Sunday, May 31, 2009

The Continuing Snuggification of America

So now this is happening:




It's the Wearable Towel. Okay, so previously we covered the Snuggie , the "Blanket with Sleeves," and its perhaps-inevitable hipster appeal, which led to lots of ironic (or post-ironic) Snuggie wearing and all-Snuggie pubcrawls and other efflorescences of hipster group-identity consolidation.

And now, for those same people who thought blankets, or for that matter, jackets, were too tricky, we have a wearable towel, just in time for summer. You really need to click over to that site and watch the commercial that plays. That poor girl just can't get her towel to stay wrapped!

This makes me think of several things:

1) Will a dude wear that toga towel? Even a really, really with-it young hipster dude with a full Iron & Wine beard (or whatever facial hair they're sporting these days)? I guess it's possible. And I really want a picture of that.

2) Were there just not enough options in swim cover ups? If your interest is sun protection, that thing doesn't cover your shoulders. If your interest is in drying off, why would you want to wear your damp towel around?

3) A bit of nostalgia: I remember in the late 70's or early 80's, my mom made my sister and me matching swim cover ups out of towels. I think they were just a big towel folded once, sewn partway up the sides to leave armholes, with a head hole cut, and cut and hemmed up the front to make a kind of tunic jacket, that could then be closed with little ties. I wonder if those are still around? Such a great home sewn moment! And the towels were the kind with a little fringe on the ends.

So what do we think of this? My family and I seem to be getting along fine with T-shirts. Will you be rocking the wearable towel? I am willing to suspend judgment on this. Except for dudes.

15 comments:

The Dental Maven said...

Call me crazy---but I love it!

Sjn said...

They've had those velcro wrap around towels for years. One was given to oldest daughter as a going to college gift by someone, so don't know if she ever used it there. But... when it came back home it went to Good Will.
We don't have a snuggle either though, Grammy hasn't figured out how to knit those yet.

Anonymous said...

Um, in the interest of keeping a towel somewhere near my children for more than 30 seconds I've just bought them poncho towels. Sorry.

Zion said...

I agree this is not much different than the velcro towel, and If I ever saw a guy wearing one of those toga things I just don't know what I would do.

Casey said...

I'm on board... anything that will cover up my big ass is ok by me.

Keely said...

I loved your commentary, but it kept getting overwhelmed by a chant from the back of my brain: "ToGA! toGA! toGA! toGA!".

I'm sure they'll be awfully popular around here, but not in the hipster ironic way.

Amy said...

LOL Keely--I was chanting the same thing!

I get confused with when I'm supposed to be wearing something, wearing it ironically, post-ironically, or quoting someone else who's wearing it. So I will probably have to steer clear of these and stick to T-shirts.

Plus, unless dudes have really defined upper bodies, I'm not sure they can pull this off. Not hatin', just sayin'.

Jenni said...

we will NOT be rocking the wearable towels in my household. But, my husband's dream job is to be that person in the infomercials that finds easy tasks impossibly difficult. an excellent use of his PhD, I say.

M and E said...

Snuggie Togas are like men's capri pants. Just shouldn't be done, unless you're European. (My dear American gay male friends, that includes you. I thought you had a better sense of style.)

Bex said...

the wearable towel is more conducive to south texas heat but it looks just as ridiculous as the snuggie.

Unknown said...

I had one of those velcro towels...it worked okay in the beginning, but whenever i washed the darn thing it always ruined everything else in the wash. Plus after a few washes the velcro pretty much stopped working.

I think i'm going to give this one a try, at least to walk around my house after getting out of the shower.

Sara said...

My question is: Where do you store your wearable towels? In the linen closet or just your regular closet? See, that's why I couldn't own one. Plus, there is just some part of me that says The hell with it, you don't like my cheesy bum, don't look at it. But I guess you could also say 'You don't like my stupid looking towel toga, don't look at it.

Oh my goodness, Jenni, those are our favorite!! Can't open a jar of pickles without exploding it all over the front of yourself? Can't mop a floor without slopping water all over the house? Can't grate cheese without rasping your hand down to a bloody stump?

Leciawp said...

ridiculous :)

Wendy said...

I think your mom should sue them for stealing her idea. This could be worth millions!

Elisa @ Globetrotting in Heels said...

oh, geez. I think people need to stop coming up with ways to make it ok to look sloppy. I love my comfy pjs, but that doesn't make it ok for me to go out in them.

Say NO to Crocs, the Snuggie and the wearable towel! :-)