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| GO WITH THE “FLO” A ray of sunshine in a weary world |
Have you every had a crush on someone? Have you ever had your heart flutter when you
see a certain someone? Has there ever been anyone that made your day, almost every
day? Has someone made you smile simply by seeing them or even just thinking of them? I
know this may sound insane, but I have a weird schoolboy crush on a lady I see on television
almost daily.
What is sad is that the object of my adoration is not even a real person, simply a character.
Weirder still, she is not even a character on a regular show, just the main figure in an ad
campaign for car insurance. Oh, yes, I am mad about “Flo,” the lady in the Progressive
Insurance commercials.
For several months I wondered if I was the only one who felt this way. I did not want anyone
to know I had a crush on the lady with the hair flip, headband and crazy make-up. On a whim
I did an internet search for “Progressive Insurance Lady” and was surprised to find that Flo
has her own cultish following. One article that caught my attention was titled “The Strange
Allure of The Progressive Insurance Lady.”
Flo is played by actress and Groundling member Stephanie Courtney. She has been in
several movies, including “Blades of Glory and “The Heartbreak Kid.” Ms. Courtney works
from a script, but tends to add her own improvisation to each commercial, calling each
improv bit the “mustard.”
The internet is full of people saying she is “hot” and listing certain things they would like to
do with Flo. Flo even has her own Facebook page!
I talked with Jamie about my crush. Like most, I could not figure out what makes Flo so
attractive. In our culture, Flo would not be considered a sex symbol simply for her aesthetic
appearance. In this day and age when an actress is considered “fat” if she goes up to a size
2, we tend to be very stringent with the physical standards. Very few big name stars have
not had at least a bit of plastic surgery to fix those little “imperfections” that our hedonistic
culture would find unattractive.
I tried to figure out what made Flo so appealing. For one thing, I do not like women who wear
tons of make-up. Ms. Courtney herself calls the make-up for Flo a “mask.” It is obviously not
her sexy clothes. After all, she wears sterile white outfits, like those at a microchip factory. I
like her hair, but that alone is not it. I like her big eyes, but I do not believe that was the draw
for me either. Of course, there is that big, beaming smile. I admit, the smile is very nice, but
again, not enough by itself to make me turn to goo like I do when I se her on TV.
A few weeks ago I finally figured out what draws me, and probably most, to Flo.
Since the economy started the long tumble, we have had one bad story on television after
another. We had slimy campaigning for the Presidency, we had stories of more dead in Iraq
and Afghanistan. Every day it seemed like the market was reaching record lows. Food was
getting too expensive, people were losing homes at a record pace, hundreds of thousands
lost their jobs.
It seemed as if the television landscape had become one long, arduous journey through a
sea of negativity.
Then there Flo would appear, for 30 seconds at a time.
Amidst all the bad news and prophets of doom on television, Flo stands out as the rainbow
we long to see at the end of a bad storm. All around us we have misery, but there is oh, so
sweet Flo, bubbly and very happy, to be selling insurance! Then the commercial is over, we
see more bad news, and long for the 30 seconds of happiness we just saw.
Flo seems to be a great comfort in these miserable times. While our economy continues to
struggle, Flo is still there every day with her infectious smile and perky attitude. While many
complain about the jobs they have or the ones they lost, Ms. Flo is tickled to death to save
us a few bucks on our insurance.
I have said before how contagious negativity can be. People do not wish to be around
negative people. Conversely, people enjoy being around someone who seems so happy
about the slightest little thing. For this reason, television audiences have fallen for Flo. We
would love to have her over for dinner, or go hang out with her, just because her positive
attitude is so refreshing.
So I am issuing a challenge to all who read this. I challenge you to “Go with the Flo.” No
matter how bad your day is, find something positive about it. Look for the rose amongst the
thorns in your life. Do not just be positive, but be positive to all who are around you. To
make it less difficult, I will set the same standard Flo has set. I only require you to be positive
for 30 seconds at a time.
I am betting that 30 seconds will have a positive impact on those around you. Perhaps then
they too will go with the Flo and spread their own positive attitude with a few others. Perhaps
in a few months we can all face these tough times with a smile. I have said before, “bad
times are inevitable, misery is optional.” Flo chooses to smile, so should we all.
These are dark times. But a beaming smile and a bubbly attitude can be a ray of sunshine
amongst the dark storm clouds.
I challenge you, starting now, to “Go with the Flo.” Find a way to infect others with your smile.
