We Are Mass-Media "Tools"

It occurred to me the other day that as much as Scott and I pride ourselves on our shopping restraint, a high-minded sense of making informed, conscientious decisions about what we purchase and why, we are often "sucked-in" to the vast black hole that is infomercials. The exciting descriptions of new products intended to shave minutes off your morning routine, decrease your battle with mundane house chores, or simply change the way you see yourself in the mirror, are all intended to persuade you to shell out your hard-earned cash. But personally, I think it is the testimonials - whether it is an astounding before and after picture of incredible weight loss, a weepy woman describing how make-up gave her the confidence to get a job teaching, or the miraculous number of meals one can create with the shilled kitchen device - I am hooked.

Exhibit A: The first time I saw a commercial for the Snuggie, I laughed so hard I cried - I went running up the stairs calling to Scott to come and look at the television. I think it must have been the family of three sitting in the bleachers dressed like recently-escaped-from-the-monastery-monks in burgundy habits, cheering-on their son/brother while he played soccer that initially sent me in to hysterics. And yet, while Scott and I shopped at Walgreens the other day, we passed a display of the infamous "the blanket that has sleeves," we looked at each other, shrugged, and threw one in the cart. One can only mock so long before one must admit to the numerous practical uses for such an invention - fashion-forward it is not, but it is a warm alternative to a cold night.

Exhibit B: One of the great mysteries of television infomercials is why the makers of The Magic Bullet felt it was necessary to use paid actors to peddle their wares rather than to let the product speak for itself through the real-life user endorsements. Nooooo....instead they felt it was necessary to have set the infomercial in a fake kitchen, apparently one in which any old "boozy" neighbor, or "crotchety old" biddy, are welcome to waltz into whenever it strikes their fancy. And yet....for all its ridiculousness, I found myself curious about the myriad options for how I could use it, and so I bought one.

Exhibit C: Scott and I typically enjoy going to the Puyallup Fair just to "be there" and soak-in the excitement and action. On principal, we make a sojourn to the product areas, reminiscent of when farmers would bring their produce to sell at the county fair, not necessarily to buy anything but because it's fun to see what's being hawked. This last fall, in we went, and out we came with Sham Wow! - the German "wonder" towel. And while its powers were undeniably attractive - soaking up an entire can of soda out of a swatch of carpeting - I think we may have been caught up in the moment.

Exhibits D, E, F and G: Over the course of the years, Scott and I have succumbed to the cunning enticements of various infomercial pronunciations, including: Dermacia, a type of makeup with "amazing coverage" that also "breathes"; Sheer Cover, a mineral makeup "pimped" by Leeza Gibbons; The Firm, an exercise program involving a combination of step aerobics and weights created by a cohort of women in the Deep South - gotta love an instructor calling out the step with an accent: "Hey, ya'all take a look at thowse guuuns". For a highly entertaining event, you should see Scott and I doing these videos together; and Green Tea Patches, intended to accelerate your weight loss efforts.

Some of these purchases have been absolutely ridiculous and some have been very helpful, but the bottom line is that they are entertaining. Recently I saw the most AWESOME infomercial for a workout video, which I am now begging Scott to buy me for my birthday: the official Dirty Dancing Workout video.

Entertaining? Fo sho...... Helpful? That remains to be seen...... If you want to see a few clips from this AMAZING video see attached: http://dirtydancingworkout.com/ Maybe once we are dancing like Jonny and Baby we will post our own video....stay posted.