This 60s Icon Is Neither a Person nor a Place

The 60s, as any baby boomer who grew up in that decade, will tell you, was a happening. Our generation had its own music, fashion, war, cars, made specially for cruisin' and TV. Our television programs were so special that many have been made into movies and quite a few appear on TV shows such as TV Land and American Life TV. If the 60s were not special then why are so many young people of today fascinated with that era?

During the 60s, dating and competing with the opposite sex, was just as popular as it is today with one exception. In my opionion, relationships were more meaningful and going with someone meant committed to that person as long as you both continued to wear each other's ring. Remember exchanging class rings? The girls either wore the ring around their neck to signify they were going steady so it was hands off to the other guys. Also many of the girls wore the rings with angora wrapped around the ring, which made it easier to fit around their small fingers. Guys wore the girls' rings on their pinky or around their neck.

Both guys and girls really took particular care on their appearance. The girls always looked lovely and smelled very nice on dates. I always loved to smell the perfume on a girl's neck (as long as it wasn't overpowering). We as guys insured we looked our very best. We wore our best jeans or dresss pants, a pressed shirt and polished shoes. Which leads me to the icon of the 60s that no guy could do without and no lady could resist and that was Jade East Cologne. The girls just went wild over it. I believe it was a toxic agent that released the hormones in the girls. At least that is what I thought and the buddies I hung out with thought.

Jade East was a 60s icon. Who could ever forget it. Just ask any girl or guy from the era. Hey do you remember the cologne Jade East? I don't remember where or how I came about my first bottle but I know I would never go out on a date without splashing some on me. In fact I still have a bottle today and it is still available online.

I remember back in 1965 when a buddy of mine traveled to Waverly, Ohio to see these lovely girls we met down there. It became a weekly ritual it seemed to date these girls. Anyways my friend, Ron kept a bottle of Jade East in the glove compartment for emergencies, you understand. So as we got closer to our destination, I reached in the glove box and pulled out the Jade East and splashed some on me and handed it to Ron who in grabbing the bottle dropped it and it spilled all over the front seat, his sweater and trousers. We now smelled like a traveling (&*#$&*@) house. What a great surprise this will be for our dates.

Of course when we picked them up, the smell in the car was overpowering and perhaps these dates of ours might be the only girls that I know that doesn't like Jade East today. Don't bother polling a Jane or a Jeanne from Waverly, Ohio about how well they liked Jade East. I believe the smell of Jade East is still in that car. When Ron got rid of that car and got a useless Corvair, I believe that smell remained in the car for the new owner to relish.

Those were the days, weren't they?

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