Grace Palladino

The word "teenager" emerged into common language around the time of World War II to describe the high school experience of a new generation. Today, we take for granted the association of style, culture, and mind—set with the age group from thirteen to nineteen. In the 1940s, however, adolescence as a distinct stage in life was a new concept, and one that from its inception was tied intimately to marketplace strategy. With the encouragement of big business, teen culture became a burgeoning industry by the '50s. In the decades following, baby boomers took center stage while retail chains, magazines, TV networks, and manufacturing sought them as a valued independent niche. Changes in demographics, educational policy, and family expectations transformed the early version of the wholesome and still dependent ingenue of the '...