Take a toothbrush, for instance...
I remember a time when a toothbrush came in one size, one style and 4 colours: red, blue, green and yellow. And everyone wanted the yellow.
Today, your toothbrush is an extension of your personality. It tells visitors to your bathroom a whole lot about you, your last relationship, your worst nightmare, your borderline schizoid tendencies and your favourite 3 am snack. It also defines your status, and hints at the health of your bank balance. Does yours have a flourescent stripe down the side and its own personal jet? Well then, you're not hip enough to make the grade, sorry.
Today's toothbrushes separate the men from the women from the girls from the boys from the wimps. Besides, they not only brush your teeth, they also feed the kids/pets, pay your bills and call the dentist for you. Or they should, considering how savvy they look.
They come in a plethora of ergonomic and aerodynamically superior shapes, from supersleek curves...two and three per handle...or a wiggle or two or five at the top, just before the bristles. There are striped sporty-looking bi-coloured ones, there’s contrast stripes and sparkles, bi-coloured bristles, tricky ones with longer bristles at the top to reach behind teeth, longer bristles at the back to reach behind ears…you name it, somebody thought of it. I'd really like to meet the people that design them. They must have chronically warped minds.
Meanwhile, I've just been toothbrush shopping. I have a whole new wardrobe of them; a 3-colour-bristle one for teeth, gums and plaque (evidently, each colour knows what its job spec. is), blue with a green stripe, green with a blue stripe and orange dots...hey, three new toothbrushes is a real splurge for me...I usually wait till all the bristles fall out before even considering buying a new one. But hell, I'm feeling extravagant. Next week, I go shopping for dental floss.
Today, your toothbrush is an extension of your personality. It tells visitors to your bathroom a whole lot about you, your last relationship, your worst nightmare, your borderline schizoid tendencies and your favourite 3 am snack. It also defines your status, and hints at the health of your bank balance. Does yours have a flourescent stripe down the side and its own personal jet? Well then, you're not hip enough to make the grade, sorry.
Today's toothbrushes separate the men from the women from the girls from the boys from the wimps. Besides, they not only brush your teeth, they also feed the kids/pets, pay your bills and call the dentist for you. Or they should, considering how savvy they look.
They come in a plethora of ergonomic and aerodynamically superior shapes, from supersleek curves...two and three per handle...or a wiggle or two or five at the top, just before the bristles. There are striped sporty-looking bi-coloured ones, there’s contrast stripes and sparkles, bi-coloured bristles, tricky ones with longer bristles at the top to reach behind teeth, longer bristles at the back to reach behind ears…you name it, somebody thought of it. I'd really like to meet the people that design them. They must have chronically warped minds.
Meanwhile, I've just been toothbrush shopping. I have a whole new wardrobe of them; a 3-colour-bristle one for teeth, gums and plaque (evidently, each colour knows what its job spec. is), blue with a green stripe, green with a blue stripe and orange dots...hey, three new toothbrushes is a real splurge for me...I usually wait till all the bristles fall out before even considering buying a new one. But hell, I'm feeling extravagant. Next week, I go shopping for dental floss.
posted by Priya Tuli at
2:52 am
4 Comments:
I really like your dedication to dental hygiene. Your close examination of toothbrushes and what they say about a person was fascinating.
Were you born in Indonesia? Priya sounds Indian.
By
c., at 23/8/04 03:01
Delighted to hear it! May I offer you a slightly-used purple toothbrush with flourescent green bristles? It upsets my canines. No? Some floss, perhaps?
I must confess, though, my bro is an oromaxillofacial surgeon, and I wrote that blog to tell him I was thinking of him. Helps to talk the same language, that way people understand what you're saying...
Lived in Indonesia for 10 years, and yes, Priya is 289% Indian. Where does an Avery originate/live?
By
Priya Tuli, at 23/8/04 03:20
Wow. I just saw your site on my favorites list. It's been a while.
Avery is English in orgin. I have dual Canadian/U.S. citizenship. I grew up in Oregon and I've been living in San Francisco for 2 years.
I'll visit your blog every now and again to catch up.
By
c., at 3/9/04 11:34
Hello, again! I see you found your way to Aswespeak as well! Nice!
By
Priya Tuli, at 21/9/04 17:44
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