NEAL CONAN, host:
And now, a brief trip to the Garden State.
(Soundbite of TV advertisement)
Unidentified Woman: Welcome to your New Jersey summer vacation, where there’s a great destination in any direction, with every activity under the sun.
CONAN: Activities like snorkeling, bicycling, organ smuggling, bribe taking, money laundering. And after the arrest last week of – I’m not kidding – five rabbis, three assemblymen and two mayors, the state of New Jersey is back in the news and not for its famous musicians or beaches. Corruption, as Jersey is salt water taffy, makes Jerseyites everywhere cringe again. So, if you’re from a state that’s notorious for something or is often used as a punch line – Louisiana, Taxachussetts, Illinois, I’m looking at you – tell us your state’s punch line and how you feel about it. We promise we won’t mess with Texas much. Give us a call, 800-989-8255. E-mail us: [email protected] You can also join the conversation on our Web site, go to npr.org and click on TALK OF THE NATION.
Full disclosure: I am from Englewood, New Jersey, first exit off the George Washington Bridge on Route Four. And another Jersey refugee…
(Soundbite of throat clearing)
CONAN: …native joins us now. Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s WAIT WAIT…DON’T TELL ME!, joins us from Chicago. Nice to have you back on the program, Peter.
PETER SAGAL: Peace, my New Jersey brother. How are you?
CONAN: I’m good, Peter. What exit?
SAGAL: Oh, stop.
(Soundbite of laughter)
SAGAL: I expect better from you. I’m from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, which…
CONAN: Where is that?
SAGAL: Well, it’s – no one has ever heard of it, oddly enough. It’s like the Brigadoon of New Jersey. It doesn’t seem to exist in most people’s mental maps. But it’s near Summit, if that helps.
CONAN: Yes, I know Summit. It’s sort of in the north…
SAGAL: North central, north middle out there by – you go out to the mall…
CONAN: Yeah.
SAGAL: …you take a left…
(Soundbite of laughter)
SAGAL: …basically, is where you find me, in the vast farms where we were all raised, much as – I mean, not by farm. I mean, like, agricultural farm but sort of person farm, like in “The Matrix” – that scene in “The Matrix,” where they’re all plugged into that thing, that was like growing up for me.
CONAN: North Central Jersey.
SAGAL: Pretty much.
CONAN: And you now live in Chicago.
SAGAL: I do.
CONAN: And, of course, there’s no punch lines about Illinois.
SAGAL: No, no, no. We’re all clean. Actually, there are but they’re better punch lines.
CONAN: Really?
SAGAL: I mean, if you ask me. I mean, I am raising, with intent and pride, a family of Chicagoans. My three daughters will tell people, as they go off into the world someday, I’m from Chicago. And they will say that with just pride, a certain swagger, a way that things are done here. It’s a tough city. It’s a city that’s serious. It’s a city that means business. It’s colorful. It has broad shoulders. It has flair, if corruption and maniacal governors.
CONAN: Al Capone.
(Soundbite of laughter)
SAGAL: Exactly. But there’s a certain panache to being from Chicago. Can we say that about New Jersey? I don’t think so.
CONAN: Look, there is a lot of – I used to hear it described as first Jersey formal, and then later Carteret, which is a sort of subsection. A Carteret formal was black shirt and white tie.
SAGAL: Exactly.
CONAN: Yeah.
SAGAL: Well that’s – yeah, there you are. I mean, I’m just saying, you know? And I think in many ways – and maybe you will disagree – but I’m sure you experience this, too, the best thing that ever happened for we New Jerseyites was “The Sopranos,” because that gave us something as opposed to a blank look of pity when we announced where we were from.
CONAN: I would’ve said The Boss gave us something to rally around.
SAGAL: You think? I don’t know if his utter coolness really refracted upon us. I mean, I don’t remember anybody ever saying – I said, hey, I’m from New Jersey. They said, really? Like Springsteen? You lucky guy. Nobody ever said that to me.
CONAN: Well, Berkeley Heights ain’t Perth Amboy.
SAGAL: No, it’s true. Part of the reason is there are so many New Jerseys, as you may know. I mean, there’s – I mean, the way – a friend of mine put them many years ago, there’s Bruce-Springsteen New Jersey, the working-class cities, the shore, the guys with the cigarettes tucked up into their undershirt sleeves. And then there’s Jon Bon Jovi New Jersey, which is pretty much where I’m from.
CONAN: There’s also the big divide between, well, television markets. You’re either from Philly-New Jersey or New York-New Jersey.
SAGAL: Yeah, basically, New Jersey is like one of those nations in Africa that no longer exists because it got divided up by other larger nations.
(Soundbite of laughter)
SAGAL: We’re sort of the Biafra of New Jersey.
CONAN: The Kurdistan of New Jersey.
SAGAL: Pretty much.
CONAN: Yeah.
