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AIBU?

To be irritated by this description of an innocuous item?

31 replies

BatonRouge · 09/02/2016 13:31

What are they playing at? Gone back to the 1950's have we Sainsbos?

To be irritated by this description of an innocuous item?
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EnglishGirlApproximately · 09/02/2016 13:34

That style of pillowcase is called housewife everywhere not just Sainsburys, it's just the design name.

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PurpleDaisies · 09/02/2016 13:35

That's the style mans. It's been around for donkeys years.

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PurpleDaisies · 09/02/2016 13:35

Style name and cross posted with you English.

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toottoottakeover · 09/02/2016 13:38

It's just the name of that kind of pillowcase, I don't see what the problem is.

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BatonRouge · 09/02/2016 13:39

Really?! There's me thinking it was a some outdated way of flogging a house-ware range!

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TwatMagnet · 09/02/2016 13:39

This has been a thing forever OP. Forever.

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BatonRouge · 09/02/2016 13:42

Still think its a bit of an old fashioned name though but honestly didnt know it was desribing standard sizes pillowcases Grin

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LurkingHusband · 09/02/2016 13:42

Is it being too incendiary to comment that just because it has been called that for years is no reason for it to continue being called that ? Especially given how other words - despite being merrily used for centuries - are now slightly less fashionable ?

Or should I butt out Hmm ?

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liinyo · 09/02/2016 13:43

A 'housewife' pillow is the industry standard name for a plain rectangular pillow case. If it has an ornamental band around the edges it is called an 'Oxford' pillow case. God only knows why.

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BatonRouge · 09/02/2016 13:56

I'm with you there LurkingHusband

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EnglishGirlApproximately · 09/02/2016 14:13

It is old fashioned but how would changing the name happen? There are literally hundreds possibly thousands of manufacturers and retailers using this name, who would coordinate an agreement for them all to change at the same time? Who would pay for the rebranding and reprinting if all of the packaging and marketing? I doubt it's high up the list of priorities for any of them.

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LurkingHusband · 09/02/2016 14:13

#everyday sexism ?

We need a campaign. A slogan. A logo. And a patron. And a suggestion for an alternative descriptive word.

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LurkingHusband · 09/02/2016 14:16

It is old fashioned but how would changing the name happen? There are literally hundreds possibly thousands of manufacturers and retailers using this name, who would coordinate an agreement for them all to change at the same time? Who would pay for the rebranding and reprinting if all of the packaging and marketing? I doubt it's high up the list of priorities for any of them.

Ah, the old "it's too hard" retort. Anyway, best way to move it up their list of priorities, is to make it yours. Given the amount of tinkering I have seen in my life, over words and meanings, this should be a doozey.

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OhShutUpThomas · 09/02/2016 14:20

Grin

I love this thread.

It's the name of the pillowcase style. Always has been. For tiiiime.

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OhShutUpThomas · 09/02/2016 14:21

Are you going to take on Kleenex Man Size tissues too lurking?

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wonkylampshade · 09/02/2016 14:22

It's news to me too OP! Confused

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EnglishGirlApproximately · 09/02/2016 14:22

I'm not going to bite lurking as you seem to want to make a slightly old fashioned description into some sort of huge issue. I'll leave you to it Grin

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BlondeOnATreadmill · 09/02/2016 14:26

SAHM pillowcase?

It is called what it's called. Has been for AGES. If you take offence, does that mean there's something derogatory about Housewives?

Don't even get me started on Yoghurt....that is now Yogurt. Who decided that?

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RoganJosh · 09/02/2016 14:27

I suppose it could be just called a plain pillowcase, to differentiate from the Oxford.

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LadyIsabellaWrotham · 09/02/2016 14:28

We had this thread a couple of years ago. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/a2031197-About-pillow-cases-having-housewife-written-on-the-packaging

The ones with the useful flap on the end to stop them falling out are called Housewife after the Housewives Co-operative of Bolton apparently. I'm visualising them (entirely in my imagination, because Google's giving me nothing) as fine strong women who worked together in the cause of female and class solidarity and took no shit from anyone and I'm happy to keep their name.

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SoupDragon · 09/02/2016 14:35

Is it time to change the word "human" to something less gender specific?

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diddl · 09/02/2016 14:35

Well, you learn something everyday!

I always thought that a pillowcase was a pillowcase was a pillowcase.

Unless it was an Oxford pillowcase.

Well don't I just feel daft!

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WhereYouLeftIt · 09/02/2016 14:40

Ooh that's interesting LadyIW. I love finding out that the origins of a word/name are nothing like what I assumed.

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SilverBirchWithout · 09/02/2016 14:42

So you pillowcase experts, so is there a type of covering that is not either a Housewife or Oxford pillowcase?
Somewhere in my brain I can remember having pillowcases when I was a child without a foldover flap thingy.

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Inertia · 09/02/2016 14:56

If an Oxford pillowcase reduced its ornamental edging by 50%, could we get the IOC to declare it a housewife pillowcase anyway and compel shops to display it with the other housewife pillowcases, as ornamental bands confer no linen-based advantage?

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