this post was submitted on 10 Nov 2024
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Everybody always presents laundromats in tv shows and movies as this sexy place where you meet horny singles who aren't wearing underwear because it's in the wash.

But in real life, that just isn't true. The laundromat has angry people who don't want to be there, and nobody EVER has sex, or takes their clothes off.

So why are laundromats always presented like that?

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[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 155 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Because some of those angry lonely people are writers, and they have a lot of time to think.

[–] NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world 41 points 2 weeks ago

Correct answer.

The people there are mainly bored because they are waiting. And sometimes creativity arises out of boredom.

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[–] Drusas@fedia.io 148 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

You must watch very different movies than I do. I immediately envision something dank and dark with flickering lights.

[–] TexasDrunk@lemmy.world 31 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

And a naked, bloody clown playing patty cake with his imaginary friend while his clothes wash.

[–] Bougie_Birdie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

How do you know they're a clown if they're naked?

They might just be a juggalo

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[–] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 19 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

And a frustrated Mr Bean trying to do laundry.

[–] m4xie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 2 weeks ago

We're back to sexy!

[–] Homescool@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

That one episode of Friends

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[–] SatyrSack@feddit.org 64 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Wow, what kind of lame laundromats have you been visiting?

[–] Iheartcheese@lemmy.world 58 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

My last three laundromat visits involved anal.

[–] KittenBiscuits@lemm.ee 39 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Nah, it just felt like it because it costs so much to start the machine.

[–] Iheartcheese@lemmy.world 16 points 2 weeks ago

Just put a few quarters in her

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago

You're supposed to remove your clothes from your anus before you go to the laundromat.

I won't make that mistake again.

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[–] Crumbgrabber@lemm.ee 62 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The scientific reason is that the 350 watt drum connected to the dryer motor vibrates at 55 hertz which stimulates the female solar plexus. This creates a chain reaction and urges males to assert dominance and proceed with a mating ritual. When you combine this with the enticingly large sums of cash at a typical laundromat, you can see this is a devastating combination. The scantily clad hot body people is a side effect, not the cause.

[–] ThoGot@lemm.ee 34 points 2 weeks ago

That reads like something out of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

[–] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 60 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

The laundromat has angry people who don't want to be there,

I live in a college town. The laundromat nearest me has a bar.

[–] shinigamiookamiryuu@lemm.ee 11 points 2 weeks ago

Or maybe it's a bar with a laundromat as lots of stains happen in bars.

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago

I've seen one laundromat/bar like that, and instantly thought it was genius.

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[–] hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone 43 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

aren’t wearing underwear because it’s in the wash

??????? Do these people only have one paif of underwear??

[–] Burninator05@lemmy.world 56 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Hey everyone! Take a look at mister "I have two pairs of underwear" over here!

[–] klemptor@startrek.website 12 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I have zero paifs of underwear.

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[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 41 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah I'm tired of all this laundromat sexy-washing.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 30 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Everything Everywhere All At Once

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[–] Shady_Shiroe@lemmy.world 28 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I want to know what TV shows you are watching

Most of the stuff I watch have something bad happen in a laundromat, like getting chased by armed thugs

[–] dingus@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I feel like it's kind of a meet-cute trope in older sitcoms

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[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Well, off the top of my head:

  • There was an episode of Dr. Who during...I think David Tennant's career? It was one of those that didn't actually have much of The Doctor in it, some guy had noticed The Doctor appearing throughout history and wanted to try and meet him, so he managed to run into Rose's mother, at a laundromat. Who proceeded to flirt with him as she loaded her underwear into the wash by saying 'and here I am flashing you me knickers.'

  • There was a show from the 90's that no one remembers called Relic Hunter. In one episode miss relic hunter, her assistant and I think the client of the week duck into a laundromat as a place they can look through a dossier, but the owner insists that they have to wash something to remain on the premises, because they needed an excuse to peel Tia Carrere to her skivvies.

  • The episode of Futurama where...let's see if I remember this right? Bender gets mangled and paralyzed, meets Beck, hires him as a washboard player(?) and then the rest of the cast follow him around on tour, there's a scene where the crew is hanging around in their underwear while all their clothes wash, and it accidentally tie dyes them because of Amy's pink track suit.

  • Early in Friends, there's an episode where Ross...again let's see if I remember this correctly...Rachel was a rich girl and thus had no domestic skills, and Ross offered to teach her how to do laundry, kind of as an excuse to hang around with her to flirt. They also manage to accidentally dye her clothes pink by leaving something red in with them. IIRC Joey mocked him for his choice of Totally Not Snuggle, so he bought a detergent called Uberweisse or something. I think this was in their building's laundry room rather than a laundromat but meh.

