In the 1950s, blue jeans became a statement by those who wish to boycott the values of a consumer-based society that was concerned only with acquisition. Blue-jeans-wearing rebels of popular movies were an expression of contempt towards the empty and obedient silence of the Cold- War American; the positive images of American consumer society were under siege. What had been a piece of traditional American culture—blue jeans—became a rejection of traditional culture. These images found an eager audience among those for whom gray suits and formal dresses had been elevated as ideals of the age. In blue jeans, men and boys found relief from the underlying harness required to fit into more formal water. Even some among the middle class slipped into jeans for a sleepy afternoon on the porch.