June 2008

Vintage Flight Attendant Uniforms: Sexy? Sexist??

by MomGrind

flight-attendant-uniform-1Photo credit: Will Kane

Ah, the glamor of air travel.

Frumpy, tired passengers wearing wrinkled clothes. Screaming babies and restless kids. Overworked flight attendants. Long security lines where you get to TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF and walk barefoot on the filthy floor! Financially struggling airlines that levy extra charges for everything.

If you miss the good old days, when pretty flight attendants served cocktails and a smile to sophisticated travelers, consider this:

“According to a spokesman at Southwest Airlines of Texas in 1973, when stewardesses were interviewed for jobs, he started with their legs and worked up to their faces.”
Airline: Identity, Design and Culture by Keith Lovegrove.

flight attendant uniforms

“In stark contrast (often to the point of prudishness) shown by most airlines to that date, in 1973 Southwest Airlines threw caution to the winds with its stewardess uniform. ‘The girls must be able to wear kinky leather boots and hot pants or they don’t get the job,’ said the airline’s male bosses.” Airline: Identity, Design and Culture by Keith Lovegrove.

Yup, those were the days.

Related reading:
Indian air hostesses too fat to fly
Being overweight won’t fly – not on Air India

Mixed Feelings About Growing Older

by MomGrind

Vered DeLeeuw

Sometime this month, I will turn 37.

After much deliberation, I decided to avoid disclosing the exact date, since a person’s date of birth is one of the pieces of info used by identity thieves to perform identity theft. So there. I may be a bit on the paranoid side here, but I am exercising some out-of-character internet caution.

Back to being 37.

You know, I could take the gray hairs and crow’s feet. Really. It’s not that. I’m just as vain as anyone else, if not more so, but this is a deeper issue. These are just symptoms of a scary process that’s going on inside of me.

I am growing older.

You know how in your twenties you feel invincible, like you will be forever young and maybe even live forever? Well, you won’t. And your thirties are when you start to realize that, because you see the warning signs.

So, it turns out I am NOT invincible and I AM going to die.

GREAT.

Prior to dying, I do have something nice planned out for my birthday: a delicious dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, possibly followed by a glass or two of champagne at The Bubble Lounge. Once the birthday festivities are over, I plan to take a cab back home, where I will kiss my sleeping kids on the forehead and silently count my blessings.

I survived another year. Happy birthday to me. :)

In the photo: this guy seems to be determined to grow old with me. The whinier I get, the more patient he becomes. So, in case I haven’t said it publicly yet: I love you Ido. Thank you for growing old with me.

Blog Monetization: What’s So Wrong With That?

by MomGrind

monetizationWhy is blog monetization such a taboo?

“Remember when your posts used to be good? I’m sorely disappointed with this blog now, Leo. I used to look forward to reading your posts, but no longer.”

“Me too…. Your Main Story/Post is actually just an advertisement for something you’re selling. Thats [not] very Zen. You are just posting one thing a week recently, and now you are starting to post advertisements for stuff you’re selling. It is a downward spiral.”

“This blog has basically become a money-making machine for you, Leo. How much commission are you getting for sales of this ebook through this website? You have lost ALL credibility with me. I am SO done with this website.”

Leo of Zen Habits is branching out into the lucrative ebook business. His last few posts were indeed a little different than his usual “50 tips for making your life better the Zen way” article template. First he announced his new ebook venture, then published an entire post dedicated to promoting another blogger’s ebook.

But I have to wonder: does the man NOT have a right to try and leverage his huge influence (over 50,000 subscribers), influence that he gained thanks to his talent (and yes, some luck too), to make money? Should he NOT make the most of this exciting time in his life and provide for his family?

Why is blog monetization by someone like Leo Babauta such a big issue?

People WANT to make money. Wanting to make money shouldn’t be something to be ashamed of. Perhaps Zen monks are the exception to this universal tendency to WANT MONEY, but Mr. Babauta is not a Zen monk. He is an American. He has six children. SIX! He has every right to turn his popularity into profits.

We want money because it means freedom. Money doesn’t make anyone happy or better, but being financially secure enables you to do what you WANT to do with this short, short life. And who wouldn’t want to secure the financial future of their children?

You can be smart and talented, and believe in Zen principles AND aspire for financial freedom. If I had his audience, I would sure leverage that to make me some money.

Having said that, perhaps it would look better if Mr. Babauta either spaced his product pitches a little more, or – alternatively – if he were more candid with his readers, telling them about his monetization efforts and saying that that YES, he wants to provide for his family and there’s nothing wrong with that. The site will still feature valuable, helpful content, but – in addition to that – there WILL be promotion of products that he tested and liked, and yes, promoting them would help him make a nice living. WHAT’S SO WRONG WITH THAT.

Photo credit: DouG!!

As Gas Prices Soar, Gas Stations are Becoming Creative

by MomGrind

Gas Prices

Ouch.

The solution:

dsc03621.JPG

Old, But Still Moving

by MomGrind

vanity license plate

Of course I had to snap a photo of this license plate.

I then asked my husband to SLOWLY pass the car so that I could take a good look at the driver.

The driver was an old man – probably in his mid seventies.

Old and feisty. I like that. I often say that I never want to make it past the age of 70 because of the inevitable physical deterioration. I know, I’m an idiot, and this license plate served as an important reminder that one can be old, spirited and funny.

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