  • I think there's a scene in Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog where Dr. Horrible and whatever Felicia Day's character was named where they flirt in a laundromat. My memory of that show has kind of faded to just the Bad Horse song.

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[–] Lemonparty@lemm.ee 27 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I have never seen a laundromat romanticized in a movie as far as I can recall.

[–] AAA@feddit.org 27 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Because people who never needed to use an annoying thing like to imagine and romantize how they would use it. Completely ignoring reality.

[–] Nuke_the_whales@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I hate how tv seems to be written by people who have no idea how regular people live. Like how in tv shows, people pop in on someone at home and person is fully made up and dressed, and their homes are always spotless. You pop in on me unexpected and I'm going to be in my boxer briefs, angry that I'm being disturbed, and there are kids toys and laundry all over the living room

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[–] ch00f@lemmy.world 23 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Seattle used to have a combination laundromat/bar that was called Sit and Spin.

Never had a chance to go. I imagine it was a very horny place. Also at the time median age in Seattle was like 23.

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[–] gnomesaiyan@lemmy.world 19 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Don't believe everything you see on TV. There's a reason it's called "the idiot box".

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[–] Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee 17 points 2 weeks ago

I think it's because they are a setting where people are there for a separate purpose to meeting a partner, which allows for romance to be portrayed as spontaneous. Also, clothes (particularly underwear, pyjamas and towels) come into contact with the body and imply intimacy.

[–] LaunchesKayaks@lemmy.world 16 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

In my town, junkies hang out at the laundromat begging for money. The cops show up regularly and haul them off. I saw prostitutes outside of it once, too

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[–] Akasazh@feddit.nl 15 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

It makes me wonder how many people don't own washing machines. I mean I consider that was essential as a fridge.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

I mean.....it's getting harder and harder to buy a house as an individual. Apartment living is very real. And if you rent in a duplex, you're not going to buy a washer/dryer.

So.....yeah. I'd say not owning washer/dryer starts becoming more common if you're under 45, and gets more common the younger you go.

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[–] thawed_caveman@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

The owner of my laundromat claims that it's cheaper to do your laundry there than at home. At first i thought "of course a laundromat owner would say that", but then he argued that his machines are more efficient than the ones we buy and that they are collectively heated.

I still think he's fulll of shit because he only argued about energy costs, not including his rent taxes or profit; but it did get me thinking that it would be cheaper and more efficient to wash our clothes collectively.

[–] bitchkat@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I had to use laundromat for several months in 2021 when my appliances were destroyed and supply chain issues left me stranded for about 6 months.

Anyways, they are expensive as fuck and more importantly, a huge time sink.

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[–] Squorlple@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago

Well I mean people have to strip naked in the laundromat to wash their clothes. What, you guys don’t do that?

For real though, I’d guess it’s just because it’s sort of a meet-cute type of location since patrons may kill time there while their clothes wash and dry and might chat with other patrons while waiting.

[–] Yelena@programming.dev 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Lol having sex in a laundromat is not going to go over well

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[–] shinigamiookamiryuu@lemm.ee 11 points 2 weeks ago

I mean you can't have a rags to riches romance take place where all the riches are.

In all seriousness, it's probably the culture. A lot of countries/cities do have settings where laundromats are slightly less angry because it's the preferred norm for getting things done.

That, sadly, does not include my local laundromat, which I'm reluctant to tend to during late hours. One could say it's like the real Five Nights at Freddy's there.

[–] lazylion_ca@lemmynsfw.com 11 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

See, movies and TV shows are so unrealistic. Dry Cleaning is where the action is.

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[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I’ve definitely experienced romance in a laundromat, it was a place where I had basically nothing but time and was freshly out on my own. It was a place I could focus on texting someone I was falling for.

Also it’s one of those things I will struggle to avoid any chance I can get in the future because that time translated to an hour and a half long chore that’s mostly waiting where I couldn’t do much else. It fucking sucked lol.

Oh also there’s a bar with live music in a laundromat that I’ve been to, alcohol and punk music can definitely up the vibes

[–] Nuke_the_whales@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago

I used to go to this Laundromat and next door to it was a good burger joint that served beer and had great food. Inside the burger joint was a light up board with all the laundromat machines and they would light up green when your load was complete. Must have been owned by the same people and it was a great business model. I'd go have a burger and beer every other week and watch tv in the burger joint till the light told me my stuff was ready

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

It's a fantasy. If you lived in Hollowoodland where everyone is beautiful, wouldn't you want them all to be in their underwear, sweat glistening on their bare skin, getting all hot and bothered? It sure would beat the reality where everyone is ugly, fully clothed and just wants to get the fuck outta there ASAP.

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