Better Homes And Gardens Magazine Is 75 Years Old

Have you ever tossed a salad, read a book in your family room or invited friends over for a barbecue?

Then you've been touched by Better Homes and Gardens magazine, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary of chronicling the changes that affect America's homes and families. It is published by Meredith Corp. in Des Moines.

Fruit, Garden and Home debuted 75 years ago this month, in 1922, and was changed to Better Homes and Gardens two years later.

"The family is continually redefining itself in response to various influences, which include politics, economics, technology and fashion," says Jean LemMon, 64, editor. She became the magazine's 12th editor in 1993. "When the magazine started, not everyone frequented speakeasies and danced the Charleston. There were still plenty of people, particularly in rural areas, who lived quieter lives, dedicated to creating better environments for their families."

A 1926 issue gave tips for better parenting and how-to's on building a play area. In the marketplace, chain stores and supermarkets sprouted, and national radio and syndicated columns predicted trends. Credit became available, as did the automobile and electric washing machine. Not everyone had these, of course, but the public knew about them.

"While the magazine was black and white, we started introducing the idea of color in the home," LemMon said. Color pages came in the next decade.

The '30s were traditional

The stock market crash in 1929 started the Great Depression. That meant poverty and homelessness for some, but radio dramas in comfy living rooms for others. A few years later, the first man-made fiber - nylon - was making its mark on consumer goods. Labor unions enforced a five-day work week, Prohibition had been repealed and the Big Band era was under way, she said, and there were products to combat bad breath, body odor and aging skin.

"In the 1930s, marriage roles were pretty traditional, but we did start to see the emergence of the male cook. And frozen desserts were the rage, a result of better refrigerators," she says. There were stories on nursery school and practical furnishings.

"The 1940s were a funny decade. It started well, then plunged into war and sacrifices. Our stories were on wartime living, coping with war nerves and growing and preserving food. We told families how to do without rationed meat by growing and substituting soybeans. We held their hands."

In 1944, BH-and-G introduced a brave new concept: the family room. "Our editors felt that, with families being reunited after the war's separation, they needed a casual place to rebond, and the formal living room wasn't it. Dining spots in kitchens also were a `futuristic' concept."

The concept of barbecuing also was a 1940s introduction by the magazine. "Our food editor picked up on the idea in California and introduced it to our readership," LemMon says. "Needless to say, it caught on."

In the 1950s, families were looking for space, air and grass. Could the suburbs be far away? A building boom and the do-it-yourself phenomenon took off. So did the "baby boom" and Little League, which went from 776 teams in 1950 to 5,700 in 1960.

On the down side, there was the Korean War and the McCarthy and Kefauver investigations. LemMon credited President Eisenhower's heart attack for creating awareness about healthful eating.

Because of suburban commuting, baby-sitting became a thriving business. The trends to Early American or Danish modern furniture and anything pink were alive and well. Microwaves and hi-fi home sound, along with solar energy, were tweaking the technology age. Increased family travel meant more exposure to foods of different areas. Salads became popular, as did camping. Families now wanted fresh air and space away from the 'burbs.

"By the 1960s, assassinations, the Vietnam War and flower children were matters to reckon with," LemMon says. Retirement communities appeared, and single living was a stronger factor. Homes reflected a strong awakening to color, the new concept of plastics and more small appliances. Cook-your-own-food entertaining, mostly with fondue pots, was hot.

Family life was changing, too.

Early 1960s covers touted stories on "How To Please Your Husband" or "What Men Are Having for Lunch." A later cover showed a feature on `The New Baby Comes Home,' and Dad's just as involved as Mom," says LemMon with a smile.

The '70s: `Meals in a Hurry'

By the 1970s, the magazine had stories on high college costs, energy conservation, underground housing and car pooling. With more women working outside the home, a food feature included "Meals in a Hurry." Calorie-cutting and microwave cooking were timely topics.

The nation's bicentennial caused a resurgence in interest in country decorating, crafts and cooking.

In the 1980s, the country was wired for cable TV and personal computers. There were features on move-up houses, home gyms and "his and her" cooking stations in larger kitchens. There was more interest in international foods and garden-fresh produce. There were hints on caring for elderly parents and dealing with the aches and pains of growing older.

"In the '90s, our focus is on eating right, being better parents, taking care of our health and our environment, saving money and showing our individual style," says LemMon. "While we've seen many changes, we also reflect that some things are constant. Magazines are history books of family culture, mirroring the times in which we live."

And the next 75 years? "Our aging population will increase in numbers as baby boomers get older. Our natural resources will continue to diminish, and guns and drugs will be issues facing families."

LemMon says: "This magazine is a unique editorial hybrid. It's a women's service magazine, but doesn't cover beauty and fashion. It's a shelter magazine, covering housing issues, but has a family and parenting emphasis."

She said BH-and-G likely couldn't have such success if started today. "E.T. Meredith had the idea for this magazine about seven years before it started, but World War I intervened. As it was, the magazine reached 1 million circulation in 1928, right before the stock market crash. That's pretty amazing." (It's now at 7.6 million.)

A `calmer looking magazine'

As for her own marks on the magazine, LemMon says: "Partly because I'm female and partly because I come from a design background, we have given the magazine a softer look. We have the power to influence with visual senses. We have changed the typeface and aired the pages out. It's a calmer looking magazine." She points to lush food photography, with a more romantic look, and a lowered camera angle on interiors photography.

"We have no people in the photos. That way, with the lowered angle, readers feel as if they can actually project themselves into the rooms. Also, our copy is never condescending, and we reflect our 20 to 25 percent male readership."

She stands firm. "I offer no apologies that I edit a magazine for middle-American families."

----------------- Web site, TV show -----------------

Some new areas for the magazine aren't even in the publication:

-- Better Homes and Gardens Online offers tips on gardening; home improvement; meals, recipes and shopping tips; parenting, and health and fitness. Visit at www.bhglive.com

-- "BH-and-G for TV," a weekly half-hour TV show focusing on home-and family related topics, will begin airing around the country Sept. 6.