Sunday 17 February 2019

Is it just me, or is there something distinctly homo-erotic - or just plain weird - about these vintage American adverts?

Well, they certainly look like they're having fun! So do these fine young roister-doisters...



"We'd rather paddle freshmen who squirm"??? There seems to have been a lot of it about...

It's a bit like those endless contemporary television adverts which suggest that British families enjoy nothing quite so much as spending their weekends lolling around on sofas in vast furniture emporiums, laughing their heads off and generally having a whale of a time. And while I don't think these next two ads are homo-erotic,  they're definitely strange on a number of levels - for a start, I can't remember my own father ever giving me a lecture about underpants:

As for this bizarre scenario - does anyone have a clue what it all means? And why Dad and Junior are hanging around outside the house in their underwear? Or why they've put their shoes on before donning trousers?

And I certainly don't remember my dad "without a care strolling round in his underwear". Was this a normal activity in American homes at the time?

As for this manly pair, one can only assume they were in a "stable relationship".

Ditto this sporty couple, who'll end up with pneumonia if they're not careful:

Why would anyone imagine this was an effective way of advertising towels?

Are we to assume that they've all gone "commando"?

Back to undies - aren't they all standing a bit close? And, given the circumstances, isn't the arm draped over the other bloke's shoulder a trifle... intimate? 

At least there's some sort of excuse for this last one, as it's an advert for a group shower. But who is it meant to appeal to? Did women buy group showers back then? Or did gays? I'm genuinely mystified.

Whatever's going on, The Grønmark Blog says "Ban This Filth!"

4 comments:

  1. Very disturbing images. Trigger warnings, please.

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    1. I agree, SDG, these images have sparked a PTSD episode in me. They reminded me of the spring of 1976 when I was driving a member of the Argentine Air Force and two girls we were hoping to save money with in the shower.

      It was my first car, a Morris Traveller, 3817MG since you ask. The steering became unresponsive, we crashed into a lamppost, an ambulance turned up and several police cars containing, among others, a Police Vehicle Expert.

      The relationship got off to a good start, he listened to my story, examined the car and gave it as his opinion that the trunnion had slipped out of its barrel. I didn't think that could happen with Y-Fronts, I quipped lightly, and then matters ran quickly downhill, ending with emotional distress which frankly I would rather not have remembered.

      Trigger warnings, please.

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  2. Did anyone actually buy any of these strange garments? Admittedly my knowledge of what other chaps wear underneath their togs is somewhat limited and mostly confined to changing rooms, but I'm sure I would have noticed. No woman has ever said to me "You really ought to get yourself some Carter's Trigs if you wish this relationship to continue". I believe that some years ago you wrote a piece in the blog about the difficulty of finding sensible underpants for the senior citizen, so we can exclude you from the Carter's Trigs demographic.

    Which begs the question: Who are they for? Unless some of your readers are prepared to own up, I suppose we shall never know.

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  3. That's one of the best laughs I've had for a long time, reading that lot. Unbelievable! At least ads in those days grabbed your attention, even if for the wrong reasons. I particularly liked the one of the father and son outside in underwear with their shoes on. And the father's blackboard lecture - completely ridiculous! My Dad never even explained the facts of life to me, let alone the intricacies of men's underwear.

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