1970s Mistys

Some were like this:


But others were different. In the late sixties and early seventies, couples swinging became popular in small pockets of American culture through the practice of nonmonogamous sex. Although swinging is seemingly more Tammy’s style, Tammy’s behavior isn’t so contrived that she could organize key parties. Tammy easily finds herself upside down over the dog kennel or fucking someone with her shoe- but given the task of thinking up something kinky, the best Tammy can come up with is spin the bottle. Many swingers were actually jaded Mistys who were academic, fancy and overly praised, but feared they did not actually stand up to the admiration they received and, further, feared that life was meaningless but didn't want it to be. These sort of Mistys dulled their desperation with the solution of manufactured sexual freedom and attempted to prove their significance through their intellectual and social maturation in the matters of sex and coupling.

It's still true today that nothing is more indulgent than smoking a cigarette at the dinner table in between bites of pie or watching your husband have sex with your less wealthy best friend in the family room:


The Mandy daughters who put these pictures of their moms on their flickr.com page under the heading "what was she thinking?!" were referring to the fashion rather than the fact that they were taken by someone who isn't their dad in a unidentified motel room and there is a naked version of each photo out there somewhere that sometimes keeps their aged Misty moms awake at night wondering where it is: