Lifestyle Revolution

In the second half of the twentieth century, a revolution happened in Britain. Consumer items such as TVs and washing machines went from rare to commonplace, while record numbers of people became homeowners. Many predicted the British class system would not survive this transformation. The reality proved to be more complicated. In Lifestyle revolution, Ben Highmore reveals how consumer culture and new ideas about 'tasteful' living changed British society. Far from being abolished, class was reshaped from the 1950s onwards through colour supplements, flat-pack furniture and Mediterranean cooking. Tastes initially regarded as bohemian and trendy ultimately became mainstream. Taking to the high street, Highmore retraces this process by following the rise - and sometimes fall - of chains such as Habitat and PizzaExpress, alongside the appearance of exciting, must-have products: pine kitchen tables, chicken bricks, duvets and more. Drawing on everything from the Adrian Mole novels to Len Deighton's Action Cook Book, Highmore reveals how ideas of social class became more complex over time, as the British embraced a world of 'controlled casualness'. He also reaches a new understanding of what taste is: the promise of a different way of living.