SAGAL: You know, we’re a notional state. Pretty much, we’re the Philadelphia market, the New – yeah, we’re just between markets.
CONAN: Now, let’s get some callers in on the conversation. 800-989-8255. E-mail us [email protected] Bob(ph) joins us on the line from Boston, New Jersey.
BOB (Caller): From Boonton, New Jersey. Boonton.
CONAN: Boonton. I’m sorry. I misread it.
BOB: Yes, and I’m surprised at both of you guys. The word is New Jerseyan, not ites. Ites are rocks. So…
SAGAL: We’re New Jerseyan. We’re not New Jerseyites. We’re New Jerseyans.
BOB: We are New Jerseyans.
SAGAL: Yes.
CONAN: It doesn’t scan very well, Bob.
BOB: Oh, it scans beautifully. It – you’ve just been away too long, you know, both of you. I’m a faithful listener of both of you and I’m just a little surprised and chagrined.
SAGAL: Right. Is there a better word? Can we go back and coin in Neal-agisms, so we can say we’re from New Jersey? We’re Garden Staters. We’re gardeners. We’re – I mean, that’s another problem in New Jersey. Like, if you’re from Ohio, you’re a Buckeye, right? If you’re from Indiana, you’re a Hoosier. What are you if you’re from New Jersey? You’re an unindicted co-conspirator at best.
CONAN: Listeners, let’s come up with a – we want emailers. Email challenge right now. Send us a better name for somebody from New Jersey. We demand one. In the meantime…
BOB: The punch line…
SAGAL: The punch line. Oh, he has a punch line.
BOB: …for New Jersey is only the strong survive.
(Soundbite of laughter)
CONAN: Only the strong survive. All right, Bob. Thanks very much for the call and we’ll…
SAGAL: The Darwinian hell hole, come visit.
(Soundbite of laughter)
CONAN: Yeah, life is short, brutish (unintelligible). Anyway, email us at [email protected] if you’ve got a better word to describe those of us who come from New Jersey.
Here’s an email from Carol(ph). I live in Waterloo, Iowa. This came to me from a friend in Minnesota. What’s the difference between Iowa and yogurt? Answer, yogurt has an active culture.
SAGAL: Yeah. You know, I’ve been to Iowa and I live in the Midwest now. And Iowa, sadly, is in, at least rhetorically, the New Jersey of the Midwest. People make Iowa jokes. I’ve been to Iowa. It’s very nice. You have farms. You have rolling fields. You have pigs. You have, you know, an easy supply of bacon. These are not things to be diminished in my view.
CONAN: I tend to go to Iowa every four years and it’s always January, so I don’t think it’s quite as detestable.
SAGAL: I know. Well, you don’t have the same vision. It’s, well, you know, the snow drifts are nice.
CONAN: Rachel(ph) joins us on the line from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
RACHEL (Caller): Yeah. Actually, I’m calling from Canton, which is about 10 miles from Iowa.
SAGAL: Yeah.
RACHEL: So, I – and I live in the town of 3,000 now, but I am of naturally born Jersey tomatah(ph), which we were…
CONAN: A tomatah.
SAGAL: A tomatah, not tomato, tamatah, tamatah. A-H, tomatah. You can go on.
RACHEL: Well, sure.
Mr. SAGAL: All right, go on.
RACHEL: (Unintelligible) Jersey tomatah, because that’s what, you know, that’s what we were endearingly called growing up were Jersey tomatoes. Those girls that were nice girls.
SAGAL: Yeah, I know that. Hold on. I’m thinking for a song, it’s like you say tomato and I say, tomato.
CONAN: Oh, Peter, let’s call the whole thing off.
Mr. SAGAL: Exactly. And so, in New Jersey, we say, get out of my face about it.
(Soundbite of laughter)
CONAN: That’s right.
Mr. SAGAL: All right, I’m sorry. Go on. She’s a tomato. Go on.
RACHEL: Well, I’ll tell you something pretty funny. I was – I’m the substitute teaching today and one of them said, oh, what would you know, you’re from smelly New Jersey.
CONAN: Smelly New Jersey.
RACHEL: And, you know…
SAGAL: And you had them killed in the traditional New Jersey – what?
RACHEL: And, you know, I usually get a bad rap about the smell because – and I told them, I think the reason most people think of New Jersey as this awful smelly place is because our airport is right by the oranges – and as we say in New Jersey, Orange.
CONAN: Yeah.
RACHEL: And it stinks in the Oranges, but you get out of there and it’s beautiful.
CONAN: When you get out of there, you’re in Bayonne.
(Soundbite of laughter)
SAGAL: I know.
RACHEL: I know. That’s why we’re called the Garden State. And when I tell people that when I was a teenager, I went to the Stone Pony, you better believe my age group knows all about Bruce Springsteen.
SAGAL: Were you one of those people who claimed to have seen Bruce Springsteen in like a 400-person club way back when?
