I've heard people mention before that the invention of the automobile was a huge part of what led to the modern concept of teenage sexuality, and teenage culture as a whole, and that this, in part, is what led to a more sexually open culture as a whole. Is there truth behind these claims? Are there any good books or articles on the subject of the automobile's effects on culture that a layperson could easily read?
Are there any good books or articles on the subject of the automobile's effects on culture that a layperson could easily read?
Try Beth Bailey's From Front Porch to Back Seat and Paula Fass' The Damned and the Beautiful - Bailey's book is a broader history of courtship in the US, but iirc it has an entire chapter on the effect of the automobile on dating (the main argument being that it allowed young people to find private times/locations that they could not access before). Fass' book is a broader history of (elite) youth culture in the 20s, but she does highlight the automobile as something that switched dating from a group activity (ie things like "petting parties," where people "dated" in a group, and supervised each others' conduct so that no one went "too far" - yes, these really were a thing), to an activity where young people where often alone with each other (which allowed for at least the possibility of a whole lot more than petting or kissing).