My son Ben gave me the above advertisement, which he found at a garage sale. (Thanks, Ben!) The plastic sheet that protected the ad is labeled 1920s. I have a bowl of sturdy, appetizing Grape-Nuts almost every morning, so this ad has found a good home.
I'm wondering: this scene carries a sexual implication, doesn't it? The locked eyes seem to bespeak a desire for more than cereal. But does "Only time for Grape-Nuts" mean that there's no time for more than breakfast, or does it mean that time already spent in the bedroom has left no time for a more elaborate breakfast? It's possible of course that this ad might only be a comment on modern times and the death of cooking. The locked eyes though suggest more.
And who are these people anyway? Are they both headed off to work? (Would a woman have dressed in this way around the house?) If the couple are a husband and wife, why is he dressing next to what looks like a single bed? And why is his coat hanging on a chair?
[Readers of a certain age will recognize in this post's title a play on the title of David Reuben's book Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) (1969).]
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comments: 4
And is it just me, or is there something suggestive about the Grape Nuts being "sturdy," "always ready" and "always satisfying"?
(I also love Grape Nuts, though I usually add them for crunch to other things.)
The question to ask about a picture like this, what happened just before this moment in time? He could be getting dressed after an assignation with the lady and so all he has time to eat is the cereal.
But what is he's actually getting undressed? Then all *she* has time for is cereal.
And I'm sorry for being smutty minded, but are we talking about the man's "Grape Nuts" or the cereal?
I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one finding implications in this ad.
I think he woke up late for work, probably assuming he will have to skip breakfast, when his wife suggests a quick bowl of Grape-Nuts.
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