Encouraging the ladies to go shopping in old-time Phoenix


As a man, I'm completely oblivious of everything that women have to go through. When I stop and think about it, it seems overwhelming, and of course to make it even more overwhelming for me I try to imagine how it was for ladies in old-time Phoenix. But I want to try, anyway. Come along with me.

Let's time-travel to 1921 and see things from the point of view of ladies who are being encouraged to go Christmas shopping. The ad that I found in the Library of Congress gives me some type of view, but I'm a man, and if you think that I'm not seeing what they're saying clearly, especially if you're a woman, please let me know.

First of all, let's start with the word "lady". Speaking for myself, I've never really understood the distinction between a lady and a woman. But in 1921 it would have been a matter of sophistication. This isn't a put-down of the term "woman" or "female", but lady meant something, the way that the term gentleman meant more than just a man. There's a sense of refinement. So when I see the headline saying "Invitation to the Ladies" I'm seeing a bit of snobbishness, a message to the kind of lady who wouldn't dream of spending several hours shopping, because she would have to go home. Stay with me on this.

Excuse me, I have to get delicate here. The mention of a "rest room" in that ad certainly didn't mean a toilet, it meant a place where a lady could sit and rest a bit, maybe drink some tea, and have some chocolate. Of course there would be, uh, accommodations, which nowadays we take for granted. But many ladies wouldn't dream of, uh, "answering the call of the wild" in public. Sorry about that, but that's part of doing shopping that takes hours. Am I right, or am I right? Speaking for myself, as a man, I'm only good for a couple of hours, especially if I've been drinking coffee. OK, enough about that!

Of course, the Georgouses Brothers were selling something - candy. And ads cost money, even in old-time Phoenix, and the whole point of creating a refined and relaxing atmosphere was to attract the type of lady who had money in her purse, and was willing to spend it - even forty cents for a lunch, which was fairly expensive in 1921. There wouldn't have been any public rest rooms back then, certainly nothing that a lady would use. I don't want to go into detail about what the men did, so let's skip talking about that.

And now for the most important part: How about bringing back some chocolate for me? I'll have the kitchen all swept for you when you get home!
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