RACHEL: Hello? We drove down the shore to see him.
SAGAL: There you go. Those 400-person clubs must have held 40,000 people given the amount of people who claim to have been there. But I believe you. I believe you.
RACHEL: Well, we did it. We drove down the shore to do it. And I just have to say, you know, it’s the Garden State. And the funniest thing is living next to Iowa and living in South Dakota. When I try and tell them that our corn tastes as good or better than theirs, they have a real hard time with that.
CONAN: All right. Rachel, thanks for the tomatah.
RACHEL: Thank you.
SAGAL: I do want to say this about Bruce Springsteen. I do want to point out that at some time, I think it was back in the ’80s when I was still living there, there was a movement in the state legislature to make Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” the state song. And then, somebody realized that “Born to”…
CONAN: What the lyrics are.
(Soundbite of laughter)
SAGAL: The – “Born to Run” if it’s about anything, is about the need to get out of New Jersey as quickly as possible.
(Soundbite of laughter)
SAGAL: So why not, let’s all flee this dismal pit, you know, would be, I think, an appropriately good choice. So, that’s so much for Springsteen, I think, as our icon.
CONAN: Ed(ph) joins us on the line from Traverse City in Michigan.
ED (Caller): Hello. How are you?
CONAN: Good, thanks.
SAGAL: We’re – I’m great.
ED: I am originally from Rhode Island and I’ve heard a couple of good jokes about Rhode Island like…
CONAN: Can we repeat any of them?
ED: Yes. My backyard is so big you can fit the entire state of Rhode Island in it.
(Soundbite of laughter)
But in Rhode Island, we have a joke about New Jersey.
SAGAL: Yeah, of course, you do.
ED: And it goes, why is New Jersey called the Garden State? And it goes that – because they couldn’t fit Petrochemical State on the license plate.
CONAN: Oh, I see. Okay.
SAGAL: There you see.
ED: Oh, I’m sorry.
CONAN: Hey, Rhode Island, don’t go. Rhode Island known formally as Little Rhody. There’s also the state nearby here, Delaware, the second smallest state that officially its name is Small Wonder. But its favorite slogan is always tax-free shopping. You got to love magic poetry like that.
(Soundbite of laughter)
ED: Yes, definitely. Well, hey, thank you. Have a good day.
CONAN: Thanks, Ed.
SAGAL: You too.
CONAN: Let’s go to some emails. This is from Elaine(ph), Minnesota, land of 10,000 recovery programs. That’s not bad.
(Soundbite of laughter)
CONAN: I’m from Cow Hampshire and proud of it. Of course, we are considered the suburb of Boston. That from Erin(ph) in New Hampshire.
Julia(ph) writes: I grew up in Reno, Nevada, and eventually moved to the East Coast. When I tell people where I’m from, the most frequent response is, I had no idea people lived there. We’re usually infamous for gambling and sex. Lately, we’ve become more infamous for the politics, your show isn’t helping.
(Soundbite of laughter)
SAGAL: Can I ask something though? Wouldn’t it be great, Neal, as one New Jerseyan to another, to be known for gambling and sex? Wouldn’t that be a better response than what we get saying, oh, New Jersey. I understand you have a lot of gambling and sex there.
CONAN: There is Atlantic City.
Mr. SAGAL: That’s why I look so tired. There is Atlantic City. There is – I don’t – I’ve been to Atlantic City and I’m pretty sure about the gambling. I don’t know if anyone’s had sex there in I don’t know how long. It’s a pretty sterile place.
CONAN: All right. Eve(ph) responding to our email challenge for a better name for New Jerseyans. He says, New Jersey, not just for criminals.
SAGAL: That’s true.
CONAN: We’re talking…
SAGAL: Also their victims.
(Soundbite of laughter)
CONAN: We’re talking with Peter Sagal, the host of NPR’s, WAIT, WAIT…DON’T TELL ME!, which I’m sure you’re going to tune into now.
SAGAL: They’re going to – they’re going to tune to it.
CONAN: Tune to it. Yeah.
SAGAL: Your true self was coming out.
CONAN: And you’re listening to TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News.
Here’s an email from – another response to the email challenge from Jeanine(ph) who says, how about Guernseys?
SAGAL: Guernseys?
CONAN: Guernseys.
SAGAL: Like the – like Guernsey, New Jersey? There’s a breed of cow.
CONAN: The Jersey cow and a Guernsey – I think that’s what she’s working on. Let’s go to Darren(ph). Darren on the line from St. Louis.
DARREN (Caller): Hey there.
CONAN: Hi.
DARREN: Yeah. I grew up in Kansas and I was used to all the jokes about people asking me how Dorothy and Toto were. And also heard about being the driveway to Colorado. But the harshest thing I’ve heard recently was from the fine news magazine The Onion, where they referred to the Kansas triangle or – the Kansas rectangle. People go there, get lost and never come out.
CONAN: Really?
DARREN: It’s harsh.
CONAN: It is harsh. It is – Kansas is – I’d heard it described as the world’s largest natural airport.
(Soundbite of laughter)
DARREN: That’s the one.
CONAN: Okay.
SAGAL: I just got to say, I’ve been to many of these places, but it’s – I mean, Kansas, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and it seems to me that they have an identity that at least you can work from if you’re from there. Something – you know, if you’re Kansas, well, are you a corn fed, you know, pioneering farmer out there in the plains or aren’t you? There’s something to work from. If you’re from New Jersey, what do people think about us? Is there anything at all good, Neal…
CONAN: About?
SAGAL: …about being from New Jersey?
CONAN: Oh, yeah. There’s plenty good about being New Jersey. It’s very close to New York.
SAGAL: That’s exactly right, you know? I mean, I remember reading a profile of Stevie Van Zandt, Little Steven. And it was only out of the coolest guy in New Jersey, Stevie Van Zandt. And then at the end of it says – and then he got in his car to leave because the coolest guy in New Jersey lives in Manhattan.
CONAN: Darren, thanks very much for the phone call.
DARREN: Thank you.
CONAN: Bye-bye. Let’s do Rick(ph). Rick with us from Portland, Oregon.
RICK (Caller): Yes. Hello. Hi, Neal and Peter. I’m a big fan of both your shows. Thank you so much for taking my call. No, it’s not a state, but it’s a city and it’s my hometown, and it’s Cleveland, Ohio.
SAGAL: Okay. Now, Cleveland we’re talking.
CONAN: Cleveland.
SAGAL: Cleveland is really…
CONAN: City of Light, City of Magic. Yes.
SAGAL: To the pantheon of places of which we speak.
RICK: Exactly. And when I spoke to the call checker, I told him, I said, I have to make mention of the fact when the Cuyahoga River caught fire…
SAGAL: Yes.
CONAN: Indeed. Memorialized in song by Randy Newman.
RICK: We heard about it for years. And I remember distinctly, there was an underground, we used to call it back then, underground newspaper called the Burning River Oracle.
(Soundbite of laughter)
CONAN: I didn’t know that.
RICK: We had. And I also remember that Cleveland, back then, I think it was in ’70 or ’71, we had the first city-sponsored rock concert. It was downtown and another source of the ribbing that we got around that same period of when the river caught fire is when the mayor was announcing this concert. It was a beautiful summer day and some fireworks went off around the stage. And one of the ashes or the embers landed on top of his head and he started smoking…
(Soundbite of laughter)
…off at the top of his head while he was on stage. And this was the mayor of our beautiful city, right?
CONAN: It wasn’t Dennis Kucinich, was it?
SAGAL: No. No.
RICK: No. It was Ralph – Mayor Ralph Perk(ph) was his name.
CONAN: Okay. All right.
RICK: But at any rate, I had to bring up the fact that, you know, being from Cleveland, I’m still – I’m the president of the Portland Browns Backers out here. I’ve been a Browns fan all my life. You know, of course, the Browns have been another source of ribbing for Clevelanders going back many, many moons. But I just wanted to kind of bring up the fact that Cleveland is, was and always will be my hometown and I still love it even…
CONAN: And the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Thank you very much, Rick.
RICK: Okay. Thank you, gentlemen.
CONAN: Bye-bye. There’s an email from Kevin(ph) in Jacksonville. I’m from West Virginia, currently live in Florida. Any time I meet people, I feel obligated to tell them I am from Virginia to avoid the incest jokes and the question of whether or not we wear shoes there. We’re not saying that.
SAGAL: (Unintelligible) independent hill folk.
CONAN: Yes, indeed.
SAGAL: What is the problem? I’d be proud to be from West Virginia.
CONAN: And we have some more response to our email challenge on renaming people from New Jersey. Christopher(ph) suggests strip mall employees.
(Soundbite of laughter)
How about calling…
SAGAL: There are number of ways.
CONAN: Kirk Chad(ph) emailed to say, how about calling people from New Jersey Southern New Yorkers? And this from Stacy(ph), says, the New Jerseyers(ph) are the exitors(ph).
SAGAL: No.
CONAN: That’s not too bad. And here’s one for you, Peter.
SAGAL: Yeah.
CONAN: This from Mark(ph). Illinois, where governors make the license plates.
SAGAL: That’s – no, look, like I said, I seem to be moving in my life, New Jersey to Illinois, to just epicenters of correction – corruption. Next, I’m moving to Somalia…
(Soundbite of laughter)
SAGAL: …just to continue…
CONAN: And become a pirate fan.
SAGAL: Exactly. You know, just to continue the level of political dysfunction.
CONAN: Peter Sagal, thanks so much for your time today.
SAGAL: My pleasure, Neal. See you back in the Short Hills Mall.
