Homeowners' Association

I've been thinking a little bit about clotheslines lately--clotheslines and homeowners' associations. In my neighborhood, we have a rule against clotheslines. Now I understand the rules and the need for them. I'm glad that people can't put a car on blocks in the front yard or leave derelict appliances on the porch. I appreciate that we have to mow our grass and that we can't burn lawn gnomes at Halloween. That's all good.
But what's this deal with clotheslines?
What is it that clotheslines conjur up in the minds of the czars of suburbia? In television ads, clotheslines are romantic and heartwarming. They're associated with love and family and better days. And what about dryers? Does anybody get all misty-eyed about clothes dryers? I don't think so. Oh, sure, when somebody wins one on The Price is Right, that's a good association, but who's going to paint a painting of a washer dryer pair? You'll see that painting of an oven or a kitchen table, but not the laundry room.
Are clotheslines ugly? Not really. Is the sight of a bunch sheets or shirts swinging in the breeze a real eyesore? Sure, Aunt Lulu's knickers might be a bit hard to take, but she could surely have the sense to put those on an interior line. No, most people seem to agree that clotheslines aren't ugly.
So why is it that something romanticized in TV ads and other venues, something that isn't ugly, is banned by the all-knowing protectors of tract-house sanctity? I think it's really simple and simply stupid. Homeowners associations want to maintain the appearance of affluence and value. And what do clotheslines signify? Today, they signify time and care and love. In a previous day, they signified that you couldn't afford to buy a washer and dryer.
Today, few people hang out their laundry because they can't afford automation. So why does the rule remain on the books of so many homeowners' associations? I think it's because they either don't know or want to admit the roots of their rules. They don't want to think that the preferences that they codify in the rules are all that much about economic class and appearances. That's what I think. What about you?