There is a popular caveat repeated often on reality television here that says don’t try this at home. It certainly applies here to the half-dozen posting in a mainstream publication. Some of this information may seem irrevelant and others who have no interest in the American Way may find it yawnable but I hope some will eill enjoy and/or learn something about our history. Hollywood probably assures that many of this will not be unfamiliar to our estimable Forum.
Google has become a souce of a mine lode of links especially when it comes to small city papers in the days of yore as I recently mentioned. Is this happening in regional papers in the UK.
In 1939 an article that would appear in the below links wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. The end of the innocence began here with kinky model Betty Page. The film on the Notorious Betty Page showed when that Senator Estes Kefauver TN attacked the effects of pornography on youth with her promoter Irving Klaw being questioned on Capitol Hill. Her promoter was upset that Kiss Me Kate with its famous spanking scene on stage in 1951 didn’t receive any censure or censor. Nothing pornographic here. I did find the pout with the wife rubbing her bottom ranking up there with a Norman Rockwell classic. It may become a best selling poster.
As I look back I wonder in 1939 whether the same mentality justifying nonconsensual corporal punishment for self gratification was operative in the home within moderation was found in the school. There is a universal moral compass IMHO called a conscience and I find many people must have found corporal punishment OTT and looked the other way back then. How many bare bottom spankings were given devoid of lustful motives? I would assume most but less likely than clothed. Pain and humilation was part of the punishment and I’m sure given by many with the best interests of the student in mind but were people aware what a temptation it was for some? They stopped doing it around the end of the age of innocence. What year or so was that in the UK? We have fewer boarding school so much of this wouldn’t apply as it did in the home. What shifting standards of motives in fashion and CP!!!
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There is a strange blend between morality and eroticism when it comes to corporal punishment. It was impossible to discuss the erotic qualities in the 1930s here so spanking was disguised as punishment. The mainstream press bought into it before the end of the age of the innocence. We cant let people know our darkest secret and if that was their darkest secret it indeed was an innocent age. Consensual adults who engage in said activities should not have to bear those burdens in the 21st century.
Here are two examples to augment the 1939 newspaper article from the most recent post on this thread. It really may belong under CP lighter side (Spencer Plan mentioned there) but I think it may warrant a more serious look on how it may apply to school corporal punishment. Sadism and eroticism are not totally divorced from the administration of corporal punishment in some cases and hopefully with accountability and transparency can ameliorate that was lacking when I was a student. The cartoon was based on the Los Angeles Times story.
There were 59 wives of spanking husbands and one was being formed in Sioux Falls SD a community of only 80,000 in 1940 census and perhaps the last place you would think of but you never know and certainly the inspiration for the cartoon. BTW sorry about repearing a link in the first post.
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After the second world war the punitive aspect of spanking lessened and it became wrapped up into either a threatrical piece or romantic comedy and it became more overtly sexual but still very tame why Hollywood kept its focus on the family. I think these links are more appropriately posted here as a recently digitilized 1940 newspaper story. Pub Deb was the precursor to the anti Nazi films that were going to inundate Hollywood.
There is also the picture of Doris Dudley with Skipper (Butch Jenkins) who surpassed the fame of her mother in the last two links. The first article involes the Spanking of Brenda Joyce who played Jane in Tarzan.
Hollywood’s world revolves so far from the states that practice corporal punishment that there are sections of the United States that whole parts of the country don’t even see corporal punishment administered in film. This was true during the days when paddling was more frequent and even more true now. Now spanking is shown as overtly sexual as recently posted program entitled “Weeds” and the biggest scandal a Hollywood star can be caught in is to get caught spanking their child.
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Corpun did a section on spanking sells but I think it needs to be seen in the context of this thread end of the age of innocence. For sure the pictures are familiar but until Google started publishing popular magazines the images were only found in private collections. I noticed Dean Clarke obtained a photo of a caning captured on camera in Australia. It is said that all meaning is context derivative and I think seeing these ads in the context of a magazine gives the reader a better understanding of the times.
During WWII American women took the places of men and ads showing woman as weak or stupid wouldnt fly. The other entries were around 1939 to 1940. There was no true recovery from the Great Depression of 1929 until the war. The men came home with jobs and the women were taken care of financially so the role of housewife became imaged in Hollywood and Madison Avenue. Rock Hudson and Doris Day showed the glamorous side in Pillow Talk and Desi Arnez and Lucille Ball showed it on the small screen in I Love Lucy where Lucy was on the receiving end from her husbands Cuban temper.
The question really is when did the eyebrows start being raised or were they considered naughty to begin with or when were they seen as erotic. These ads were lighthearted for sure and unusual but not outrageous hence such ads were relatively scarce. When did women realize the sexists assumptions or did they already know? IMHO Van Heusen was overtly sexual and was giving a message to the man if you want to enjoy getting pleasure from your women dress to attract her. The coffee commercial was more a message to women saying keep your man happy.
Milwaukee and Pittsburgh papers are providing the same service as Life Magazine is doing and Im sure as more newspaper archives go online thing more relevant than corporal punishment in the home will come to light that are more germane to our estimable Forum. If I keep surfing I might find a good wave. Im sure through digitalization the same will happen to UK publications. And perhaps have already had?
When it comes to school corporal punishment with the genders these sharp delineation of roles may account for the sugar and spice vs. the rustle and tussle factors. In the south boys were more on the receiving end than girls prior to “woman’s lib” than after. IMHO human nature is human nature and their behavior didn’t change but the perception that both genders were deserving and would equally benefit made the disparity lessen. I don’t think the girls are being spared on account of the gender but what behavior the school considers paddle merit. Offenses and sanctions relating to things like tardies and skipped detention that both genders are likely to do lead to parity. I absent smoking from the discussion because relatively speaking that has not shown itself to be not that significant of the portion being paddled.
May 23, 1949 Spanking sells shirts Life Magazine. It would be a red head that gets the spanking.
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Today every spanking filmed is to satisfy the “spankos”. Were the producers and directors aware of this when they did these publicity stills? Were they comic? Were they meant to attract viewers who knew thay would prove titillating. I think I’ve identified the era of the age of the innocence as a few years shy of 1970 which was of course the time when people felt more comfortable to talk about their sexuality openly. Spankings began to leave the mainstream media. These two links cover the golden years of cinema spanking and in not a salacious manner. The sexual element has not been part of the anti-CP zealot campaign just think of Paula and the bathing suit area arguments against CP and gender restrictions with high school age students more so than the lower school ages.
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Whoever runs this adult site has access to some of the best material online. “American Magazine” ran from 1906 to 1956. The days of a photo photo showing a teenage girl being spanked with spanking tips offered are long gone.
The days of hard copy stacks and microfiche have given way to digitilize stories. Maybe it will come up soon for it is a recently posted photo. Granted teenagers were often turned over their mom’s knees but doing stories about it ended more than fifty years ago. As spankings become less frequent at home they become less acceptable in school. States that are most adament against CP like Massachusetts are the ones pushing for laws against spanking in the home. A picture may tell a thousand tales but I would still love to read the story. It has to be out there somewhere of its in Yahoo. Happy lurking.
American Magazine
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I think it is sad that after more than sixty years Tufts college wont show an on stage spanking from Kiss Me Kate. Since this is a colege production the kids are consenting adults and may be even the oldest spanked in school albeit in a not in a disciplinary context. Wilson in the Promise Land would qualify. Boy did those poor girls get spanked hard. I wonder what they would say about that 40 years later? Besame Catalina in shorts matching her pumps. Real classy. They ought to spank Barbara Wallace Grossman. I would be first in line.