CONAN: Back at ya. Peter Sagal is the host of NPR’s, WAIT, WAIT…DON’T TELL ME! He joined us today from Chicago. You can hear him weekends on NPR’s WAIT, WAIT.
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Page Contents
- FAQs
- What is considered the Armpit of New Jersey?
- What is the Armpit state of the United States?
- Why is New Jersey the Garden State?
- Why do they call NJ the armpit of America?
- What is the California armpit?
- What is the armpit of Pennsylvania?
- What is the armpit of the world?
- What do you call someone from New Jersey?
- What is New Jersey famous for?
- What do New Yorkers call New Jersey people?
- What do you call a beach in New Jersey?
- Why is NJ pizza so good?
- Who has better pizza NY or NJ?
- What do they call pizza in New Jersey?
- Why do New Yorkers say pizza pie?
- Dove Billboard Calls New Jersey “Armpit Of America”
- This Is a Very Polite Way to Brand New Jersey the “Armpit of …
- Dove kills ad calling New Jersey 'the Armpit of America'
- Dove nixes N.J. 'Armpit of America' billboard. It stunk!
- New Jersey: Garden State? Or Armpit Of America? – NPR
- New Jersey: Garden State? Or Armpit Of America? – NPR
- Dove to N.J.: 'When people call you 'The Armpit of America …
- Dove pulls billboard calling New Jersey the 'armpit of America'
- Hot Take: New Jersey is not the “Armpit of America”
FAQs
What is considered the Armpit of New Jersey?
If you talk to anyone from out of state and ask what New Jersey’s reputation is, you won’t like what you hear. According to non-New Jerseyans, the Garden State is considered “the armpit of the USA.”
What is the Armpit state of the United States?
3 New Jersey – armpit of America?
Why is New Jersey the Garden State?
Abraham Browning of Camden is given credit for giving New Jersey the nickname the Garden State. According to Alfred Heston’s 1926 two-volume book Jersey Waggon Jaunts, Browning called New Jersey the Garden State while speaking at the Philadelphia Centennial exhibition on New Jersey Day (August 24, 1876).
Why do they call NJ the armpit of America?
Why Armpit of America? New Jersey can be considered the Armpit of America for several reasons. Obviously, the state is famous for the horrible odors that emanate from within its borders. All the factories, oil refineries, skunks, and skanks combine to make a unique brand of BO.
What is the California armpit?
This is why it’s called the armpit of California (Bakersfield)
What is the armpit of Pennsylvania?
While the rest of America prospered after World War II, fast-shrinking Scranton became known as the armpit of Pennsylvania, a designation it has never entirely shaken. Its median household income remains nearly $7,000 below the national average.
What is the armpit of the world?
A very dirty, foul, or extremely unappealing place. You definitely live in the armpit of the world?all you can see from your apartment are oil tankers and smoke stacks!
What do you call someone from New Jersey?
People who live in New Jersey are called New Jerseyites and New Jerseyans.
What is New Jersey famous for?
Its long and beautiful coastline has long made the state a popular vacation destination, with over 50 seaside resort towns including Asbury Park, Atlantic City and Cape May. The state also boasts an impressive musical legacy?Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi and Frank Sinatra all hail from New Jersey.
What do New Yorkers call New Jersey people?
Most NJ residents probably don’t usually refer to the state as “Jersey,” but tend to say the whole name, “New Jersey.” Many New Yorkers commonly refer to NJ as “Jersey” (even when they pronounce it correctly), and if you hear New Jersey people calling their state “Jersey,” there’s a good chance that they are originally …
What do you call a beach in New Jersey?
The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Why is NJ pizza so good?
New York style pizza reportedly owes its suppleness to the water in the city, holding its pliability without cracking. But New Jersey style gives you a nice crackle when you fold it, owing to the stone oven in which it’s cooked.
Who has better pizza NY or NJ?
That’s according to Food & Wine Magazine’s latest pizza report, which included a top 10 list of states where the pies reign supreme. Not only did New York place third, but its bitter rival, New Jersey, came in first. Adding insult to injury, Connecticut elbowed its way past the Empire State to claim second place.
What do they call pizza in New Jersey?
New Jersey is known for pizza, and tomato pie is the king of pizza.? Papa’s Tomato Pies has the unique distinction of being the country’s oldest pizza shop?as well as one of the best.
Why do New Yorkers say pizza pie?
Pie is often used in New York where pizza is a noun which has an unknown commodity, in the same way as something like water. You wouldn’t order water, but a bottle of water. And so with pizza, you would order a pie, or slice. This basically translates to a ?pie of pizza? or ?slice of pizza?.
