Swim Caps Egyptian Style: A Futuristic Prediction

I recently obtained a copy of Punch Magazine from February 9, 1921. I love it when I find vintage material that contains predictions for the future. I will get to the prediction in a minute.

The prediction concerns the humble swim cap, or bathing cap. Why do you wear a swim cap when swimming?

It keeps your perm in.
It prevents your hair getting too wet and pool chlorine out.
It is hygienic and prevents hair from getting into a pool’s filtration systems.
It is necessary as a competitive swimming accessory to add a more smooth body line for speed and reduces drag on speed.

You can read more about swim cap history, including the effects of rubber shortages on swim cap availability in the Second World War at this Wikipedia link. Swim caps got quite glamorous in the late 1940s and 1950s. They were embellished with petals and the like. The wearing of swim caps has largely passed into history except for competitive and distance swimming uses.

You can see an example of swim cap glamor on the Life.com site where you will find a picture of Claudette Colbert from 1941 wearing a swim cap and holding a surf board. Time Inc., the owner of the rights to Life Magazine (now defunct), and Google have partnered to make images from Life magazine available for purchase. There are many pictures of people wearing hats in the collection which is being added to over time (no pun intended).

I know a cross dresser who swears by swim caps; he uses them under wigs and attaches duct tape for a face lift – yes really. Another use of a swim cap is to portray bald headed guys at Halloween. Perhaps you want to be Dr. Evil from Austin Powers?

Here is the prediction, included in an advertisement for Greys, the big cigarette with the choice flavour. Yes it was a different time!

The caption read: One of the London City Baths, A.D. 2500

We have 500 years yet. It seems that we will be back to wearing swim caps as a style statement and looking like Cleopatra. As I say swim cap Egyptian style. Oh yes people will be smoking again in a healthy environment. It is interesting since I had originally believed that the 1920s Egyptian Revival that was part of the Art Deco period started after Howard Carter’s discovery of the Tutankhamen tomb in 1922/3 (after this advertisement was published).

I personally cannot wait for this but sadly none of us will be around to prove the prediction one way or another. Who knows what will happen? Five hundred years ago was the Tudor period (Elizabeth I and Henry VIII – a completely different period to be sure. I wonder what their prediction would have been of the world in the year 2000? The question is that with our weapons of mass destruction will the world be able to survive to 2500 A.D.?

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