THRIFT
What a 1962 Christmas catalogue says about all of us
November 19, 2017The Marcus Clark's Christmas Gift Book, from 1962, harks back to a time when plastics were the epitome of style and good taste, and we were led by American fashion and design over our British forebears.
The 68 pages are also a social snapshot of a time, more than 50 years ago, when few women worked and enjoyed the time-saving, electric conveniences of their modern, suburban domain. Colonial rule still existed across all continents and was marked by the exotic-sounding names and descriptions for something as simple as a manly pair of socks or packaged set of handkerchiefs. We were also coming to appreciate a distinctly Australian idea of leisure time and the great outdoors with light, easy clothing, picnic ware, outdoor furniture and sports gear designed for fun in the sun, and more importantly, the water.
Pages of toys are a retro delight, but the description a horror. "For boys with inquiring minds" and "little girls who play at keeping house" the headlines scream of an accepted 1960s gender divide.
Of the selection of dolls, the "Mulatto Girl" stands apart from the Shirley-Temple look-a-likes as a "dusky beauty". "Santa brought her a long way", the description reads with clearly no need in 1962 to explain the mixed race meaning of Mulatto, or why she is bare-breasted.
The Mad Men-esque descriptions for women's lingerie and pyjamas are cringe-worthy, especially given the preceding pages where a woman appears as more domestic servant than "dominant". I guess, in the gift-giving stakes of 1962, nothing says 'you sexy minx' like a lowered ironing board and matching stool.
What our Christmas catalogues will say about us in 50 years time, I can only guess? Rampant consumerism and gender bias still seems evident if the gift guides falling out of the local paper and shoveled into my letterbox are to go by.
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