The products we make (or pretend to make) say a lot about us. Here are three examples:
- Hairy Leg Stockings. This one was on Wait Wait, although I had heard about it last weeks: supposedly, someone in China has come up with stockings for women that make their legs very hairy. The ostensible reason for this is to keep aggressive men away. Jokes about France aside, what this really says is the same thing that many Orthodox religions say: men cannot control themselves, and so we must keep our women covered or looking bad so men won’t attack them. That’s the wrong message: we must teach that unwanted advances are wrong no matter what. [ETA: h/t to Andrew Ducker, for the following article makes my point in a much better way: Modesty: I Don’t Think It Means What You Think It Means.]
- Cabbage Patch Baby Wigs. A clever person has come up with wigs for infants that make them look like Cabbage Patch Kids. Why O Why? This gives the message that children are toys, and perhaps shows that we value our children as much as our dogs — something to dress up and make look funny.
- New Starbucks Cups. Starbucks has raised their prices, and has new cups. What does this say about society and our addictions, combined with the power of marketing. You can get a good cup of coffee for much much less. Then again, give up the coffee completely. After all, coffee only belongs either covered in dark chocolate or in ice cream. I’ve never understood drinking something you have to doctor with creme and sugar to make palatable. Give me plain tea any day!