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Lifestyle Campaigns

Bed Size Matters

 
Bed Size Matters

Travis A. Williams

Do you remember when television couples slept in twin beds? When kissing was hardly ever seen on television? How about The Dick Van Dyke Show? Or I Love Lucy? Or better yet, Leave it to Beaver?

Don't even think about guessing my age!

All of their bedrooms had twin beds. And what was considered romantic on television and the movies back then? Was it a long endearing look into each other's eyes? Perhaps it was a hearty embrace or was it the music?

Whatever it may have been, it was fueled by our imagination. Our imagination allowed the movie to be as romantic as the viewer wanted it to be while at the same time almost any age child could have been in the same room while the movie played. That was a good thing. Those were the days when even the advertisements were clean-cut and family oriented, The lonely Maytag repairman, Mr. Whipple, the Pillsbury Dough Boy and the “Where’s the Beef” lady, they are all a part of an era that some of us cherished for the wholesomeness they represented.

Television advertisements over the years have taken a sharp turn. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, is off limits! Have we any modesty? Television shows and commercials today know no barriers--they are out-of-control! Several times a day we see advertisements from Fruit of the Loom underwear to women’s personal hygiene products—wings, super, maxi, mini—the types and shapes go on and on. And if that is not ENOUGH, shortly after 9:00 p.m. come the men and women simulating a well-satisfied couple after using performance enhancing drugs and products. No imagination necessary; it’s all out there. And by the way, there sure aren't twin beds in the background.

Do you think todays commercials are out of control?

Photograph Credit:
Sabrina Segal

 

2 Comments

1. Aprilm31 |Nov. 4, 2011 @ 6:34 AM

 
non-member comment
Yes I think commercials today are out of control. TV today just in general. I am not that old but old enough to know that back 20 years ago tv was not daring as it today. Commercials put emphasis on your body, there is more cursing on television today. I know the world is changing but what we see and hear has not changed how kids and even adults perceive things. The influence commercials have on today's society and television itself is not always reality.

April
 

2. MrKzle |Nov. 6, 2011 @ 2:15 AM

 
non-member comment
I think that as society evolves, so do the messages we put on display. The debate about the scandalous nature of a certain advertisement or social institution has been going on since Elvis Presley first dared to bring rock n' roll mainstream along with his signature gyrating hips. In those days, people were just as against his "Evil Music" as Radical Right Wing Conservatives are opposed to the idea of "Gay Marriage".

Is it impossible to believe that the same media that has exposed us to all this raunchy, evil eye-candy has also convinced us that simply stating the obvious honestly or in an entertaining way is the root of all the ills of our society?

Are we so naive that we feel that Ricky and Lucy should have kept the beds where they were? I have to say, I am still old enough to appreciate those classic TV moments with reverence. I am by no means saying I would have liked to see Lucy show a little more skin when she and Ricky smooched. Those types of shows defined the time period in which they were created, just as those of today reflect the world as we now know it.

Or is society headed down the "path of evil" because we have shows like The Sopranos? Let's get real.

The truth is that while it seems as if the educational system is at fault for not turning out a desired percentage of collegiate achievers, the mainstream social base is more informed than ever thanks to social media outlets. Children at an increasingly younger age are aware of real-world realities that a child growing up in the 50s couldn't have wrapped his/her mind around.

Should we view this as the breakdown of core values and norms as we know it? Or should we view this as a natural progression and attempt to address the situation from an academic perspective?

-Kyle
 

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