I am Woman Hear me Roar! Even a retro housewife can stand her ground.
As I was doing a search for some of the lovely vintage pictures I love so much. The kind that depict the time in America when we dressed for the occasion, and didn’t have “Pants on the ground”. The idea of "women having it all" meant a family, nice home and happy healthy and well minding children and that was ok and not scoffed at!
Well, I never! Well I have and in many ways worse. What am I talking about? In today’s advertising we hear women are meat, just look at how they use women for the “sex sells opportunity”. Look at what these ads say about us little darlings in the 1950’s and 1960’s. What I found is not that the ladies are thought of as dumb blonds in little clothes, but, indeed chauvinistic.
If this was the only thing anyone thought a housewife would want for Christmas, I don't think it was the wife that was the brainless bore. Then to put this in the papers! How many do you think were thrown away before the men found it first and maybe other hints were left around the house?
I will admit when I was first married I did get a vacuum for my birthday because we didn't have one and didn't have money to spend. I used my birthday as the excuse to spend so much and bought a really nice one! I LOVED IT!
Even tie ads got in on this. This ad reads " For men only - with patterns that tell her its a mans world - and make her happy it is" And why does she have to kneel on the floor to serve him breakfast in bed? Then again why has he showered and dressed and gotten back in bed!
I just had no words for this one... "It's Nice to have a girl around the house" The ad reads, "Though she was a tiger lady, our hero didn't have to fire a shot to floor her. After one look at his Mr. Leggs slacks, she was ready to have him walk all over her. If you'd like your own doll-to-doll carpeting, hunt up a pair of these he-man, Mr. Leggs slacks." Doll-to-doll carpeting? Get your foot off her head! ---Wow, just wow.
Now I am really going to get the ladies going. Here it comes my sisters.... Those of us who suffered through morning sickness, This is your warning you may want to throw something - step away from the breakables! Yes, this is an ad for a pill to help with morning sickness. Now as much as I wish they would give us such a thing. How daaaarrre yooouuuuuu! ask me to fix breakfast! hahahaha and have a smile like that!!!
Then there are the ads that I was really taken back by, like this one. Oh no no no! Don't give little baby Coke!
Oh sweet girl. Self image out the door. There were other ads like this I just couldn't get over it!
As much as these ads were not in the best light for how the housewife was seen in the 50's and 60's. It is sad that in many ways, I believe it has not change too much when you see some of the ads of today. I have not lived under rock and I'm not a complete prude. However, this one was shocking even for today. If Burger King chooses to use such tasteless advertising I will stay away from their stores. Now I know this is not the skimpy hardly there cloths and so many other sexist way we see women used in ads today. Just look Ha, or don't at the Go Daddy ads. But I found it pretty gross!
This ad may upset some, but on the other hand as a retro housewife I have to say, my husband does love and (key word) appreciates all the hard work I do to keep a clean house, good meals on a budget, and the many other things I do around our home. And I know this because he still tells my I am cute! In no way am I offended by that. In fact I feel the same about him. hahaha...
I hope I have not dampened your day. I want you to enjoy what you do and love your wonderful families! They love all you do for them. As mentioned above. Just try it. The more you do the more you will be shown appreciation in many ways. Tell and show your husband how much you appreciate all that he does and see what happens!!
Happy Woman's Month!
I am linking up at http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/search/label/Alphabe-Thursday for Alphabet Thursday Hop on over and read more post with the letter V
20 comments:
your blog is excellent!
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When I was in graduate school, I did a paper on this topic and my whole premise was that ads (even today) make it look like doing housework is fun and the women look so casual when they're mopping or vacuuming--give me a break! Are you familiar with Womanhouse--what an incredible art installation.
Thank you for that awesome suggestion about the goodie basket for Reid's parents...that is an awesome idea!
Take care and thank you for substance.
XO
Cindy
can't say i loved them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thanks God things evolved!!!! thanks for making us remenber that it is much better now, even when we are so tired!
!
take care,
Rosa
That's some selection of ads. They are really interesting to see. Amazing to see how much ads change, but also stay the same.
We have come a long way, baby!
Still have a ways to go though!
Oh-my-gosh!!! You have found some real loosers here and I applaud you for sharing them! I teach women's studies at a local university and we talk about all the damage done by these vicious ads!
Great post!
Happy V Day!
Coralie
Hubby may be a bit lost in the 50's too because he always gets amorous when I'm doing dishes or cooking. Evidently he likes his women in the kitchen...lol...This was a great post. I had already stopped going to Burger King after Mz Hilton was in their ads.
Aack! that's terrible I mean the message in those ads are, but your post is groovy babay , anyway , the picture with the shoe, I got it was about ole mother hubbard lived in a shoe? she belongs in a shoe? at home? ya that's what I thought .
Wow! These were so interesting to read over. Thank you for doing your research and for taking the time to share these.
Cool post. I have seen the one w/ the guy standing on his wife's head. I did a google search for vintage ads and a link for 'disturbing vintage ads' showed up. This one was on there. ha-ha.
xo,
Sena
Oh fabulous, I love these vintage adds (albeit vicious!!!) and just read your post about the NASA and your husband - wow! That is amazing!
Maggy
Oh, my! Now, was it here that I saw the add for buying your wife a bathroom scale for Christmas?
Those ads are terrible, can't believe how shockingly awful they are.
I got the shoe one - I think it's trying to say she belongs at his feet?
Sad how adverts have changed yet haven't really. Before it was obvious messages, now the message are the same but more subtle.
Great post though.
Oh, those ads certainly do create a vivid picture of how women were/are viewed. Great post!
you must have spent some time in collecting those pictures. Very nice blog. Thanks for stopping by.
Vrinda.
Those ads are truly disgusting. I guess the men who are in power are very scared of women. Makes me wonder if there really was an age of matriarchy and amazon women who were just as inhumane as men in power. So, when men got back on top, they continued the model. What a vicious circle, if it is.
That's funny I had the same ads on my blog last Saturday and tomorrow there will be another bunch of old ads in honor of the International Women's day, lol !
I have some OLD Life magazines with ads like those. Today they are so offensive!! I can't believe women would be thrilled with a Hoover under the tree!
Wow! Those are some winners! ...haha...some were so ridiculous, ya had to laugh! And I liked reading your commentaries with each.
Blessings & Aloha!
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