The Graduate (1967 ) One Word Plastics | Nylon Stockings | Plastic Scene Interpretation, Context

In The Graduate (1967 Hollywood movie), a famous scene has become culturally iconic for its brief but pointed commentary on plastics and the future. This scene inadvertently helped frame plastics as symbolic of both opportunity and soulless conformity in postwar American culture.

The Scene: “Plastics”.
Shortly after Benjamin Braddock (played by Dustin Hoffman) graduates college, a family friend named Mr. McGuire pulls him aside at a party and says:

“I just want to say one word to you… just one word.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Are you listening?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Plastics.”


“There’s a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?”

Interpretation and Cultural Impact.
This brief exchange has been widely interpreted as a symbol of:

Mid-20th century industrial optimism: Plastics represented innovation, profit, and the future.

Conformity and emptiness: Benjamin’s passive response suggests disinterest in a path defined by materialism and societal expectations.

Satire: The film critiques the hollow career advice and the artificiality of the American Dream.

Was The Graduate Promoting Plastics?
No — the film was not promoting plastics.

Rather, it used “plastics” as a metaphor:

The line became cultural shorthand for conventional success lacking personal meaning.

Ironically, the scene contributed to a backlash against plastics, later reinforced by environmental concerns in the 1970s and beyond.

Historical Context.
In the 1960s, plastics were booming—used in everything from packaging to aerospace.

The advice to pursue a career in plastics reflected real industry optimism at the time.

Today, this scene is often revisited in discussions about the ethics of consumerism and sustainability.

Nylon Stockings and Mrs. Robinson.
Mrs. Robinson, the older woman who seduces Benjamin, is often associated with the iconic visual of:

Her nylon-clad leg, as she provocatively poses in the film’s marketing poster.

The imagery of sheer stockings, which serve both as a symbol of female sexuality and the commodification of intimacy.

Nylon, like plastics, was a synthetic material celebrated in mid-century America — cheap, mass-producible, and widely used in fashion (especially women’s hosiery). Its use in the film symbolizes:

The artificiality of the relationship.

The seduction of appearances and surface-level pleasures.

The contrast between natural desire and synthetic modern life.


Together, these motifs contribute to The Graduate’s portrayal of a deeply alienated youth trying to find meaning in a world full of pre-packaged expectations, seductive distractions, and artificial ideals.