Suburbia

Suburbia is an aesthetic that represents American suburban life from the 1970s to the present day, characterized by single-family homes, neighborhoods, community spaces, and the rituals of daily life in suburban communities.

While 50s Suburbia focuses on the post-war origins and idealistic version of American suburbs, and Suburban Gothic depicts disillusionment with suburbia, this aesthetic captures the more neutral and modern portrayal of suburban life and spaces – neither over-idealized nor over-critical in its portrayal.

Suburbia encompasses the residential environment where most Americans today live, many grew up in, and which dominates popular media from "E.T." to "Stranger Things". It's the world of neighborhood kids on bikes, family dinners, and teenage mall hangouts.

More generally, suburbs are a predominantly residential region which exists in commuting distance to a large city, distinct from rural areas (low population density, outside of towns and cities) and urban areas (high population density and significant built infrastructure). Suburbs across the world are highly diverse, and may hold deep and unique personal significance for those who lived in them.

History[]

American suburbs largely originated and were popularized during the post-war boom of the 1940s-50s. The town of Levittown, New York is often seen as the prototype for modern suburbia – a planned community developed in the late 1940s for returning World War 2 veterans to return to normal civilian life.

Through the 50s to the present day, suburbia grew in their size, diversity, and population. Prior to WW2, only 13% of Americans lived in suburbs, while today, the majority of Americans now live in suburban areas.

Subsequent decades marked a change in character of suburbs. The 1960s saw the first suburb-raised teens, racial integration battles, and emergence of youth countercultures. By the 1970s, suburbs had matured, malls became new social centers, and arcade/gaming culture was born.

The 80s and 90s may have been the peak suburban era – mall culture dominates, cable TV and video games transform households, and the "Soccer Mom" archetype alongside minivans and station wagons emerged. In this era we also see greater commercialization of suburbs: big box stores like Walmart, Sears, and Block Buster, gated communities, mega-churches, and McMansions form and spread.

The suburbs continue to be portrayed in the 2000s as the primary location of many sitcoms, movies, and other media. At this point, the proliferation of the Internet begins to dramatically change the lived experience in suburbs but the essential visual characteristics and media portrayal remain mostly stable.

2010s-20s suburbs saw a significant increase in time spent at home and isolated, largely as a result of Internet trends and the impact of Covid. The brought, for example: the decline of malls, proliferation of delivery services, Zoom or hybrid classrooms, and work from home.

Philosophy[]

Visuals[]

Colors & Atmosphere[]

Lawn greens & sky blues
Brick reds, gray stucco
Golden hour lighting
Seasonal color shifts
Street lamp glow

Activities[]

Barbecues
Dog walking
Bike riding in groups
Street basketball, hockey
Rollerblading & skating
Snowball fights
Sledding
Parties & sleepovers
Cleaning, organizing, power-washing
Family dinners
Zoom calls
Checking doorbell camera & retrieving packages
Scrolling social media

Location & Settings[]

Cul-de-sacs
Driveways
Front & back yards
Basements
Attached garages
Fenced yards
Neighborhood streets
Strip malls
Public pools
Soccer fields
Community centers
Playgrounds

Architecture & Design[]

Ranch houses
Split-levels
Neo-eclectic
McMansions
Kitchen islands
Family rooms

Objects[]

Lawn mowers
Garden hoses
Sprinklers
Garden gnomes
Flags
Seasonal decorations (Halloween, Christmas, etc.)
Mail boxes
Minivans
Station wagons
School buses
Delivery trucks

Animals & Plants[]

Domestic pets (dogs, cats, etc.)
Squirrels and rabbits
Birds & bird feeders
Regional trees (Maple, Oak, Pine, Fir, Palm)
Manicured lawns
Hedges

Subgenres[]

50s Suburbia

Fashion[]

1980s-1990s[]

Mall brands (The Gap, Limited Too)
Jansport backpacks
Arm casts with classmate signatures
Starter/Varsity jackets
Polos
Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars

2000s[]

Hollister, American Eagle, Aeropostale, Abercrombie & Fitch
Ugg boots
North Face fleece
Juicy Couture
Vans
Under Armour
Coach bags

2010s-2020s[]

Athleisure (Lululemon, Athleta)
Mass market basics (Target, Amazon Essentials, H&M)
Streetwear/hypebeast (Supreme, Off-White)
Gorpcore (Patagonia, North Face)
Tech accessories (Airpods, Apple Watch)
Nike

Music[]

Artists[]

Songs[]

Playlists[]

Media[]

Books[]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999)

TV Shows[]

Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
The O.C. (2003-2007)
Malcolm in the Middle (2000-2006)
Modern Family (2009-2020)
Stranger Things (2016-present)

Movies[]

E.T. (1982)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Home Alone (1990)
American Pie (1999)
Mean Girls (2004)

Games[]

Backyard Sports Series (1997-present)
The Sims (2000-)
Bully (2006)
Life is Strange (2015)