Sex Symbols
Why Can’t My Teacher Look Like Mr. Novak?
I like the bits of "Monster Mash" stuff that are gratuitously inserted.
Of course, students lusting after teachers is now the stuff of prison sentences.
Understand the central reference here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 30, 2016 -
Comments (2)
Category: Education, Music, Television, Sex Symbols, Teenagers, 1960s
Things Named After Mae West
Mae West in "She Done Him Wrong" (1933)
Actress and sex symbol Mae West cast a large shadow over popular culture, as can be seen by the number of things named after her.
1. Life Preservers
The inflatable life preservers used in WWII were often referred to as "Mae Wests" because they gave their wearers the appearance of having a large chest (wikipedia).
2. Parachute Malfunction
A "blown periphery" parachute malfunction causes the canopy to contort into the shape of a giant brassiere, and so is referred to as the "Mae West" malfunction (wikipedia).
3. Newfoundland Islands
The Isaacs islands in Newfoundland were named "Mae West" by American sailors stationed at nearby Argentia Naval Base, and the name seems to have stuck. The caption for the above image (found in "US Navy PBY Catalina Units of the Atlantic War") reads, "Groundcrewmen load water-filled practice bombs onto a PBY-5A from VP-6(CG) at Argentia in 1944. The twin mounds in the background were called 'Mae West' after the sex goddess, who incidentally had her roots in Newfoundland."
4. Gas Generator
Chemists nicknamed the Kipp Gas Generator the "Mae West" (Life magazine).
5. Coca-Cola Bottle
After the Coca Cola Company introduced the "contour" bottle in 1915, it quickly became known as the "Mae West bottle" (Story of the Coca-Cola bottle).
In 1937, the couturier Elsa Schiaparelli launched her "Shocking" perfume, in a bottle whose shape was directly inspired by Mae West (FIDM Museum). So this doesn't count as something named after her, but is still something in her image.
6. Gas Pump
On account of its curves, this 1920s-era pump was named the 'Mae West visible gas pump'.
7. Dessert Cake
This round dessert cake with creme filling was invented by a Quebec baker in 1932 and named after Mae West. It is currently made by Vachon Inc., who changed the spelling of the name to 'May West' in the 1980s. (wikipedia)
8. Graph of the Products of the Nuclear Fission of Uranium
When a Uranium atom splits, it turns into two smaller atoms. A graph showing the mass of these two atoms is referred to by physicists as the Mae West curve because of its two distinct peaks. (Spud's blog)
9. A Roll-Guide System in Metal Rolling Mills
Although the two round rollers might, from the side, seem 'Mae West'-like, it's actually the guide system (number 3 in the illustration above) that's referred to as 'Mae West blocks' in the metal industry. (PatentBuddy)
10. Cocktail
During the 1940s, a popular prank at parties was to ask a guest if he wanted a 'Mae West cocktail.' If he said yes, he'd be served a glass of Alka-Seltzer and water in a glass with a condom on top. The effervescence of the Alka-Seltzer would cause the condom to inflate.
11. Academic Theory
Finally, I've even found a reference to a "Mae West Theory of Islamic Terrorism" — the theory being that sexual frustration is the root cause of much Islamic terrorism.
Posted By: Alex - Mon Aug 22, 2016 -
Comments (8)
Category: Sex Symbols
Mystery Illustration 27
Which regional magazine of the fifty states decided this would be a good way to illustrate the pleasures of summer?
The answer is here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 11, 2016 -
Comments (7)
Category: Art, Magazines, Regionalism, Sex Symbols, Junk Food, 1970s
“Sex” by Shirley Bassey
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 10, 2016 -
Comments (2)
Category: Music, Sexuality, Sex Symbols, 1950s
Bummer
"Flower children are just for plucking!"
Bare female chestal portions in film.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Mar 31, 2016 -
Comments (6)
Category: Movies, Music, Pop Art, Sex Symbols, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1970s
Jerry Lewis & Miss Cartilage
Posted By: Paul - Mon Nov 16, 2015 -
Comments (2)
Category: Humor, Surrealism, Sex Symbols, 1960s, Dance
Amusements of Our Forefathers
Both ads here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Oct 24, 2015 -
Comments (1)
Category: Humor, Tobacco and Smoking, Sex Symbols, 1950s
Rosita Royce: Dance of the Doves
The YouTube host of this video complains that Rosita does not use doves in her dance, but other birds, thus misrepresenting herself. But as we can see from this article, that is a mere technicality, since Rosita was quite intimate with doves also.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Sep 29, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Animals, Public Indecency, Sex Symbols, 1930s, Dance
Jayne Mansfield’s Hand
1958: Journalist tries to record in words the exact sensation of touching Jayne Mansfield's hand.I had never seen the phrase "gone sensation" and thought maybe it was a typo, but Merriam-Webster defines it as "a feeling of faintness or weakness."
Spokane Daily Chronicle - Apr 17, 1958
KINGSVILLE, Texas, April 17. — Jake Trussell of the Kingsville Record held hands with Jayne Mansfield while posing for a photograph during a news conference.
"I must report exactly how it felt to hold her hand," Trussell told his readers. "The sensation I got was of a long personalized sort of slightly over-heated peach fuzz expanse, or perhaps the snuggly softness of a glamorized baby duck's down. Anyway, it was a real gone sensation."
A picture of Miss Mansfield and Trussell showed that she was wearing gloves.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Sep 26, 2015 -
Comments (13)
Category: Celebrities, Sex Symbols, 1950s
When the Circus Comes to Town
I have no idea of the provenance of this half-hour compilation. Shown at cinemas before the main feature? Whatever the case, it has everything. Cornball music, girly cheesecake, animated cartoon, stop-motion cartoon, narration by a chimp. Also, the highly disturbing image reproduced below. Somehow I feel it relates to the "horse fondling" theme of yesterday.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 16, 2015 -
Comments (6)
Category: Animals, Clowns, Dreams and Nightmares, Music, Sex Symbols, Cartoons, Stop-motion Animation, 1940s
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |