Advertisements have been around for centuries. During ancient Roman times, pantomime shows, animal hunts, and some products were advertised to attract the people. They are the archeological artifacts that give us a pretty good idea of our culture, interests, and priorities. They can also demonstrate the absolute worst excesses of any society as you can see in the following sexist ads from the 20th century. These vintage ads depict how women have been shamed and humiliated in the past for ridiculous reasons. Of course, some advertisements are still sexist but these early ads were more blatant, and some of them are downright offensive.
#1 Husbands admire wives who keep their stockings perfect.
#2 However, according to this ad, one’s chest-line can bulge too much.
#3 Without the right deodorant, this Odo-ro-no ad admonishes, one’s physical appeal is rendered worthless.
#4 An example from a series of 1930s Waldorf ads about bad toilet paper ruining family life.
#5 In the 1930s, dancing was an important social activity, and shampoo companies wanted women to worry about yet another way they could smell bad.
#6 Ads in 19th century magazines sold devices to reshape one’s face.
#7 Lysol disinfectant, which was sold as a douche in the ’30s, produced endless ads showing a man leaving his wife over unspeakable “feminine hygiene” problems.
#8 When women got thin due to hunger during the Depression, the slender, straight flapper silhouette went out of style.
Ironized yeast products promised “skinny” women “weight,” by which they meant larger hips and breasts.
Leave a Reply
One Comment
#9 Strangely enough, this 19th century device promised to shrink the bust.
Perhaps some breasts were considered too disproportionately large for the Victorians’ hourglass ideal?
Leave a Reply
One Comment
#10 In this ad, pretty Joan has no idea why she’s so unpopular.
At night, her undergarments gossip about her careless washing habits and the odor they’ve been emitting.
Leave a Reply
One Comment
#11 She’s a girl in a million! Pretty and smart. Dances divinely. Can even cook.
But she’s ruining her chances by having ‘gap-osis.’” That is, gaps where her skirt buttons.
Leave a Reply
One Comment
#12 According to Tangee in the 1930s, a woman’s lips could be too red, smeary, glaring, and painted for a man to kiss.
#13 The qualifications for Eastern Airlines stewardesses in the 1970s: “Sure, we want her to be pretty…
That’s why we look at her face, her make-up, her complexion, her figure, her weight, her legs, her grooming, her nails, and her hair. But we don’t stop there.”
Leave a Reply
One Comment
#14 On the surface, this 1930s Lysol ad is about a woman’s vaginal odor.
But Lysol was also used as a contraceptive spermicide, which the "organic matter" line alludes to.
You stink, and it makes your whole self ugly.