“Why did we put our heads together? To save money!”
That was the tagline on an early 1960s magazine ad for Bradley Group Showers, a.k.a. Bradley Corporation, one of the bathroom industry’s leading manufacturers of commercial plumbing fixtures and washroom accessories.
The ad, which was designed to sell economical plumbing systems to colleges and sports teams, featured four musclebound young men, butt naked, and having way too much fun showering inches apart from one another.
“Handle large groups economically,” the ad reads.
Clearly, the totally-not-gay marketing strategy worked. Because a few years later, Bradley put out another ad, this time featuring not four but five hunky men all lathered up and sharing one fixture. (Look closely at those showerheads BTW. What do they remind you of?)
“Use this shower team and you’ll move people,” the ad says. “Lots of people, in and out of shower rooms. Fast!”
But it didn’t stop there.
Another ad from the early 1970s depicted not four, not five, but six guys lined up for their turn to get in on that fast Bradley shower action in a colorful locker room that looks not dissimilar to… a New York disco club?
Founded in 1917 by Harry Bradley, inventor of the washfountain, the Wisconsin-based Bradley Corporation is still around today, more than 100 years later. The company still makes group showers, too, available in several different prototypes. Although they’ve toned down their advertising.
While you’re here, check out our slideshow of vintage male underwear ads…
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Shaving is a delicate art that requires several steps, tools, and products.
FreddieW
Yeah, gay guys are always thinking straight guys feel the same thing around naked men, but they don’t. I’m certain I was the only person in the locker room shower in high school worried about an erection.
Bosch
Nah, gay guys think that a lot of “straight” guys are lying about being straight.
Because they is.
storm45701
We’re all bisexual to some degree; and in my high school, it was the straight guys checking out the packages of the other boys in the room. And many of those same “straight” guys would ask me for a BJ, on the down low, of course.
dbmcvey
This has nothing to do with gay guys thinking straight guys feel anything. It’s ONLY about recognizing the homoeroticism of these ads. These ads are all illustrations, the people in them aren’t thinking anything at all.
NateOcean
In Jr High, the shower room was individual showers around the room perimeter.
(Not much fun there, except for the toweling off area.)
When I went to High School, we had those exact Bradley circular showers!
(I thought I’d died and gone to heaven!)
College wasn’t much fun, as they had individual private stalls.
SantaFeJack
I still prefer the “gang” showers that were prevalent at the YMCA. Unfortunately, they seem to be going the way of the Dodo bird. You can imagine my surprise and disappointment when I went to a local health club and found tiny little one-person showers. And some adult men changing their shorts UNDER their towels! Like they were at a beach with no changing rooms. WTH with all of this ridiculous modesty!?!
scotty
Jerry Sanduskey is VERY familiar with those showers. im pretty sure they had them at Penn State and still may. hope you die in prison you nasty POS