We recently received news that we had been nominated for a 2011 People’s Choice Podcast Award in the Education category! How did we react to this news?
First- we were shocked.
And then we looked at the amazing podcasts that share the Education category, and we were stunned.
Then we were delighted.
Our delight stems from the fact that you, our listeners, voted to put us up for this award. THANK YOU!!!
Now we would like to ask for your vote.
We do not think of "chicks" as derogatory. We think we rock our chick-ness!
Please click this link http://podcastawards.com/ to do just that. While you are there, vote for your other favorite podcasts just like we will be doing every day until October 27th when voting ends! The Bowery Boys are facing some Disney competition in the Travel category; and Filmsack is up for best Movie/Film podcast..it’s all very exciting and we are thrilled to be a part of it.
Thank you, again, for listening, offering topic suggestions, dropping us notes of encouragement, and for helping us become nominated for this award.
Now what are we? Busy… researching and preparing for the next time we get to sit down together and chat about some pretty extraordinary women!
In this minicast, we have a little discussion about the history of Betty Crocker. (You know she wasn’t real, right? We’re going with the fictional character theme.)
We talk history of this brand icon and the times she was not only created, but the many years that she has endured and changed. You may find out some things that you didn’t know ( like she started on radio). Or you may just end up wanting to go bake something. It really could go both ways, too. Why don’t you bake something WHILE you listen?
Original Betty Crocker image for radio show, 1927 courtesy General Mills archives
Latest reincarnation
Watch this vintage Betty Crocker cake commercial : The men sure love it – and so will your bridge club!
For our very first ever giveaway we are offering up two very stylish, vintage inspired aprons made by our dear friend, and Susan’s personal apron supplier- Other Susan. We picked out the fabrics, and Other Susan did the rest.
First prize: Two-in-one, custom- made, vintage inspired apron.
Back
Work it, Kitten, work it! ( Same apron, now a hostess style)
Second Prize! Custom, full practical apron (This is the style Susan runs around her neighborhood wearing. *sigh*)
Close up of main fabrics.
Yes, the apron is a symbol of some less than feminist qualities—but dang it! These are cute and- in the words of Beckett when she saw these pictures, “That’s being a true chick! Do what you do and damn the rest!”
Want one? Post a comment to THIS shownote, telling us who your favorite TV Mom is (any era). On October 30, 2011-mid dayish- we will do a random drawing of the names and pick two winners. Make sure that the email you supply us with when you post your comment (it does not appear on posted comments) is one that you monitor so that we can get the shipping details from the winners. Good luck!
(Here is a link to Other Susan’s Etsy shop, From Pieces.http://www.etsy.com/shop/FromPieces She does custom work as well as featuring some pieces in her shop.)
Before we leave the 1950’s behind, thank you for listening! We are nominated in the Education category for the 2011 People’s Choice Podcast Awards! If you would like to vote, and it is before October 27th, 2011–click this link! Thank you! http://podcastawards.com/
Once a season we take a slight break from reality and sit down for a chat about a fictional woman. This season we chose not one, but a group: The 50’s TV Mom – and their slightly more real counterparts, the 50’s suburbanite.
That’s right, what better way to embrace our modern womanhood, than to take a serious look at a stereotypical, unobtainable-to mere-mortals, obedient, white, heterosexual wife?
WOOT! Fire up the keyboard and get those letters of protest going!
(Ok, really? Don’t. Yikes… Thank you!)
DISCLAIMER: We get a bit, um, goofy in this episode. If you are looking for serious, somber history- look away. We present facts of course, but our usual speculation and lighthearted chatter is upped. Big time.
We DO look at this topic from a historical point of view, but first our exhaustive research of the women had to be undertaken. We narrowed our focus down to several whom we thought were true representatives of the genre.
(And we use words like “genre” to give the illusion that this is more brainy that it really is. We watched A LOT of TV)
Harriet Nelson (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet)
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
Donna Stone (The Donna Reed Show)
Lucy Ricardo (I love Lucy, Lucille Ball)
I Love Lucy
June Cleaver (Leave it to Beaver, Barbara Billingsley)
Leave it to Beaver
We touch on characters from other shows-Make Room for Daddy, Father Knows Best, The Dick van Dyke show- but we felt that these gave the best example of the ideals that the 50’s stereotypical housewife possessed.
We are, after all, all about history, so we lay the scene that created an environment to let such a symbol of femininity grow to idol status in American society. We talk the Great Depression and WWII because that is the background of the Moms of the 50’s. We discuss the economy, the sociological and economic changes in the country, throw out some statistics and paint a picture of the expectations and role of women in society.
Then we get to the giggly part and talk about the stereotypical woman herself. What her life was like vs the real life of the woman she represented during this era. We talk about both the dark and the light sides of this women’s life. We talk about the foods, the appliances, and the conveniences of the time.
And we talk fashion because we like retro fashion. A lot.
*sigh*, but the 1950’s TV Housewife is a part of the American culture, a step in the path of progress to who we are today, and should be looked at and discussed.
Bottom line: The 1950’s Television Housewife was a part of the American culture and a step in the path to where women are today. Because we are off of our usual factual woman topic ( and possibly still riding a banana bread buzz) we will also stray from our usual methods….and will actually have * trumpets please* a giveaway!! Stay tuned for details!
Stay tuned to whatever screen you are watching at this very minute for giveaway details!
Time Travel With The History Chicks
Right at the top of this list, we recommend this blog, Jen But Never Jenn. She conducted a 50’s Housewife Experiment that both amused and fascinated us. (Susan so much so that she decided to conduct her own, in a total rip off way. We contacted Jen and she was cool with it. More on this in an upcoming minicast) http://www.jenbutneverjenn.com/2010/05/welcome-to-50s-housewife-experiment.html
The link to the Striving Wife (the one that Susan could not remember) is here. Written by, and for, women who think the 50’s Housewife ideal is spot on. This is just one post of many on a blog devoted to the life of a Christian wife. The posts are written with respect and a very deep faith. http://thestrivingwife.com/what-makes-a-good-wife-the-1950s-ideal-vs-modern-day/
And we watched HOURS of old TV episodes Hulu.com – Father Knows Best, I love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver, The Donna Reed Show and The Dick Van Dyke show.
