@robb It's particularly interesting that ironing has fallen by the wayside, since it's almost entirely a social change rather than a technological one.

Lots of other chores have become less time-consuming because of mechanization, but the underlying chore still exists. (We spend less time washing clothes than in 1900, but that's because of washing machines, not because we just decided "fuck it, let's just not wash them ever".)

Some of the lack of ironing today is perhaps due to synthetics replacing linen, wash-and-wear blends, "permanent press" clothes, etc., but the greater part seems to be that the social stigma associated with wrinkled clothes has largely disappeared—and the big exceptions are mostly garments (like suits) that are basically holdovers from before that change happened.

Makes you wonder what other stuff is totally unnecessary if we relaxed on purely arbitrary aesthetic rules.
#chores #labor #automation #culture