80s ads #1
I am currently engaged in a study of 1980s television, which study also includes the commercials of the time. Since the shows are fairly familiar to most people, I thought I might post some of the notable commercials here.First is an ad for an unfortunately-named diet pill--and yes, this is a real ad:
This is from 1983 or so, but amazingly, they kept these on the market until 1987!
Second is actually something I saw an ad for rather than the ad itself--a strange short film starring David Letterman:
And third...well, couldn't find the ad I actually saw, but this is pretty close, even if it neglects some key lines. This was actually a movie.
Along with watching the first day of MTV and (accidentally) Friday the 13th Part 2, this is all making me think about 80s aesthetics--what they were, where they came from, what they imply. It goes beyond the comedic signifiers of the period, like big hair and neon spandex, and I think it incorporates things beyond simple visuals or style. If we regard "the 80s" as a kind of individual, where did its tastes come from?
Labels: commercials, pop, style, TV
posted by Mike B. @ 12:54 PM
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