POD on Pearl Harbor Day

[johnrk]

I still think, all these years later, that the Maytag marketing shown in today's POD was one of the best ever. That was when I first noticed center-dial Maytags because I don't remember any around when I was a kid.

But that family--I can remember my parents dressing like that every week for church and I looked like one of those kids. I think that's what makes this ad campaign so memorable back then: either people like me could see their own families in these ads, or perhaps they wanted their family to look like these people.

Little did any of us realize, a half-century and more ago, that all those Life and Look and Reader's Digest and Ladies' Home Journal and Redbook and all those other great sites for beautiful ads like this--would all disappear in just a half century or less.

 

[washerlover]

Not to Mention...

I can remember we had to get dressed up just to go shopping. Now people schlep around in pajamas in public. Hyacinth would definitely not approve!

 

[mrsalvo]

And when you traveled, either on plane or train, you dressed up. I know this sounds weird, but when I go to a Drs office I do dress it up some. And when I take my car in for any work to have done, I always try to clean it up some, inside and out. It's all just the way I was brought up, my mother had such strong influence on me. I can't help it!

 

[johnrk]

Mrsalvo-

Those who know, know that regardless of our PC attempts, appearance does count. We know that first impressions exist in everyone and that they don't just disappear because some dweeb says it's bad behavior. It's not--it's human nature.

When I was first in college, I grew a long blonde ponytail down to nearly my waist, and to hell with anyone who didn't like it (this was the early 70's). I learned, though, on entering the world of work, that what I looked like and what I dressed like definitely had an influence on my freedom of choice regarding my work. I came to realize that indeed, while we are a free nation, we certainly have the freedom to look as silly or serious as we wish; however, we also must be willing to accept the consequences of choices seen as eccentric or undesirable.

I can remember in my early days in working in a hospital, where one of the radiographers, a nice guy also named John, had decided to deface both of his arms with colored tattoos. I saw, more than once, that patients would be afraid of him because he wore scrubs with all of that visible. Were those patients wrong? I say no, they were simply human. He was a nice guy, and in other circumstances these patients would probably have enjoyed his care. He finally came to realize that his choices had consequence, and began wearing long sleeves while on duty.

If middle aged men want to go around wearing long hair and a do-rag and rubber banded ponytails, I have no problem with it. But then don't come back whining because people haven't been particularly accommodating. I had a dear friend, a black guy, in college in the early days; we protested Vietnam together. But Alfred had a huge, luxurious Afro of which he was quite proud, and at least in those days it would cause a reaction, whether expressed aloud or not; I saw it many times. He's in my age group and now, in his early sixties, is in middle management at a large multinational. And we've joked about whether he could've ever realized his career ambitions with that Afro--and we both know he wouldn't have.

The laughable part of all this is that of course those on the outer fringe of our 'fashion' are just as liable to judge the more conservatively dressed of us just as much! I've dressed and appeared quite conservatively (at least in public situations) for decades and it's amazing how people think they can assume to know my politics, my social beliefs, and so on. And so very often are wrong.

I've always, always owned personal business cards, always keep some in my wallet. As with professional business cards, it's a matter of appearance--and appearances do matter, whether we like it or not.

 

[neptunebob]

What is Ironic is...

All those suits they are wearing could not go into a Maytag, they had to be dry cleaned. If an ad like that were made today, I think all the guys would be wearing basketball shorts and tops. Notice how the wife is kind of in the background, she is probably thinking: "I need those little pills the pope doesn't like."