No dieting, no drugs, no sweating in a vapor bath, and no "Aerobatics."* This 1917 advertisement from the Canadian magazine McClure's shows the projected results but remains vague on the machinery involved.This device is likely to be the Abdominal Belt which was patented in 1904 by Sidney H. Burns of New York City. It looks pretty useless, as one might expect.
The Ceiling Walker post is coming along, but will be delayed somewhat due to the fact that my computer is acting up and needs some fixing-up over the weekend. I don't want to rush things as it is a bit complicated to write (and really quite fun, too).
* Aerobatics is the demonstration of flying maneuvers. I assume that Burns meant aerobics plus acrobatics in what Lewis Carroll called a portmanteau word.
12 comments:
And a 40 day free trial?
Sign me up! lol
Jayne - That's a long time, really...I wonder how many people ordered it?
Aerobatics would be fun to watch. I just can't see me flying very far. :)
I love the title of this ad!
I will have to use it in one of my future ads for a weight loss product.
It's not often that you hear someone mention 'girth'! ;)
I like the line, "Reduce Your Girth" too. LOL.
Omigosh...in the 50's, I went to a fitness place called "Silouette" and they had those vibrator belts. I could never eat before I went or I'd be really nauseated. As it was, it made me dizzy...hmmmm, maybe that's what caused my to be "dizzy" to this day...oh wait, hubby said "ditzy"...not dizzy!
Laura - I would crack my head on the ceiling if I tried to do aerobatics!
The Fitness Diva - That would be great for one of your posts! There are all sorts of odd old fitness/diet products that I come across, I think I may need a new category...
Dori - It's very appealing, isn't it? :)
Judy - My mom's old Vogue book of beauty talks about one of those places (it was from 1957) and the author said she smoked a cigarette while she was on/in one of those belts, can you imagine?
But I like girth...
I think I may like an auto masseur better though.
Max - No kidding. The only mention I found of this thing in Google Books was rather saucy - which I omitted because - well, this is a dime museum, not a Coney Island dance hall...
(PS - It wasn't THAT exciting...)
• • When it goes into your tummy, it's quite yummy. Then (invariably) it goes to WAIST.
• • Dear Lidian, were we not talking about these abdominal belts and this weight-loss voodoo, in an earlier post? Ah, I wonder how much this auto-masseur patent brought the inventor in 1904. Those were the days before the government inspectors stepped in – – and found other ways to make adults sweat and fret and shrink the poundage.
• • Happy Holidays to all. Come up and see Mae . . .
Mae - We were indeed! There were so many of them back in the day (not to mention those 12-course Lillian Russellesque meals!)
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