"Jiggle TV" Definition: Scantily Clad Women Jumping Around In 1970s TV

By | September 20, 2017

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“Jiggle, or "T&A TV," as it has also been called, refers to the marvel of scantily clad women depicted, in television sitcoms, who capitalize on their curvy, physical attributes just jiggling all over the place; pretty self-explanatory, right? Of course, let’s not neglect the fact that the actor is endeavoring to portray a character, and the viewer is (supposedly) required to follow a plot, while all the jiggling is going on, if that’s possible!

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During the 1970’s, television viewers, as a likely result of the hippy era, were transitioning away from conservative, wholesome television programing like Leave it to Beaver, My Three Sons and The Dick Van Dyke Show. These, and other similar shows depicted what was thought to be the epitome of the perfect, traditional American family. Writers and producers wanted us to believe that successful husbands and fathers came home happy every day after working hard at their 9 – 5 jobs, while wives wore dresses, pearls and high heel shoes to clean the house. Ideally, Dad would come home and sit down in his favorite chair, cross his legs and unwind by reading the daily newspaper. Mom, if not the housekeeper, would simultaneously be putting some finishing touches on the hot meal just about to come out of the oven. Never mind that nobody ever uttered a cross word, even if their hair was on fire; and the sun never went down on a bad note! June Cleaver was a lovely fictional character, albeit unrealistic, and probably left many wives and mothers feeling inadequate.

Now, I was a kid during this era and I have endless, fond memories of a magical childhood! In my mind, my family was the perfect American family! I will tell you, however, that my father came home hot and sweaty every day after working at the sweltering car manufacturing plant; sometimes getting home long after we were all in bed if he was working 2nd or 3rd shift. Even if he got home before we went to bed, he didn’t want to talk to anyone or eat dinner before showering and sometimes grabbing a beer. Andy Griffith was the only law in Mayberry, besides Barney Fife (enough said) and he never worked nights or broke a sweat… just saying! My mother never cleaned the house in anything but cloths that were on the short-list for the rag bag! In fact, most of the time, we kids were the ones doing the cleaning! If we broke the rules, you can bet there was hell to pay and I’m not talking about a heart-to-heart talk! It also wasn’t uncommon to hear the unsolicited 4-letter word. Still, I thought it was awesome!