ABSTRACT
The British bedroom in the 1970s, if TV sitcoms were to be believed, was a depressing place. The intimacies of the domestic space, so often culturally positioned as a metaphor for the “nation,” seemed to embody the misery of recession and civil unrest as well as embracing sexual and gender liberation that characterised the decade, which throughout the UK media was largely interpreted as emasculating sexual stagnation. In addition, the economic security of the nation seemed to be under threat. In 1973, the UK joined the “Common Market,” later the EEC (European Economic Community), and by 1974 discussions surrounding a possible referendum to stay/leave was underway. In order to stimulate interest in the debate and establish some type of entente cordiale between the British and their European neighbors, the media embraced “positive” stereotyping, all of which had a domestic twist. From cooking shows that extolled French gastronomy and Italian wine to travel programs that dipped their toes in the warmth of the Mediterranean and advertising that championed the health benefits of Swiss muesli and German rye bread, Europe had never looked, tasted, or felt so good. And its influence spread throughout the home in relation to décor, furnishings, and fittings, where an imagined Europe became a British reality. But it was in the bedroom where the most significant and exciting possibilities were realised, as “sleeping” became synonymous with sexual pleasure, openness, and experimentation. First introduced to the UK in 1964 by Terence Conran’s lifestyle store Habitat, the continental quilt (duvet), by the early 1970s, became a vehicle for marrying the UK with Europe and a means for redressing sexual and marital stagnation. It was instantly associated with “foreignness” and the “Continental” and a particular sense of otherness, or the exotic, that were sexy and decidedly not British. This chapter considers the ways in which the duvet embedded itself within wider discussions of “home” and “abroad” and consequently uncovered discussions about sex and desire.
