The Pilgrim Paradox

I've had the ad below in my 'Thanksgiving' folder for a few years now.  The Carter's Trigs 1953 underwear has a Thanksgiving theme and on the surface seems rather benign and innocent.  It was certainly benign the year it came out, at least to the audience the company was seeking. As time moves on however,  I struggle more and more with depictions of Pilgrims and (with) Native Americans to promote Thanksgiving.

Those with even a casual knowledge of history, know that stories of the 'First Thanksgiving' aren't exactly factual.  Stories like Squanto's Journey have been read to children for years.  Unlike stories about Santa Clause however, children aren't sat down at 11 and 12 and told that what they were read and told wasn't historically factual.

The truth, still playing itself out today, wasn't as simple as a handshake followed by a huge feast.  Everyone didn't come together with smiles on their faces to celebrate. It was a more violent transition.  Pilgrims and Native American's were of course crucial to the event, just not as they're usually portrayed in ads, cartoons and children's bedtime stories.

I hate that the term political correctness has become so corrupted.  So many, including the fool in the White House, have turned something positive into something distorted.  There will always be those who take things too far, but for me, political correctness is simply about thinking.  Thinking about how our words, how our actions, even how the visuals we choose, may impact others.  Thinking about others is never a bad thing.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you is not just the golden rule, it's a rule that every year, more and more seem to forget and ignore.

Two Spirits by Marc DeBauch

This year, when putting together my Thanksgiving pieces, I came upon a Playgirl spread from the 1990's. (below)  I thought The Passionate Pilgrim was a hot spread, and wanted to include it, but had to really think about how it fit into my own thoughts about Thanksgiving related visuals.  In the end, and after weighing several factors,  I chose to include it.  For me, it didn't have the same exploitation feel that I sometimes get, maybe in part due to it being a male and female. There is also the nostalgia element in the series, and the  Carter's Trig ad.  Nostalgia as we've learned can be risky, depending on your personal experiences.  Maybe I'm justifying a bit, (a lot) I'm not sure, but the struggle to decide was something I'm actually thankful for.

Artwork by J.C. Leyendecker