Consumer culture became a fixture of American life in the years after World War II due to the growing economy. During the 1950's, the American economy was prospering. With low unemployment rates and low inflation, American families were more financially stable during this era than any of the previous 2 decades.
Since families were financially stable, they had the ability to purchase items they wanted, but didn't necessarily need. This lead to the creation of the consumer culture. Buying cars, TV's, and modern appliances became a status symbol and was extremely popular during this era.