Be well,
Sponge
03/24/2009
see a certain someone? Has there ever been anyone that made your day, almost every
day? Has someone made you smile simply by seeing them or even just thinking of them? I
know this may sound insane, but I have a weird schoolboy crush on a lady I see on television
almost daily.
What is sad is that the object of my adoration is not even a real person, simply a character.
Weirder still, she is not even a character on a regular show, just the main figure in an ad
campaign for car insurance. Oh, yes, I am mad about “Flo,” the lady in the Progressive
Insurance commercials.
For several months I wondered if I was the only one who felt this way. I did not want anyone
to know I had a crush on the lady with the hair flip, headband and crazy make-up. On a whim
I did an internet search for “Progressive Insurance Lady” and was surprised to find that Flo
has her own cultish following. One article that caught my attention was titled “The Strange
Allure of The Progressive Insurance Lady.”
Flo is played by actress and Groundling member Stephanie Courtney. She has been in
several movies, including “Blades of Glory and “The Heartbreak Kid.” Ms. Courtney works
from a script, but tends to add her own improvisation to each commercial, calling each
improv bit the “mustard.”
The internet is full of people saying she is “hot” and listing certain things they would like to
do with Flo. Flo even has her own Facebook page!
I talked with Jamie about my crush. Like most, I could not figure out what makes Flo so
attractive. In our culture, Flo would not be considered a sex symbol simply for her aesthetic
appearance. In this day and age when an actress is considered “fat” if she goes up to a size
2, we tend to be very stringent with the physical standards. Very few big name stars have
not had at least a bit of plastic surgery to fix those little “imperfections” that our hedonistic
culture would find unattractive.
I tried to figure out what made Flo so appealing. For one thing, I do not like women who wear
tons of make-up. Ms. Courtney herself calls the make-up for Flo a “mask.” It is obviously not
her sexy clothes. After all, she wears sterile white outfits, like those at a microchip factory. I
like her hair, but that alone is not it. I like her big eyes, but I do not believe that was the draw
for me either. Of course, there is that big, beaming smile. I admit, the smile is very nice, but
again, not enough by itself to make me turn to goo like I do when I se her on TV.
A few weeks ago I finally figured out what draws me, and probably most, to Flo.
Since the economy started the long tumble, we have had one bad story on television after
another. We had slimy campaigning for the Presidency, we had stories of more dead in Iraq
and Afghanistan. Every day it seemed like the market was reaching record lows. Food was
getting too expensive, people were losing homes at a record pace, hundreds of thousands
lost their jobs.
It seemed as if the television landscape had become one long, arduous journey through a
sea of negativity.
Then there Flo would appear, for 30 seconds at a time.
Amidst all the bad news and prophets of doom on television, Flo stands out as the rainbow
we long to see at the end of a bad storm. All around us we have misery, but there is oh, so
sweet Flo, bubbly and very happy, to be selling insurance! Then the commercial is over, we
see more bad news, and long for the 30 seconds of happiness we just saw.
Flo seems to be a great comfort in these miserable times. While our economy continues to
struggle, Flo is still there every day with her infectious smile and perky attitude. While many
complain about the jobs they have or the ones they lost, Ms. Flo is tickled to death to save
us a few bucks on our insurance.
I have said before how contagious negativity can be. People do not wish to be around
negative people. Conversely, people enjoy being around someone who seems so happy
about the slightest little thing. For this reason, television audiences have fallen for Flo. We
would love to have her over for dinner, or go hang out with her, just because her positive
attitude is so refreshing.
So I am issuing a challenge to all who read this. I challenge you to “Go with the Flo.” No
matter how bad your day is, find something positive about it. Look for the rose amongst the
thorns in your life. Do not just be positive, but be positive to all who are around you. To
make it less difficult, I will set the same standard Flo has set. I only require you to be positive
for 30 seconds at a time.
I am betting that 30 seconds will have a positive impact on those around you. Perhaps then
they too will go with the Flo and spread their own positive attitude with a few others. Perhaps
in a few months we can all face these tough times with a smile. I have said before, “bad
times are inevitable, misery is optional.” Flo chooses to smile, so should we all.
These are dark times. But a beaming smile and a bubbly attitude can be a ray of sunshine
amongst the dark storm clouds.
I challenge you, starting now, to “Go with the Flo.” Find a way to infect others with your smile.
Be well,
Sponge
03/24/2009
| GO WITH THE "FLO"!!! INFECT OTHERS WITH YOUR SMILE!! |