Why Jeans?

So why did the Jeans make it to the top? Why were they so successful? Until the end of the Second World War, Jeans were mainly a piece of workclothing. But the developing leisure time society in the USA asked for suitable clothings and as the Jeans were associated with the free life of cowboys they were perfect for this purpose.

Everybody thought that freedom was equal to leisure. At the same time, adults, teenagers and children were adressed. This made Jeans around 1955 a standard clothing in the USA. In Germany, Neckermann started to sell Jeans in 1954, but as in the beginning in the USA it was presented as a useful clothing:"A useful, indispensible multiple purpose pant, that gains more and more friends everyday." (Anziehungskräfte, S252)

But soon the aspect of leisure increased its importance. Explaining the mass phenomenon Jeans can be done without regard on the protest that took place during the sixties. Throughout the years people wanted to have a garment that was very easy to handle and equally useful. As Jeans were formerly supposed to be for work, they don´t care about beeing dirtied and in addition to this they led away from creases. All the countries that tried to follow the USA in politically and economically sense, adapted to the American Way of Life: the style of the language, hamburgers and Blue Jeans. As the American market was satisfied with the latter, they could start to produce for the rest of the world.

During and after the Second World War the American GI´s didn´t only bring the chewing gum, the nylons and Coca Cola, but also the Blue Jeans. It was during the sixties that American companies founded the first factories in Europe. The fact that Jeans became more and more a clothing for everyday, awakened the resistance of the authorities. Headmasters of many schools even forbade those trouser as - after their opinion - they didn´t go well with girls and also some bosses didn´t like their secretaries to wear them. Then, Jeans changed from being a symbol of freedom to being a symbol of protesting.

However, meanwhile Jeans aren´t an expression of protest anymore, as they were in the sixties and seventies.