Barbie’s Body Evolves
News flash: Barbie’s got some junk in her trunk! After nearly 57 years, Barbie is finally packing on some healthy pounds and she’s not rushing to sign up with Jenny Craig to shed them! In fact she’s...
View ArticleNo Bodies Perfect- Even Barbie
New Curvy Barbie (L) agrees “Men Wouldn’t Look at Me When I Was Skinny” I’m worried about Petite Barbie. Now that America’s ideal beauty standards are evolving as full-figured, voluptuous bodies like...
View ArticleAbortion Rights – Driving Ms. Crazy
In the retro world of Republicans, women still take a back seat when it comes to controlling their own bodies. Vintage Chevrolet Advertisement 1934 Step on the Gas Nervous Dot the Democrat is sure...
View ArticleAmerica at Steak
Where’s the Beef Mr. Trump? More Sizzle Than Steak Donald Trump can boast about his juicy steaks all he wants but when it comes to substance and policy…where’s the beef? The Republican front runner is...
View ArticleMenstruating in the Age Of Mad Men
Menstruation and the Mid Century Girl Lady talk has gone viral. A woman’s period, once cloaked in privacy lingering on the periphery of polite conversation has now permeated public discourse. Credit...
View ArticleDisordered Eating
My collage Constant Cravings is a smorgasbord of mixed media messages about food and appetite and the mid-century world of women’s troubled relationship with it. Utilizing appropriated vintage images...
View ArticleHappy National Donut Day
Happy National Doughnut Day Doughnuts to dollars, this is a favorite day of celebration for many. From coast to coast, thousands are lining up outside their local Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kremes for a...
View ArticleWho’s on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown?
Does it feel like our nation is on the verge of a nervous breakdown? Is there anyone who’s nerves aren’t frayed? Between mass shootings and stalled gun laws, Britain falling and markets plunging,...
View ArticleA Jazz Age Baby
A Bastille Day Baby 1926 In 1926 while flaming youth roared and thousands mourned the death of Rudolph Valentino, my grandparents, Sadie and Arthur were overjoyed at the birth of their second...
View ArticleTips to Beat Summers Heat
Beat the Summer Heat – World Book Encyclopedia 1955 As we suffer through an oppressive heat wave, an offering of mid century tips for a very contemporary problem.
View ArticleCooling Down the Automatic Way
How to beat the summer heat- automatically. Vintage ad Vendo Vending machines 1958 During this oppressive heat wave, summer’s must have accessory is the ubiquitous water bottle. Whether Aquafina or...
View ArticleThe Shame of Fat Shaming
At what age does a girl begin to know her looks matter? When Donald Trump equates women’s weight with our worth, what do we tell our daughters? Some folks believe gaining weight is the worst thing a...
View ArticleAccidents Will Happen – By the Bombs Early Light
In the early 1950’s the Atomic Energy Commission decided that parts of Utah and Nevada would be the sight of a continental proving ground for nuclear weapons. It became the first American Ground Zero....
View ArticleHalloween Candy-Treat or Trick?
The scariest part of Halloween for many parents is the prospect of all the candy their children will consume once they’ve brought home their haul. Relax. In mid-century America a Snickers bar would...
View ArticleBig Soda Big Lies
Americans are worried…First they came for our tobacco, now are they coming for our sugary drinks? This election has caused panic among our citizens. While many alarmed Americans are agitated, losing...
View ArticleCastro and My Cold War Childhood
My cold war childhood filled with cold war warriors could easily have turned hot if not for MAD… oh, and our nuclear policy of Mutually Assured Destruction too. Mad Magazine covers (L) Fidel Castro...
View ArticleMedical Emergency- America’s Health Care
Critical Care As the halls of Congress morph into a Critical Care Unit, the GOP’s prescription “to preserve our freedom” appears to be to pull the plug on Obamacare- STAT! Although some Republicans...
View ArticleWomen Are Called to Action
Collage Detail from Womens Lib- A Storms Approachin’ collage by Sally Edelstein Today on International Women’s Day 2017, nearly 45 years after the women’s liberation movement stormed onto the scene...
View ArticleWomen Take a Back Seat Again
It’s a retro ride with the Republicans driving the fate of maternity coverage in health care plans for millions of women. (L) Vintage 1934 Chevrolet ad (R) Whats wrong with this picture? A dozen white...
View ArticleMaternity in the Age of Mad Men
Who’s Afraid of the Stork? asks this 1951 vintage ad for Lederle a Division of American Cyanamid Company. “The stork is now as tame as a household pet,” it boasts, explaining how safe childbirth has...
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