bobby soxers
Anklet-wearing adolescents
Bobby soxers were teenage girls of the 1940s, named for the ankle-length white socks they wore folded down.
The term evokes an era of swooning over Frank Sinatra and jitterbugging to swing music.
It now sounds dated, occasionally revived for nostalgic effect: My grandmother was a bobby soxer during the war years.
Informal barefoot teen dances
- jukeboxesCoin-operated music players
- drive-insCar-friendly movie venues
- soda fountainsDevices dispensing carbonated beverages
- malt shopsOld-fashioned milkshake establishments
doo-wop · saddle shoes · poodle skirts · letterman jackets · hot rods · greasers · rockabilly · American Bandstand
Suspended recreational seat
- big bandLarge jazz ensemble
- croonersSoft, sentimental singers
- balladsNarrative verse set to music
- Glenn MillerSwing era bandleader
Benny Goodman · Andrews Sisters · jitterbug · slow dancing · jukeboxes
Hosiery stopping at leg joint
- saddle shoesOxfords with contrasting center panel
- poodle skirtsFull skirts with appliquéd dogs
- circle skirtsGarments cut as full rounds
- crinolineStructural petticoat for volume
cardigans · penny loafers · pedal pushers · hair ribbons · charm bracelets · plaid patterns · ponytails
Energetic swing-era partner dance
- swing dancingUpbeat partnered jazz movement
- lindy hopHarlem-born swing dance style
- jiveSwing-era dance or bunk
- boogie-woogieDriving bass, freewheeling treble
sock hops · dance halls · spinning · twirling · school dances · cutting a rug
- swooningLosing consciousness briefly
- screamingLoud, shrill vocalizing
- faintingTemporary loss of consciousness
- autographsHandwritten celebrity names
fan clubs · heartthrobs · matinee idols · Bing Crosby · Perry Como · crooners · teen magazines · pinups
sock hops
Informal barefoot teen dances
- jukeboxesCoin-operated music players
- drive-insCar-friendly movie venues
- soda fountainsDevices dispensing carbonated beverages
malt shops · doo-wop · saddle shoes · poodle skirts · letterman jackets · hot rods · greasers · rockabilly · American Bandstand · transistor radios
swing
Suspended recreational seat
Benny Goodman · Glenn Miller · Andrews Sisters · jitterbug · slow dancing · jukeboxes
ankle socks
Hosiery stopping at leg joint
- saddle shoesOxfords with contrasting center panel
- poodle skirtsFull skirts with appliquéd dogs
- circle skirtsGarments cut as full rounds
crinoline · cardigans · penny loafers · pedal pushers · hair ribbons · charm bracelets · plaid patterns · ponytails
jitterbug
Energetic swing-era partner dance
- swing dancingUpbeat partnered jazz movement
- lindy hopHarlem-born swing dance style
- jiveSwing-era dance or bunk
boogie-woogie · sock hops · dance halls · spinning · twirling · school dances · cutting a rug
Frank Sinatra
- swooningLosing consciousness briefly
- screamingLoud, shrill vocalizing
- faintingTemporary loss of consciousness
autographs · fan clubs · heartthrobs · matinee idols · Bing Crosby · Perry Como · crooners · teen magazines · pinups · posters
bobby soxersmatrons
Married women of standing
dowagers · society ladies · grandmothers · sophisticates · old maids