The Fabulous New Material Culture

How plastics were introduced to Finnish consumers

Abstract

This article focuses on how plastics were introduced to Finnish consumers. In Finland plastics made their breakthrough in the 1950s. New materials and domestic appliances were sold and advertised to Finnish consumers as offering the housewife the chance to liberate herself from the ‘slavery’ of housework. Our observations are based on press discussions and advertisements, as well as short films that will be examined in more detail in the article. The film material suggests that active efforts were made to gain public acceptance for the ‘miracle material’. New synthetic materials were presented not as luxury consumption, but as a form of progress, a new, more rational, way of attending to daily chores.