«With the Park, the Swimming Pool and the Black Waiter». Lifestyles of the Stars and Luxury Consumption as a New Social Distinction
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Abstract
Working with a sub-periodization – I work on the years 1964-1967, a period which followed the economic miracle (1958-1963) yet which preceded «the long Italian 1968» (1968-1970) – this essay aims to investigate the cinematographic, social discourses focusing on the lifestyles of actors and actresses, which imposed «wealth» as a discriminating value in Italian society. Despite the apocalyptic position of many authoritative voices, what emerges from the weekly publications consulted is, on the one hand, the powerful influence of the American consumerist model; on the other, the centrality of the issue of purchasing power in the Italian public debate
Keywords
- Luxury Consumption
- Star Lifestyles
- Wealth
- Testimonials
- the Sixties
