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Zinc Cream and Coca-Cola – The Lure of the Beach for Young Australians During the Latter Half of the 1960s.
Dr Keith Moore, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, QUT
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Advertising and the mass media depicted the beach as an exciting location for teenagers and young adults during the latter half of the 1960s. This representation encouraged youths to congregate at city beaches on weekends and to travel to more remote coastal settings on their holidays. Visits to the beach provided opportunities for skylarking, surfing, sunbaking, flirting, reading, relaxing and eating and drinking. Camaraderie between mates and relationships with members of the opposite sex were often established. Girls were expected to be tanned, slim, and physically attractive while surfing prowess, a panel van, good looks and knowledge of ‘with it’ music and topics of conversation ensured acceptance and popularity for young men. Radio stations that sponsored surfing and beach-girl contests over summer emphasised the desirability of possessing these attributes. But for those who did not fit this image, the beach would always be associated with feelings of inadequacy and alienation.
