Over and over again, we women of today are reminded of how far we've come from what was once our mothers' world. We share equal responsibility in "bringing home the bacon" and our husbands, in return, share equal responsibility for child rearing and housework. We're soldiers, CEOs, firefighters and engineers, and if we want to spend the day at the spa instead of in the kitchen, no one's going to stop us, right?
I have to admit I've never been much of a "women's libber" myself, and none of the charm of being at home and taking care of children was ever lost on me because I loved every minute of it. But every once in a while, I do find myself caught up in the fascination of the modern gadgets that make life as a woman simpler and, well - more liberated.
A case in point is the Robo Stir. While watching TV one afternoon last weekend, the ad caught my eye and held it. The Robo Stir is a battery-powered device that operates on three little caster-tipped legs and takes care of stirring whatever you have going on top of the stove so you can keep busy doing something else. Here's how the advertisement goes:
"We all get super busy in the kitchen, especially when we're preparing a big dinner for multiple people all by ourselves. Sometimes, two hands just aren't enough. When you have to continuously stir grandma's 'finicky' gravy and take your delicious homemade cake out of the oven at the same time, that's when you need three hands. Yes, we've all been there. Either the cake is going to get a little brown or the gravy is going to stick to the bottom of your pan. Well, that scenario is now a thing of the past. Let the Robo Stir do your stirring for you. I can promise grandma's gravy will never stick to the bottom of the pan ever again."
Wow, I never really was much good at making either grandma's gravy OR homemade cake, so this little gizmo is definitely for me!
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I'd pretty much decided that the Robo Stir is the ultimate convenience to free up today's harried career woman when I discovered - the Slipper Genie Floor Cleaning Slippers! These funky little slippers come equipped with little tassels on the soles made of microfiber chenille that are supposed to help out with the housework while cradling your feet in the lap of luxury.
"Cleaning your floors is now as easy as walking around your home!" the advertisement declares. "The Slipper Genie Floor Cleaning Slippers have a soft bottom dusting surface that is ideal for cleaning hardwood, linoleum and tile flooring. The soles of the cleaning slippers are held on by Velcro and can be completely detached and cleaned in your washing machine. Allowing you to use your feet for dusting and cleaning your floors will save you from excessive back pain from hunching over."
The slippers come in a rainbow of fashion colors, and you can even get them with a perky bow on top, in animal designs for the kids, or even in black - for your husband!
I had visions of Ken and I slipping cozily into our Slipper Genie Floor Cleaning Slippers after getting home from work at night, shuffling along our hardwood floors while sucking up cat hair as we go, and polishing them to a glossy shine by the time we arrive at the loveseat....
One of my favorite inventions for the modern woman, however, just has to be "Pajama Jeans."
"They look like denim, but feel like pajamas!" the advertisement proclaims. "They feel like sleepwear but look too good to keep hidden under the covers!"
The ad goes on to sing the praises of the jeans' special fabric made of a "proprietary blend" of cotton and spandex that gives them that "smooth, butt-lifting design" - a definite plus for any woman. And they have the same styling as jeans, with riveted back pockets and stitched seams so they look realistic enough to fool most anybody, but there are no snaps and zippers to poke and bind you and the fabric expands as you do so you don't ever have to worry about getting too fat for your jeans.
Now that's my idea of women's liberation....
