I unabashedly admit to spending literally hours and hours and hours poring over teen fashion magazines during the 60's and early 70's ... and it's probably not surprising that now that I collect them, I can vividly recall quite a few specific articles, fashion layouts and advertisements.
However, extremely few ads smack my recall button the way this two-page spread from the June 1968 issue of Glamour does. Of course, it's been well-established what a sucker I was for anything from Yardley, so it naturally follows that when I saw how flawless and exquisitely romantic Yardley nail polish made the model's hand appear, I ran out and bought the very same shade that she wore. I painted my nails and then placed my freshly-polished fingers right next to the model's in the ad and wondered why my pudgy little digits didn't look as flawless and exquisitely romantic as hers did.
Obviously, I had no knowledge of hand models. Or photo-retouching. Or air-brushing. I truly believed that virtually everything in the advertisement would look the same way in real-life. I mean, they wouldn't trick us, would they?
I'm ashamed to say I still struggle with that idea today.
I know I must have focused most of my attention on the hand-half of this ad because if I had spent anytime at all studying the young couple, I would have been enlightened about one bit of advertising chicanery: that is the worst fake mustache ever.
(I'm still in love with that red-stoned ring she's wearing)
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