"When I asked Mary what was the matter she complained of an itching. I asked a friend's advice at Mother's Club that afternoon. She said it was probably caused by harsh or impure toilet tissue, and recommended Scott Tissue." Those were the days when advertising still used some level of discretion. Boy, nowadays we see animated bears dancing around on the T.V. with toilet paper confetti stuck on their rumps! I suppose the people who are marketing that particular product think they're being subtle, but come on... Those damned poo bears are pretty blatant! And I guess I just find it somehow more disturbing since it's trying to be all cutesy-cartoony about bears pooping and the toilet paper sticking to their dirty butts. It's just gross, you know? Not that I'm a prude, because that certainly isn't the case.
Another part of the ad text that I find interesting is where it goes on to share how experiences like Mary's "are common. Harsh tissue can cause serious inflammation. Women and girls especially, because of their peculiar requirements, need a soft, highly absorbent tissue - such as Scott Tissue or Waldorf."
Evidently, those "tissue issues" can mean some serious "sh*t" for the ladies. Or so they'd like us to think...
~ Image taken from the postcard book, "Just what the doctor ordered": Health and Grooming in the Classic Age of Advertising. Published by Prion Books Limited, London. ~
I resent how they refer to the female wiping requirements as "peculiar". Half the population are female it can't be that darn peculiar!
ReplyDeleteAnd I just noticed - "Soft as old linen" (Yikes)That stuff sure as heck, ain't getting anywhere me!
That "peculiar requirements" line is priceless! So insulting to the ladies. It's like they viewed women as alien creatures back then. From some nasty, dirty planet. Poor Mary and her private itching. This is really a great compare-and-contrast item for today's ad campaigns, and I actually think it compares more than it contrasts! It's pretty crass. And for that, I thank you, Ringmaster Anthony! ;)
ReplyDeleteOh, my - "because of their peculiar requirements", indeed!
ReplyDeleteAdvertising copy from a man - ya think?!
I thought that ad was pretty funny, because everyone knows bears shit in the woods...but then i have a warped sense of humor.
ReplyDelete