Dove Billboard Calls New Jersey “Armpit Of America”
Dove Billboard Calls New Jersey “Armpit Of America” New Jersey’s nickname, the “Armpit of America,” may or may not be deserved—it’s sort of shaped like the crook of an arm, and Secaucus certainly smells like something emanating from an overripe sweat gland. But while it’s one thing to lob jokes at your friends from Fair Lawn, it’s quite another to insult millions of people with a giant billboard in a state that’s been through hell and back. See, then, Dove’s new ad campaign, which plans to use the oft-maligned moniker …but in a nice way?Apparently, Dove intends to put up billboards that urge Jersey denizens to “take it as a compliment” when people refer to their state as the “Armpit of America.” The billboards are part of the company’s new campaign for Dove Advanced Care, which seems to be trying to get women to love their axilla regions, moisturize them and display them proudly in a series of neon tank tops. “It was a very conscious decision because people view ‘armpit’ as a dirty word,” Nancy Vaznonis, a creative director at the Ogilvy & Mather ad company that handled the campaign, told the Times. “We wanted to change the preconception of it as dirty.”Along with serving New Jersey a nice backhanded compliment, the campaign plans to air commercials featuring open letters to armpits, and calling out razors for scraping off skin. The company, which is based in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, says they want women to know their armpits need to be cleansed and moisturized just like every other part of the body, so if you weren’t self-conscious enough about that weird birthmark under there, now you can start freaking out about scaly razor stubble too. “Women don’t really see the skin of their underarms like the skin on the rest of their body,” Mr. McCarthy said. “When they think about their underarms, they think mostly about odor and wetness.” Just like New Jersey!Governor Chris Christie’s office and the NJ Board of Tourism have not responded to requests for comment. The billboard is set to debut around NJ this summer, just in time for prime pit sweat season.
This Is a Very Polite Way to Brand New Jersey the “Armpit of …
This Is a Very Polite Way to Brand New Jersey the “Armpit of America”New Jersey has been christened the “Armpit of America,” a derogatory dig at the Garden State, unless the gardens being referenced are adorned with pit-stained tees. Now Dove wants the state to embrace the nickname with its new campaign. Gothamist reports that Dove plans to put up billboards with the following message as part of its Dove Advanced Care campaign: Dear New Jersey, When people call you “The Armpit of America,” take it as a compliment. Sincerely, Dove This also appears to be a dual-mission by the company, which is based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., to get women to develop a love affair with their armpits. “It was a very conscious decision because people view ‘armpit’ as a dirty word,” Nancy Vaznonis of Ogilvy & Mather told the New York Times. “We wanted to change the preconception of it as dirty.” If all goes according to planned, the campaign will launch this summer with armpit-friendly commercials accompanying the billboards.Gothamist reached out to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and the state Board of Tourism about the matter. Neither have responded, and, honestly, Christie has bigger issues to worry about. It will be interesting to see if the state accepts this with open glands.[via Gothamist]
Dove kills ad calling New Jersey 'the Armpit of America'
Dove kills ad calling New Jersey ‘the Armpit of America’ – Los Angeles Times By Rene Lynch March 4, 2014 3:04 PM PT Dove, which specializes in skin-care products, may not have realized New Jersey had such thin skin when it came to its reputation as the stinkiest state in the union.Dove is killing an advertising campaign for antiperspirant deodorant that refers to New Jersey as “the Armpit of America.”The ad aimed at New Jersey audiences intended to undermine the insult that is often lobbed in the state’s direction. It features a pretty blond woman in a white tank top showing off her armpit, with the message: “Dear New Jersey, when people call you ‘the Armpit of America,’ take it as a compliment. Sincerely, Dove.”PHOTOS: 13 celebrity endorsements that backfiredBut many New Jersey residents took offense. Add in media coverage, and Dove was soon apologizing. Matthew McCarthy, senior marketing director of antiperspirants and deodorants at Unilever, the New Jersey-based parent company of Dove, also said in a statement that the company had since “decided that we will not be running this billboard advertisement.”The statement added: “We did not wish to cause any misunderstanding and apologize for any offense. Our intent with the ‘Dear New Jersey’ billboard, which was one of many ads for our campaign, was to call attention to the fact that armpits can and should be considered beautiful and ask women everywhere to accept this as something that is OK.”It needs to be pointed out that Dove’s response is not just PR speak. Dove is the brand behind a years-long series of groundbreaking advertising campaigns encouraging women of all sizes, shapes and ethnicities to see the beauty within, instead of comparing themselves to overly air-brushed models. (Yes, we know the advertising campaign is also about selling skin-care products. But still. Try to watch this without tearing up. Oprah counts herself among the campaign’s legion of fans.)The company said it would donate the billboard space to a charitable organization.I’m from New Jersey and I thought the ad was funny. What did you think? Tweet me @renelynchALSO:Selfies are serious businessWatch: Idina Menzel sings ‘Let It Go,’ with Jimmy Fallon Really?!? Obama, Biden jog the White House in work shoes, ties Must-read stories from the L.A. Times Get the day’s top news with our Today’s Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Rene Lynch is a former writer and editor with the Saturday section, where she worked across a variety of coverage areas, including wellness, design and food. She also edited the weekly L.A. Affairs column. More From the Los Angeles Times
Dove nixes N.J. 'Armpit of America' billboard. It stunk!
