyers placed this dream life within reach.
Social critic Lewis Mumford disparaged the new settlements, calling them "too spread out for social relationships." But Americans voted with their feet. During the Fifties, 20 million Americans left the nation's aging cities and relocated to new houses in the suburbs, fulfilling their dreams of home ownership and establishing social connections with new neighbors.
Home party selling like Tupperware relied on strong social networks for its success. It thrived in cities, suburbs, and rural areas, especially in ethnic communities where social links through churches, ethnic organizations, and community groups were strong.
Frank Siriani: You just don't keep hounding the people in your immediate circle. You, you...
Mary Siriani: You spread out.
Frank Siriani: You expand.
Meet Frank and Mary Siriani
Frank Siriani: When I was raised, my mom was always at home. My dad worked long, long, long hours driving a taxicab in New York... it's during the 20s into the early 30s, during the Depression years. We were not desperately poor, but just about one step ahead of welfare.
Frank Siriani: Everybody was wanting to buy something. Things were starting to get a little bit more prosperous and we needed a product to buy.
Mary Siriani: ...Brownie again was on stage and the tops in sales, they had to get gifts according to their sales. And they were being rewarded. And then someone made a remark, 'How do you like Brownie's bracelet?'
Frank Siriani: 'Wouldn't you like to have something? How about Brownie's dress, or hat, or whatever?'
Mary Siriani: And I remember saying, 'Her shoes' -- she has big feet -- 'her shoes are too big for me. So I'll take her hat.' That's what I said.
Mary Siriani: I wore that hat. I was so proud of that hat... Brownie's hat. It was a little white hat with a --
Frank Siriani: It was a nice hat.
Mary Siriani: -- rhinestone bead on it.
Mary Siriani: Well, being that the Tupperware, it was a prestige product... It was a --
Frank Siriani: Had prestige.
Mary Siriani: It has prestige. And this is the way we felt about it that you're a special person and you had something special to tell everyone and you had to look special, feel special, act special, and it'll be contagious, and that's the way we felt about it.
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