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Another Love-Match Shipwrecked
This "Lysol" ad claims women who are anything but clean, prim, and proper will drive men away and destroy their marriages. The sentences at the bottom of the ad states "...on the dangerous reef of half-truths about feminine hygiene. 'Lysol' has prevented many such tragedies." Their overall tagline was preserving youth & marital bliss. When this ad was made, white women were just given the right to vote only ten years prior (in 1920.) Many women also entered the workforce for the first time. -
Period: to
1930's-Present: Sexism in Advertisments
Sociology Project -
"You mean a woman can open it...?"
In the 1940's, women were seen as weak and fragile. This ad shows "It's so easy to open, even a poor, weak, helpless woman could open it!" After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, women were allowed to serve in the war as more than nurses. 350,000 women served in the war and each branch had a women's auxiliary. Women replaced men in other jobs as well. They worked in offices, as pilots, in factories, etc. Wonder Woman was the first female superhero, and Eleanor Roosevelt became a household name. -
The Chef does everything but cook - that's what wives are for!
This 1950's ad depicts a stay-at-home wife and her husband. It's for a "Kenwood Chef" mixer. The "chef" in the selling point "The Chef does everything but cook - that's what wives are for!" is referring to the machine, but it seems like it is referring to the husband in the picture. Not many major things happens during the 1950's in the women's rights movement, but women remained in the workforce, and two famous feminist texts were published ("The Second Sex" and "The Feminine Mystique.") -
Cigarettes are like a woman. The best ones are thin and rich.
This is a cigarette ad displaying a woman in a short dress with the statement "Cigarettes are like women. The best ones are thin and rich." This shows a bias against women of different social classes and body types. In 1960, the first birth control pill was approved. In the 60's, the average woman only made 63% of what a man made. The 1964 civil rights bill banned discrimination based on gender, but failed to pass. -
Love's Baby Soft. Because Innocence is Sexier Than You Think.
This ad from 1972 shows a young child in a seductive pose with a teddy bear with the selling point "Love's Baby Soft. Because innocence is softer than you think." People try to sexualize women as young as possible, as shown in this lip gloss ad. The 1964 civil rights bill turned into the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which was passed by congress in 1972. Over the next few years, 35 out of the 38 required states ratified it. This caused it to fail. from being passed. -
Have Some Fun. Beat Your Wife Tonight.
This is a bowling ad from 1976. It says "Have some fun. Beat your wife tonight." They are referring to winning in bowling but the connotation sounds like abuse. They most likely knew that and stuck with it because it would have been seen as funny at the time. The ERA was fighting for ratification in the necessary 38 states. It unfortunately only gained 35 out of the 38. Women kept fighting for the ERA, with constant protests well into the 80's. -
"He said my teeth are so good, I can be his receptionist when I grow up."
This dentist offices newspaper ad from the 1980's has an extremely sexual connotation. There is the cliche of the boss/secretary affair. The title of this article along with the way the dentist looks at the girl implies a sexual connotation, even though she is clearly a minor. The women;s rights movement focused on reproductive affairs, such as birth control, abortion rights, and the women's right to choose. In 1984, Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman to be nominated for vice-presidency. -
I remember when he couldn't keep his hands off me!
This ad for the NEO-GEO video game system displays a women in lingerie, disappointed that her boyfriend/husband is too invested in his games to look at her "hot body." During the women's movement, a record number of women are elected into congress. Some states make minors who want abortions need parental consent and put them on a waiting list. The violence Against Women Act funds services for victims of rape and domestic abuse. -
Je suis comme un poisson dans l'eau
Though the phrase "Je suis comme un poisson dans l'eau" translates to "Like a fish in water," the image shows a connotation of women's vagina's are dirty. During the 2000's, Congress passes the Partial-Abortion Ban Act, the first law to ban a specific abortion procedure. In 2009, Hillary Clinton loses the democratic election to Obama. The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act lets women of pay discrimination to file a complaint against their employer within 180 days of their last paycheck. -
The Social Butterfly Vs.The Little Scholar
Gender stereotypes are ingrained in children as young as three or four. This ad depicts two toddlers (one boy and one girl) wearing GAP's clothing, but their descriptors are extremely stereotypical. It objectifies women and presents men as the educated, reliable ones. In the WRM, the Paycheck Fairness Act fails, women are allowed in militant combat roles, Hillary Clinton runs in the democratic party against Donald Trump, winning the popular vote, and a Congress now has a record number of women.
