Author: kerbey

Thanks For Your Support

by kerbey, posted in Culture, Fashion, Fun, Photography

Brassieres are not like other clothing. They are crazy expensive, especially sports bras, which generally run over $50 for actual support. They chafe, the underwire leaves red marks, and the straps create deep indentations in your shoulders for the rest of your life. When you get an MRI, as I have done several times in the past year, you have to remove your bra due to the metal in the hooks and wire. And when they have finally run their course, you can’t hand them down or donate them to Goodwill because gross. But today I learned you can do this:

ebaumsworld

Who knew? For those of you who take the time to remove hooks and mail them with actual US postal stamps, your benevolence will be appreciated. Granted, the recipient himself will never know whom to thank, but you can identify as a testudophile from now on.

It really is a thing!

Matador Network

Medicare For Teens?

by kerbey, posted in 1960s, Advertising, Beauty, Culture, Fun, History, Humor, Nostalgia, Photography, Pics, Vintage, Youth
1962 Olympia

Sometimes you scroll through a crispy, fresh new yearbook and can’t help but do a doubletake. That’s exactly what I did with this shot this morning. I thought Medicare was a nationwide health insurance program provided for Boomers and the last bit of the Greatest Generation. Evidently, there was another, less complicated Medicare littering drug store shelves like Atherton’s here, during the year Marilyn Monroe was killed by the Mafia committed suicide. Mary, Jackie, and Kaye were in the know about problematic pimples–and Tussy was the answer.

Not ‘Tussin, the cure-all touted by comedian Chris Rock, although one wonders if cough syrup could, in fact, cure outbreaks. Perhaps it could help with “breakthrough” COVID cases?

Nope, this Tussy was targeted at teens, not windpipes. As you can see, Tussy got top billing!

Dunaway Drug Store

Pin-Up Precursor

by kerbey, posted in 1900s, Art, Beauty, Culture, Hair, History, Nostalgia, Photography, Pics, Style, Vintage
LIFE 9/55

“Gibson girl” Evelyn Nesbit poses in 1955 with the 1902 portrait drawn of her by Charles Gibson, reflecting the standard of female attractiveness at the cusp of the 20th century. This included voluptuous curves and, as Judy Garland sang in The Trolley Song, “hair piled high upon my head.”

Nesbit had a storied past, including a love triangle much too complicated for this small blog. We can, however, share the beauty of youth that is timeless.

Smithsonian JN2016-00673

Underwood Or Underworld?

by kerbey, posted in 1940s, Advertising, Art, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Food, Fun, Funny, History, Humor, Nostalgia, Vintage
LIFE 1949

While a tiger might seem a reach to sell Frosted Flakes, Satan selling pork products make even less sense, especially in 1949, when prayer still existed in public schools. I get it; it’s “deviled” ham, ground and spiced. But I don’t like my ham ground. I like it in thin peppery deli slices, like the ones I purchased this morning.

Deviled eggs, yes. Deviled ham, no.

Canned kipper, tuna, oysters–these I’m fine with. I can see their bony spines. I know it was one sardine I’m eating, not a grind of the worst parts of the pig, processed from 1000 swine into one little can.

Cracked.com reviewed several potted meats, referring to the “coating of newborn-esque vernix” that covered the moist meat (shudders). I hope the reviewer was compensated generously.

I know some of you eat Spam (ground pork shoulder–mostly) but I fear it’s full of hooves and tails. Maybe that’s why Satan makes sense for deviled ham; he has cloven feet. Jesus certainly couldn’t be the pitch man; he never even tasted pork because he was Jewish. And you can’t fashion a newborn manger Jesus out of deviled ham. These could use a little more paprika.

keyingredient.com

For Percolator Or Coffee Pot

by kerbey, posted in 1940s, Advertising, Art, Culture, Fun, History, Nostalgia, Pics, Vintage

This Monarch ad reads like Alice in Wonderland meets The Wizard of Oz, in a colorful illustration fit for a children’s book. Who is the target demographic here? Elementary schoolers with a java fix? The ad also references Luke and Lucy, used repeatedly in post-war ads. Luke the Lion was the mascot, offering abundance to a hungry country. In some cases, he was even a magician!

etsy

With his gold crown, tame demeanor and lustrous mane, he quickly became Mom’s favorite dinner guest. Who cares if he’s not the most masculine of cats when his basket is always full of sweet peas and grapefruit juice?

Pinterest

When There’s No Time To Bathe Because Your Show Is On

by kerbey, posted in 1930s, Culture, History, Nostalgia, Photography, Pics, Vintage

Face still covered in soot from laboring in a South Wales coalmine, Richard Farr listens to the world title fight between Joe Louis and Tommy Farr, Richard’s brother, hoping for a family win. By 1937, Louis had beaten 24 opponents in 12 years. Tommy was his 25th. (Portrait of an Era)