Having been in advertising for some twenty years, I'm pretty savvy about claims made in commercials and print ads. Madison Avenue wants you to think you'll look ten years younger by slathering anti-aging cream on those crows feet or that you'll get the job by having whiter teeth or achieve nirvana by driving a hybrid.
So while I'm usually skeptical about far-fetched promises, I do have a blind spot for products that say they're good for the environment, unscented, biodegradable or eco-anything. This is my excuse for buying ten pairs of socks made from bamboo. The package featured bamboo shoots and Chinese-style lettering that touted the processing from plant to sock was eco-friendly --- my personal kryptonite. Luckily pandas were neither mentioned nor pictured or I would have bought twenty pairs.
They were soft, fun colors and designs and eco-friendly. You'd think I'd be in sock heaven. Here's the downside. Every one of the socks sported a hole in the toe after only one day. Same shoes I always wear, same toes I've always had. Time to go back to the bamboo sock drawing board for a brainstorming session about reinforcement.
Now back in the day our mothers and grandmothers would have darned the hole and breathe new life into the sock. If you can find me a modern woman --- not Martha Stewart -- who can do the same I will bow down before her --- and send her ten pairs of bamboo socks to mend.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
The Most Inappropriate of Greetings
Happy Birthday. Happy St. Patrick's Day. Happy Valentine's Day. "Happy" is our go-to word when we greet someone on these special days. It implies some type of celebration, perhaps a Hallmark moment, at least a glass of green beer. It's acceptable social behavior to wish someone a Happy (fill in your holiday here).
Although I must admit that Happy Labor Day never quite hit the mark. What do we do on Labor Day? Since most of us don't actually work, we spend the day mulling over how we've frittered away the summer, that fall is coming and what will I dress up as for Halloween which, as we all know, is right around the corner.
So with this cultural norm in mind, I was taken aback when someone wished me a Happy September 11th. I honestly didn't know how to respond. I couldn't say "same to you" knowing that the original greeting was totally inappropriate. I couldn't say "thank you" knowing that the person obviously had the social skills of a yak. I said nothing -- unusual for me -- but it seemed right.
Does anyone ever say Happy Pearl Harbor Day or Happy Start of the Civil War Day or Happy Anniversary of the Day President Kennedy was Assassinated?
If so, give them an "F" in sensitivity and another one for truly bad taste. These are the same morons who talk about plane crashes when you're waiting for a flight and the time they got stuck in the elevator when you're temporarily stuck on the 15th floor. A pox of laryngitis on them all.
Although I must admit that Happy Labor Day never quite hit the mark. What do we do on Labor Day? Since most of us don't actually work, we spend the day mulling over how we've frittered away the summer, that fall is coming and what will I dress up as for Halloween which, as we all know, is right around the corner.
So with this cultural norm in mind, I was taken aback when someone wished me a Happy September 11th. I honestly didn't know how to respond. I couldn't say "same to you" knowing that the original greeting was totally inappropriate. I couldn't say "thank you" knowing that the person obviously had the social skills of a yak. I said nothing -- unusual for me -- but it seemed right.
Does anyone ever say Happy Pearl Harbor Day or Happy Start of the Civil War Day or Happy Anniversary of the Day President Kennedy was Assassinated?
If so, give them an "F" in sensitivity and another one for truly bad taste. These are the same morons who talk about plane crashes when you're waiting for a flight and the time they got stuck in the elevator when you're temporarily stuck on the 15th floor. A pox of laryngitis on them all.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Since When is a Twelve a Plus Size?
It's Fashion Week again in New York. Time to watch locust-like women strut down the catwalk wearing clothes we know we can't afford and, even worse, won't fit. Some of them look downright angry. Perhaps it's because they haven't eaten anything but lettuce leaves for days. Feed them a cheeseburger and see if they don't brighten up a tad.
We all know these models don't represent real women. We who have eaten a burger or two or three don't wear a size zero. If you use that as the norm, does wearing a 12 make you plus-size?
Apparently so, according to a reporter on one of the early morning shows who interviewed a gorgeous Amazonian model -- 6' 2", size 12 -- and kept calling her a plus-size. This woman was curvy, all legs and
she smiled while telling her story about how she became a cover girl.
Hurrah for her for breaking the bony barrier in fashion mags. Shame on whoever labels her plus-size. Twelve is the size of the average American woman and I doubt that we consider ourselves in the "plus" category.
The problem is that a 12 by one designer isn't the same as a 12 by another. If only there was a standardization of sizes. Right up there in the "best thing since sliced bread" category for me. That way if I order a 12 on-line I know it is indeed a 12 and I won't be schlepping the box to the post office as a return.
It may sound shallow, but size does matter. Probably lots of psychological and body issues involved there, but it does. That's why I love shopping at Chico's where I wear a size 2. Of course, I know that translates to a 12 but let me have my moment.
We all know these models don't represent real women. We who have eaten a burger or two or three don't wear a size zero. If you use that as the norm, does wearing a 12 make you plus-size?
Apparently so, according to a reporter on one of the early morning shows who interviewed a gorgeous Amazonian model -- 6' 2", size 12 -- and kept calling her a plus-size. This woman was curvy, all legs and
she smiled while telling her story about how she became a cover girl.
Hurrah for her for breaking the bony barrier in fashion mags. Shame on whoever labels her plus-size. Twelve is the size of the average American woman and I doubt that we consider ourselves in the "plus" category.
The problem is that a 12 by one designer isn't the same as a 12 by another. If only there was a standardization of sizes. Right up there in the "best thing since sliced bread" category for me. That way if I order a 12 on-line I know it is indeed a 12 and I won't be schlepping the box to the post office as a return.
It may sound shallow, but size does matter. Probably lots of psychological and body issues involved there, but it does. That's why I love shopping at Chico's where I wear a size 2. Of course, I know that translates to a 12 but let me have my moment.
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