Category Archives: Middle Class

1970 hippy girl with jewelry

The Mad Men of Madison Avenue Get Real

Like many parents in 1970, the gulf between Mad Men’s rebellious Sally Draper and her uptight and out of touch parents has grown as wide as the Grand Canyon, that great natural chasm  that Sally might visit on her summer

1970 hippy girl with jewelry

The Mad Men of Madison Avenue Get Real

Like many parents in 1970, the gulf between Mad Men’s rebellious Sally Draper and her uptight and out of touch parents has grown as wide as the Grand Canyon, that great natural chasm  that Sally might visit on her summer

Marriage Equality vintage bride

Marriage Equality For All

Everybody Should Say I Do! As spring begins, the window opens for the chance to be a June bride, that most coveted month for nuptials. This June the window may open wider. Bringing a breeze of fresh air into the

Marriage Equality vintage bride

Marriage Equality For All

Everybody Should Say I Do! As spring begins, the window opens for the chance to be a June bride, that most coveted month for nuptials. This June the window may open wider. Bringing a breeze of fresh air into the

vintage illustration 1950s family gardening

Fractured Fairy Tales for Earth Day

Post War Pesticides on Parade Mid century America was the golden age of pesticides and it was love at first sight. Any thoughts about Earth Day and the environment lay far in the future. Thousands of new chemicals were put

vintage illustration 1950s family gardening

Fractured Fairy Tales for Earth Day

Post War Pesticides on Parade Mid century America was the golden age of pesticides and it was love at first sight. Any thoughts about Earth Day and the environment lay far in the future. Thousands of new chemicals were put

vintage maidenform bra ad woman campaigning

Who Said a Woman Can Be President?

What would JFK think of Hillary’s bid for the Presidency? As Hillary Clinton begins her run for President  some Republican pundits are still debating whether a woman is worthy of sitting in the oval office. During another presidential election nearly

vintage maidenform bra ad woman campaigning

Who Said a Woman Can Be President?

What would JFK think of Hillary’s bid for the Presidency? As Hillary Clinton begins her run for President  some Republican pundits are still debating whether a woman is worthy of sitting in the oval office. During another presidential election nearly

Vintage sexist cartoon

The Maddeningly Mad Men World of Sexual Harassment

As the rumblings of the embryonic women’s movement began to be heard in 1970, some women in the workplace began quietly grumbling too. Even as working women began taking baby steps in their Enna Jenkins pumps, their male colleagues still

Vintage sexist cartoon

The Maddeningly Mad Men World of Sexual Harassment

As the rumblings of the embryonic women’s movement began to be heard in 1970, some women in the workplace began quietly grumbling too. Even as working women began taking baby steps in their Enna Jenkins pumps, their male colleagues still

vintage liptons soup mix package

Passover Tears Again

Like Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix produced no tears. That dehydrated marvel of mid-century cookery was a staple in my Mothers repertoire. Mom joined the legion of happy homemakers who were overjoyed at the development of

vintage liptons soup mix package

Passover Tears Again

Like Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix produced no tears. That dehydrated marvel of mid-century cookery was a staple in my Mothers repertoire. Mom joined the legion of happy homemakers who were overjoyed at the development of

BW picture woman and aging skin

Women and Aging – You Can Survive

Having just turned 60 I have now entered DEFCON 2 in the war against aging. That is, if we are to believe the media who have been waging  their own war against women and aging for years. After decades of

BW picture woman and aging skin

Women and Aging – You Can Survive

Having just turned 60 I have now entered DEFCON 2 in the war against aging. That is, if we are to believe the media who have been waging  their own war against women and aging for years. After decades of

don draper drinking

Don Draper Problem Drinker

While actor Jon Hamm has just successfully completed a stint in rehab for alcohol abuse, it hard to imagine the same fate for Don Draper who has long been waging a battle with booze. One line of dialogue we are

don draper drinking

Don Draper Problem Drinker

While actor Jon Hamm has just successfully completed a stint in rehab for alcohol abuse, it hard to imagine the same fate for Don Draper who has long been waging a battle with booze. One line of dialogue we are

Vintage cartoon Horny Granny 1974

An Age Old Problem: Women and Aging

Growing up, being an “older” woman was not a pretty picture – literally. Predictably, post-menopausal women were pictured pleasingly plump their sagging jowls and sagging breasts as slumping as their sedentary, asexual lives that were defined by grandchildren, gossip and

Vintage cartoon Horny Granny 1974

An Age Old Problem: Women and Aging

Growing up, being an “older” woman was not a pretty picture – literally. Predictably, post-menopausal women were pictured pleasingly plump their sagging jowls and sagging breasts as slumping as their sedentary, asexual lives that were defined by grandchildren, gossip and

vintage illustration 1950s housewife

Operation June Cleaver

On a recent chilly Sunday women started disappearing from ads, magazine covers, billboards and posters directing readers to Not-There.org. Part of a powerful ad campaign to raise awareness of gender inequality, it was a graphic reminder to women “we’re not

vintage illustration 1950s housewife

Operation June Cleaver

On a recent chilly Sunday women started disappearing from ads, magazine covers, billboards and posters directing readers to Not-There.org. Part of a powerful ad campaign to raise awareness of gender inequality, it was a graphic reminder to women “we’re not