Teenagers

The 1950s saw an explosion of youth culture. "Bodgies and widgies' ' tearing round on motorbikes & hanging out in milk bars scandalised many Kiwi adults. Was "the teenager" invented in the 1950s? And what is a "milk bar" anyway?

The 1950s saw an explosion of youth culture in Aotearoa. Stories about "bodgies and widgies' ' tearing up the streets on motorbikes, canoodling in the cinemas and hanging around in milk bars scandalised many kiwi adults. In fact, it's often said the whole idea of "the teenager" was born in the 1950s. But is that really true? And what even is a "milk bar" anyway?

Watch the video version of the episode here

In this episode we trace the history of kiwi teens including:

• The drama over the 1954 "Mazengarb Report"
• How people in their teens were viewed by wider society, both Pākehā and Māori, in the early 19th century.
• How the industrial revolution, and the introduction of compulsory education, reshaped those views.
• The experience of takatāpui (LGBTQ+) teenagers, including for Māori prior to colonisation, and Pākehā teens in the late 19th Century.
• Compulsory military service and a generally conservative society in the early 20th century.
• How "teen culture" emerged in the 1950s.
• How Māori teens experienced life in the city as Māori increasingly migrated to urban areas after WWII.
• The involvement of teens in protest movements from the 1960s onwards.

For more on this subject:

• Teenagers: The Rise of Youth Culture in New Zealand by Chris Brickell
• All Shook Up by Redmer Yska
• The "Mazengarb Report"
• Teeangers and Youth - Te Ara

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details