Today is Library Assistants' Day in New York State and the typo Assitan* shows up 64 times in OhioLINK. (By the way, this might be the worst visual pun here ever, but I simply couldn't resist.) This iconic image is bound to be seen as politically incorrect by some, and in more ways than one, but I'll leave most of those to your own overheated imaginations. I will, though, address the hot-button topic of tanning. The mainstream medical position continues to be that you should slather yourself in sunscreen whenever you step outside; however, some people are starting to question this advice in light of the growing epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency. We may well see a resurgence of unfiltered sun worship as the "sunshine is evil" viewpoint starts to fade away. The bare bottom pictured here has also disappeared of late and in recent ads the kid is even shown with a hat and shirt on. Jodie Foster made her acting debut in a Coppertone commercial in 1965, but the original model was the daughter of Joyce Ballantyne Brand, who, although she's tired of talking about it, retains the audacious attitude that drew her to make this daring (she says "boring") drawing in the first place.(Coppertone girl sign at 7300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami, Florida, from Wikimedia Commons.)
Carol Reid
1 comment:
It might be a while Carol, even though the overriding benefits of the Sun's healthy rays are evident. There's a huge market selling sunblock and UV sunglasses but nobody makes any money from people being healthy. Fear sells in this funny old world. And, ironically, 'protecting' our eyes from UV prevents our body from realizing how much melanin is needed for skin protection, thus probably contributing to skin cancer levels.
Great visual pun - and how times have changed!
Gregory Sams, author of "Sun of gOd"
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