Slowly we’re clearing away some forgotten stuff from the basement. There has been talk of shelf building and that sort of thing. Looking around under the stairs the other day I found a handful of magazines. Some are comics (worthless, I checked) and one is a Woman’s Day from March 11, 1980.
I didn’t expect it to be as quaint as it was. Phil Donohue is on the cover. An excerpt of his book is featured in the mag and it centres on his divorce from his first wife. In 1980 we as a society were past the sexism of the 60s. The style of writing was stiff and formal. And some of the ads made me laugh out loud. Who wouldn’t want a canned ham patty?
And it’s easy to forget how ubiquitous cigarette ads were back in those days. Smoking was still depicted as glamorous although in this ad, they at least referred to the low tar content. What a happy smoker she is!
I don’t think this Weight Watchers ad would go over very well today. The woman who’s trying not to eat the cheese pies couldn’t have wrapped herself in that much rope and gagged herself. I think there would have been complaints.
And plastic surgery wasn’t nearly as popular as it is now. The proof is in this feature article on a woman who had a nose job. She was rare back then.
It was a kick to leaf through this little time capsule. This issue featured blazers and how to wear them as well as a whole feature on crocheting sweaters.
What’s the same as in magazines today? Features on losing weight and which foods have the lowest calories. Recipes that take the least time and offer the most healthy benefit. I’m guessing the parenting advice in this issue about teaching your little one to deal with conflict would also hold up today.
We’ve come a long way, baby.