Kazoo Suspender Waists, 1919


Figure 1.--This advertisement for Kazoo Boys' Suspender Waists is very valuable for HBC purposes because it illustrates older boys' attitudes toward the underwaists that they had had to wear at younger ages and that they were growing out of. Nearly all boys 16 years or younger wore knee pants or above-the-knee knickers in 1919 with which they wore long stockings, usually black. Younger boys wore underwaists with garter tabs to which the necessary hose supporters were attached. Usually these underwaists were sleeveless bodices that buttoned down the front (as illustrated in this Kazoo ad by the boy on the right who is being ridiculed in the gym locker room because his mother has not yet bought him the more grown-up Kazoo style waist--a combination of trousers suspenders and hose supporters in one garment).

This advertisement for Kazoo Boys' Suspender Waists is very valuable for HBC purposes because it illustrates older boys' attitudes toward the underwaists that they had had to wear at younger ages and that they were growing out of. (HBC already has another ad for the same garment but this one is much more pointed about the masculine appeal.) Nearly all boys 16 years or younger wore knee pants or above-the-knee knickers in 1919 with which they wore long stockings, usually black. Younger boys wore underwaists with garter tabs to which the necessary hose supporters were attached. Usually these underwaists were sleeveless bodices that buttoned down the front (as illustrated in this Kazoo ad by the boy on the right who is being ridiculed in the gym locker room because his mother has not yet bought him the more grown-up Kazoo style waist--a combination of trousers suspenders and hose supporters in one garment).

Harris Suspender Company

Kazoo was a brand name for the Harris Suspender Company. The company headquarters was located in New York. We know little about tghe company at this time.

Good Housekeeping

This ad appeared in Good Housekeeping Magazine for September, 1919(p. 182), just when mothers would be buying school clothes for their boys. Good Housekeeping first appeared May 2, 1885. It was one of of several popular women's magazines established suring the 1880s and 1890s. The magazine provided information about running a home and raising children. This the modern Good Housekeeping conytinues today. The Good Housekeeping seal of approval was developed to assure housewives of a product's value. Letters from readers were an important facet. The early magazine, however, also included a broad range of literary offerings.

Suspender Waists

So-called “suspender waists” were invented at the turn of the 20th century and were popular mainly with boys who wore knee pants and needed a way of supporting their long stockings—almost always black. Although some models of the suspender waist (such as Kazoo) were manufactured in styles that could be worn also by girls, the main wearers of these waists were boys. They were called “suspender waists” because they combined trousers suspenders with hose supporters and had leather suspender attachments for holding up knee pants in addition to hose supporters for long stockings. The style did not last very long and was most popular during the 1910s. N.B. Suspender waists are not to be confused with the older style of garter waists (such as the Dr. Parker waist) which also had suspender-like straps over the shoulders, a waist belt (sometimes with waist buttons for outer clothing), and hose supporters. With true suspender waists only the garter part of the waist can be classified as underwear because the shoulder straps would be visible (like ordinary modern suspenders) on top of a shirt. HBC does not have a specific suspoender waist page yet, but some related information is on over-the-shoulder long stocking suporters.

Conventions

This advertisement for Kazoo Boys' Suspender Waists is very valuable for HBC purposes because it illustrates older boys' attitudes toward the underwaists that they had had to wear at younger ages and that they were growing out of. (HBC already has another ad for the same garment but this one is much more pointed about the masculine appeal.) Nearly all boys 16 years or younger wore knee pants or above-the-knee knickers in 1919 with which they wore long stockings, usually black. Younger boys wore underwaists with garter tabs to which the necessary hose supporters were attached. Usually these underwaists were sleeveless bodices that buttoned down the front (as illustrated in this Kazoo ad by the boy on the right who is being ridiculed in the gym locker room because his mother has not yet bought him the more grown-up Kazoo style waist--a combination of trousers suspenders and hose supporters in one garment). The other two boys are wearing the Kazoo suspender waist, the construction of which is ckearly illustrated underneath the picture by the Kazoo diagram. The upper part consists of elastic suspenders with three leather attachments to the trousers (two in front and one in back) just like adult men's suspenders. But the elastic straps of the suspenders extend below the waistline under the trousers and end in two Y-shaped hose supporters which fasten to the tops of the stockings on the upper leg. I have seen advertisements for this type of suspender waist in other catalogs with the caption, "Progress suspenders for little men." The term "progress" in this phrase means that the suspender straps "progress" downward to the upper leg where the garters are attached.

Age

These suspender waists are advertised for boys between the ages of 4 and 18. During the first two decades of the 20th century, some boys still had not graduated to long trousers even in their senior year in highschool when they would have turned 18. Suspender waists were manufactured mainly for boys, although Kazoo also sold other models (without the trouser attachment) for girls. But masculinity is the issue here. Boys over the age of about 10 considered underwaists (or pantywaists as they were sometimes called) "feminine" garments, the word used in the ad, and the sooner they could get rid of them, the better for their boyish egos.

Posture Support

Notice that the appeal to mothers is that no sewing on of loose buttons is involved and that the Kazoo also helps keep a boy's shoulders erect by acting as a kind of shoulder brace.

Kazoo Ad Copy

The ad text reads, "Don't Humiliate Your Boy. Underwaists are feminine; on with the masculine Kazoo, A Support for Pants and Hose. Ages 4 to 18. Less expensive, less drudgeful than underwaists. No mending, tubbing, or button sewing. Kazoo doesn't bind like belts or round garters. Encourages straight shoulders and keeps hose and pants smooth. At Boys' Clothing and Furnishing Depts., or write us. 75 c and $1.00. (Note: the lower price would be for younger age sizes which use less elastic in the construction.] (In Canada 20 cents more) Send for our "Reason why" booklet, 5 "For Real Boys". Harris Suspender Co., 694 Broadway, at 4th Street, New York.






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Created: 4:24 AM 10/17/2004
Last updated: 4:56 PM 10/18/2004