I didn’t encounter this very often as a kid in the 70s, but my mom did put bedspreads or towels on the couch to keep it somewhat protected from us kids.
Although the plastic covers were horrendous, I do wonder if the advent of stain resistant fabrics and cheaper imported furniture plays a role in people’s habits. I have an old couch that I’d like to get reupholstered but suspect it will cost more than a new one
My parents thought that plastic furniture covers showed a mistake in a person's priorities. It says the furniture is more important than your comfort. How about plastic covered furniture in rooms only used when guests come over? Needless to say, we didn't have plastic furniture covers. I think some people expected you to sit on the plastic, so they weren't just used to protect from everyday use, but even from guests. I think this was more a female phenomenon i.e. the wife was the one interested in it, probably because she was the one cleaning the furniture. There was a curious Freudian take on it, unsurprisingly sexual in nature. But I don't give much credence to Freudian analysis. As a kid, I thought the plastic coated furniture was bizarre and strange; very unwelcoming. In my experience it reflected the oddness of the people who did it: my mother's communist cousins and a friend's family who used to water the driveway with a hose. The latter also roped off the room only used to entertain guests. You have to wonder how they got plastic to fit the specific furniture and if it was expensive. Why did it stop with furniture? Imagine, plastic covered appliances, tables, cars, carpeting, kids, clothing... The mind boggles.
I didn’t encounter this very often as a kid in the 70s, but my mom did put bedspreads or towels on the couch to keep it somewhat protected from us kids.
Although the plastic covers were horrendous, I do wonder if the advent of stain resistant fabrics and cheaper imported furniture plays a role in people’s habits. I have an old couch that I’d like to get reupholstered but suspect it will cost more than a new one
My parents thought that plastic furniture covers showed a mistake in a person's priorities. It says the furniture is more important than your comfort. How about plastic covered furniture in rooms only used when guests come over? Needless to say, we didn't have plastic furniture covers. I think some people expected you to sit on the plastic, so they weren't just used to protect from everyday use, but even from guests. I think this was more a female phenomenon i.e. the wife was the one interested in it, probably because she was the one cleaning the furniture. There was a curious Freudian take on it, unsurprisingly sexual in nature. But I don't give much credence to Freudian analysis. As a kid, I thought the plastic coated furniture was bizarre and strange; very unwelcoming. In my experience it reflected the oddness of the people who did it: my mother's communist cousins and a friend's family who used to water the driveway with a hose. The latter also roped off the room only used to entertain guests. You have to wonder how they got plastic to fit the specific furniture and if it was expensive. Why did it stop with furniture? Imagine, plastic covered appliances, tables, cars, carpeting, kids, clothing... The mind boggles.