Dove nixes N.J. ‘Armpit of America’ billboard. It stunk!Good call, Dove. The company decided to ditch a billboard advertisement telling New Jersey residents to take being called “The Armpit of America as a compliment” after people complained.Unilever, Dove’s parent company, headquartered in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., said the billboard will not run in July, the Associated Press reports.The advertisement plan started to draw flak after The New York Times wrote about it in late February.The billboard would have promoted the new line of deodorant, Dove Advanced Care. Dove wants consumers to consider armpits as “beautiful.””We take feedback from our community very seriously and have decided that we will not be running this billboard advertisement,” Unilever said in an e-mailed statement Tuesday to the AP. “We did not wish to cause any misunderstanding and apologize for any offense.”Follow @jessicadurando on Twitter
New Jersey: Garden State? Or Armpit Of America? – NPR
New Jersey: Garden State? Or Armpit Of America? New Jersey: Garden State? Or Armpit Of America? The debate continues over the most apt title for the third state admitted to the Union. Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me host and New Jersey native Peter Sagal tries to put the dispute to rest once and for all.
New Jersey: Garden State? Or Armpit Of America? – NPR
New Jersey: Garden State? Or Armpit Of America? NEAL CONAN, host: And now, a brief trip to the Garden State. (Soundbite of TV advertisement) Unidentified Woman: Welcome to your New Jersey summer vacation, where there’s a great destination in any direction, with every activity under the sun. CONAN: Activities like snorkeling, bicycling, organ smuggling, bribe taking, money laundering. And after the arrest last week of – I’m not kidding – five rabbis, three assemblymen and two mayors, the state of New Jersey is back in the news and not for its famous musicians or beaches. Corruption, as Jersey is salt water taffy, makes Jerseyites everywhere cringe again. So, if you’re from a state that’s notorious for something or is often used as a punch line – Louisiana, Taxachussetts, Illinois, I’m looking at you – tell us your state’s punch line and how you feel about it. We promise we won’t mess with Texas much. Give us a call, 800-989-8255. E-mail us: [email protected] You can also join the conversation on our Web site, go to npr.org and click on TALK OF THE NATION. Full disclosure: I am from Englewood, New Jersey, first exit off the George Washington Bridge on Route Four. And another Jersey refugee… (Soundbite of throat clearing) CONAN: …native joins us now. Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s WAIT WAIT…DON’T TELL ME!, joins us from Chicago. Nice to have you back on the program, Peter. PETER SAGAL: Peace, my New Jersey brother. How are you? CONAN: I’m good, Peter. What exit? SAGAL: Oh, stop. (Soundbite of laughter) SAGAL: I expect better from you. I’m from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, which… CONAN: Where is that? SAGAL: Well, it’s – no one has ever heard of it, oddly enough. It’s like the Brigadoon of New Jersey. It doesn’t seem to exist in most people’s mental maps. But it’s near Summit, if that helps. CONAN: Yes, I know Summit. It’s sort of in the north… SAGAL: North central, north middle out there by – you go out to the mall… CONAN: Yeah. SAGAL: …you take a left… (Soundbite of laughter) SAGAL: …basically, is where you find me, in the vast farms where we were all raised, much as – I mean, not by farm. I mean, like, agricultural farm but sort of person farm, like in “The Matrix” – that scene in “The Matrix,” where they’re all plugged into that thing, that was like growing up for me. CONAN: North Central Jersey. SAGAL: Pretty much. CONAN: And you now live in Chicago. SAGAL: I do. CONAN: And, of course, there’s no punch lines about Illinois. SAGAL: No, no, no. We’re all clean. Actually, there are but they’re better punch lines. CONAN: Really? SAGAL: I mean, if you ask me. I mean, I am raising, with intent and pride, a family of Chicagoans. My three daughters will tell people, as they go off into the world someday, I’m from Chicago. And they will say that with just pride, a certain swagger, a way that things are done here. It’s a tough city. It’s a city that’s serious. It’s a city that means business. It’s colorful. It has broad shoulders. It has flair, if corruption and maniacal governors. CONAN: Al Capone. (Soundbite of laughter) SAGAL: Exactly. But there’s a certain panache to being from Chicago. Can we say that about New Jersey? I don’t think so. CONAN: Look, there is a lot of…
Dove to N.J.: 'When people call you 'The Armpit of America …
Dove to N.J.: ‘When people call you ‘The Armpit of America,’ take it as a compliment’Dove adA new billboard from Unilever, which owns Dove, features a note to New Jersey residents.(Unilever)A billboard promoting a new line of Dove deodorant has a message for New Jersey residents.”Dear New Jersey, when people call you ‘The Armpit of America,’ take it as a compliment. Sincerely, Dove.”That text sits alongside an image of a woman wearing a white tank top and raising an arm to display her armpit. The billboard is set to appear in July, according to The New York Times.The new line of deodorant, Dove Advanced Care, places an emphasis on moisturizing the underarm, and is part of a broader advertising campaign that encourages beautifying that part of the body, the report said.”I don’t expect that there will be a lot of people who misunderstand, but to the degree that they do, we’ll be open about what we’re really trying to say,” Matthew McCarthy, a senior marketing director at Unilever, which owns Dove, told the Times. “The message that we want to get out there is that the armpit is not a bad thing, and that we stand for caring for the armpit.”But, for Jen Drexler, a resident and senior vice president of the Insight Strategy Group, a research and consulting firm, the billboard comes at a time when the Garden State is still trying to recover from bearing the brunt of “Bridgegate” jokes.”It just feels unnecessary and like it’s kicking New Jersey when it’s down,” Drexler told the Times. “Give us a break.”Unilever’s North American headquarters is in Englewood Cliffs.Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.
