Gypsy Creams
Handy Andies
Woman's Realm / 18th March 1967
“No more washing and ironing for you”. Oh the romance. Why couldn’t he have washed his own snot-rags?
Tags: blatant sexism, Handy Andies, marriage, retail, social history
12 Comments
Estelle on 18 June 2010 @ 4pm
Soaking? Ironing? Christ.
Tanya Jones on 18 June 2010 @ 10pm
odd parity, I think they were trying very hard to sneak a ‘hanky panky’ reference in! And yes, Estelle, the very idea that she would be ironing a HANKY is quite incredible.
Judes on 19 June 2010 @ 9pm
My mum (aged 85) irons everything: hankies, sheets, socks… Her neighbour (aged 91) still starches everything with homemade starch, none of your modern spray starch rubbish. We don’t know we’re born.
Martin Fenton on 19 June 2010 @ 9pm
Judes – I’m intrigued by your Mum’s neighbour’s recipe for homemade starch. Does she get through a lot of potatoes, or is there some other technique which is currently a mystery to me?
Judes on 20 June 2010 @ 6pm
Martin – I believe she uses cornflour (not to be confused by cornmeal). If you google ‘use cornflour to make your own starch for ironing’ you’ll come up with a couple of methods. And I suppose once you have spent all morning slaving over a hot iron you feel you deserve a relaxing cup of tea. I must say I haven’t inherited the need to feel like I deserve one: if I want one I just have one!
Tanya Jones on 20 June 2010 @ 7pm
I guess we’ve taken the development of ‘easy care’ fabrics for granted, really, and your mum and her neighbour have just continued to do what they’ve always done. Their ages suggest that all the hard work hasn’t necessarily done them any harm!
Martin Fenton on 21 June 2010 @ 12am
Ah – thanks, Judes. That makes sense now. However, I think I’ll stick to just using cornflour in gravy and stews, though. A much tastier use!
offensive_mango on 24 June 2010 @ 7pm
We have a lady who does our ironing and she does the hankies. I find that odd but my other half seems to like it.
UriGagarin on 27 June 2010 @ 2am
My Mum Irons everything except socks (age 69 *snigger*) .
Definitely an older generation thing – as I don’t have an iron at present and with a lot of shirts there’s little need.
Having handkerchiefs is now weird – I have some (including some snazzy khaki ones – ah the little boy in me *snigger*)
Never use them though. Guess its more green (yes ) really.
odd parity on 18 June 2010 @ 6am
Is it just me, or is “I could see at once they had more real hankiness” the best sentence ever?