The Good Old Days? A Rant

My friend Genna shared a blog that someone else shared with her (it's like the telephone game around here today, I swear). The blog is called Retronaut, and the post is a grouping of vintage ads that promote sexism. The ads are presented without comment, but I think it's pretty obvious that the poster didn't care for the sentiment. Today's ads are far from perfect--I don't remember the last time I danced around the kitchen with my Swiffer--but very rarely do I cringe as much as I did reading this list. Would Chase Freedom's adventure-seeking gal (who turned down a diamond for the rock she'd rather climb) be considered "indelicate"? Why, I'd imagine the doting new father in the Vonage ads would be tossed right out of the Thursday night poker game!

Granted, I did chuckle at a couple of the ads, like this one:

Photo Credit (All): Retronaut

Frankly, that ad doesn't make him look too spectacular, either. Also, when I first started to learn how to cook, I set the fire alarm off regularly, so I guess I have a soft spot for this one. That said, for every quaintly outdated ad posted, there are about three or four that make you want to bludgeon the "creative minds" behind them. I dare you to look at this and not get angry:

Now, bear in mind this is not the worst of the bunch. Not by a longshot.

I cook the meals in my house because I like to eat. My husband does the laundry. Fair is fair.
I wear lipgloss because I like it. I'm sure my husband appreciates it, but I don't do it for him.
I love a good pinup girl; not because she looks cute next to a plane, but because she probably built that plane.
I agree with Ginger Rogers, that a woman can do anything a man can do, backwards and in high heels.

Thank you to all the women who worked so hard to ensure I never have to see ads this offensive in circulation. I only hope we can keep it up.

Frugal Friday: Now With Bonus Rant! (Or, At Least It's Not New Coke)

Today's Frugal Friday would make an excellent Stocking Stuffer. With any online purchase of $25 or more, you can get a FREE 4oz. bottle of Philosophy's Amazing Grace Shower Gel. That's my mom's favorite scent, and had I not already bought her present, I'd be seriously considering this. Vicit and "like" the Sephora Facebook page to unlock the code. (If you've already "liked" the page, the link to the code is posted.)

A few weeks ago, I dropped a few coins in a Coke machine, hit the button, and got really, really miffed for a second. What looked like a Diet Coke dropped into the catcher, and while I do like to watch my caloric intake, I rarely drink sodas and I wanted a Coke! A real Coke! Fortunately, upon further inspection, I realized that I had, in fact, received a real Coke, but one in the new holiday can. Crisis averted.

Photo Credit (All): Delish

Well, not quite. Coke enthusiasts wents bonkers. Facebook, Twitter, and even YouTube all lit up with diatribes against the company and its cans from angry fan after angry fan. Diet Coke drinkers were all a-flutter because they bought the wrong can. Regular Coke people were upset over thinking they'd gotten a Diet, and a few were convinced that the soda even tasted different because it came out of a white can.

Still and all, it's a can. More than that, it's a cute can with a fantastic purpose. It's goal: raise awareness for the World Wildlife Fund. Coke has partnered with the charity, and is hoping to donate somewhere around $3 million to helping endangered species. The product inside the can has not changed, and any confusion surrounding the outside of the can could be avoided by simply reading and paying attention. I know I'm probably going to catch a lot of flack for that, but it's true. Many people are fussing that the cans have always been red, that white is almost the same as silver (which Diet has always been), and how were they supposed to know that there had been a change? Answer: Read. Take responsibility for your own actions and for what you put into your own body, especially if you have a medical condition that requires you drink Diet. However, it doesn't matter now; the can has been discontinued, and another version--in red--has been issued.

I think it's ridiculous that a company had to discontinue and re-issue a product because its customers either refused to read the label or were flat-out delusional. Yeah, when I first saw my can, I thought I'd gotten a Diet Coke, but as soon as I picked the can up out of the machine I knew it was a Regular Coke. The word "Diet" was nowhere to be found. You know what else? It tasted exactly the same as it always had. The formula didn't change. They didn't decide to revert back to New Coke just for the holiday edition. The only thing that changed was the can, and to a very sophisticated, elegant, stylish design. It was truly beautiful (you know, for a soda can), and while the red is nice, it's just not the same.

But that's okay. They're on ebay now, but I'm all out of change. Anyone got $300 I can borrow?