Dove pulls billboard calling New Jersey the 'armpit of America'
Dove pulls billboard calling New Jersey the ‘armpit of America’Dove has announced it will pull a billboard that encourages residents of the Garden State to embrace living in the “armpit of America” after New Jerseyans raised a stink.”We did not wish to cause any misunderstanding and apologize for any offense,” the brand wrote on its Facebook page. “Our intent with the ‘Dear New Jersey’ billboard, which was one of many ads for our campaign, was to call attention to the fact that armpits can and should be considered beautiful and ask women everywhere to accept this as something that is okay.”The proposed billboard said, “Dear New Jersey, When people call you ‘The Armpit of America,’ take it as a compliment. Sincerely, Dove.”But some New Jersey residents didn’t see anything complimentary about the comparison, or the use of a well-known N.J. dig.”It’s insulting. That we stink? We don’t stink. We’re a great state. In fact, everyone wants to live in this state,” longtime resident Joan Gazello told CBS 2.Other disgruntled New Jerseyans took to Facebook.”I was born and raised in NJ and will no longer be using your products. Take it as a compliment,” one woman wrote on Dove’s page.”Thanks for calling out my state as an armpit. I hope you have a sense of humor and find it funny that I’m going to go out of my way to never spend my New Jersey earned dollars on another Dove product ever again,” another posted.The billboards were slated to pop up in New Jersey in July. Dove has promised to donate the space to a state charity instead.Dove’s parent company, Unilever, has its U.S. headquarters is in Englewood Cliffs, [email protected]
Hot Take: New Jersey is not the “Armpit of America”
Hot Take: New Jersey is not the “Armpit of America” | The Fairfield Mirror Throughout my college career, I have met an extensive number of northeast inhabitants that migrate to Fairfield University for the nine long months of the school year. I love this about the Fairfield population. The majority of us can revel at the unique joy that the East Coast brings to us, despite being dispersed throughout different regions. Since going to Fairfield, however, I have noticed that during a conversation with those who do not call New Jersey their home, I am often put on the defense. I believe that this subconscious defensive act stems from a traumatic experience dating back to my first year of college, in which I was introduced to the apparently common notion that, “New Jersey is the armpit of America.” Appalled to hear so many people express obstinate feelings towards New Jersey, I decided to devote this article to explaining why the Garden State does not qualify to hold the aforementioned title. Unbeknownst to many, New Jersey has birthed numerous public figures. The list of unmistakable talent that comes from New Jersey is long, but some names may come as a shock to many supporters of the anti-Jersey party. For example, there is Queen Latifah, Shaquille O’Neal, Frank Sinatra, Bon Jovi, Meryl Streep, Buzz Aldrin and the Jonas brothers. These are top notch, fairly unproblematic celebrities, which is a true rarity these days. Has anyone ever had an issue with the most gentle giant, Shaquille O’Neal? Absolutely not. Not only does New Jersey water produce some of the best bagels, but it apparently plays a role in creating some of the most iconic performers, actors and athletes. It is important to note that New Jersey is an extremely versatile state in terms of its terrain. While most people tend to think of the Jersey shore, which is where the best childhood memories are made by the way, many forget that the state offers more than just the typical scene of Italian-American men moseying along boardwalks in their wife-beaters. In fact, one can find the opposite environment if they travel to the left-most tip of the state known as Sussex County. Coined as the greenest county, a tourist can go there to visit any farm in the Springtime and will most likely come across a plethora of newborn animals as they take an educational tour about the importance of buying local produce. If you are not the type to enjoy the ocean or vast farmland, there is also the option to visit several notable attractions. A few examples include Six Flags, the Liberty Science Center and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. To close out this short yet effective argument, I am ending with the special element of community that is found in New Jersey. Those from New Jersey are bonded by the underlying appreciation they have for the hidden treasures that the state offers. The camaraderie amongst those who have spent any…