Showing posts with label vintage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vintage. Show all posts
20110904
20110827
You Smell and Men Hate You
"True, men were attracted to her, but their interest quickly turned to indifference. Poor Girl!"
"5,000,000 young women become of marriageable age this year. How many of them, we wonder, will make the grade? One thing is certain, they can't expect to attract and hold men if they have halitosis (unpleasant breath.) It nullifies every other charm."
"Unfortunately, "B.O" offenders rarely know when they are guilty."
"The least talked about feminine odor but the most offensive to men."
(For more on Douching check out this and this!)
"Don't sacrifice your feminine charm one single day in the summer. Kotex protects daintiness when especially difficult."
"But it's so easy for a wife to think that time strengthens love- to feel that, because her husband loved her once, he'll love her always. Don't make that fatal mistake!"
"Garden fresh daintiness every day of the month. Every girl wants it."
20110808
The Best Part of Waking Up ...
... is being berated by your husband.
And to think, I was running around YouTube trying to collect old Folgers Coffee ads when someone went and put all the best scenes together already! Thanks, haroldhupmobile, for this offering of vintage sexism!
20110129
Advertising's Attitude of Servitude
Slavery was so ingrained into American culture that even after it was abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, black people were depicted almost exclusively as servants in advertisements. They were characterized as uneducated, poorly speaking stereotypes who cleaned and cooked for rich white families; particularly prevalent is the presence of black female maids. Most important to note is how happy people appear in these advertisements, promoting the idea that black people were content in servitude, undermining the struggle for equality in America.
Tracy Sinks, 1942
"Law-dy, it sure is quiet!"
Cream of Wheat, Year Unknown
Hires Rootbeer, Year Unknown
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Rice Krispies, 1932
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Sanka Coffee, 1933
Monel, 1939
Monel, 1939
 Hoover, 1934
"Mah Lady Gives Me Sundays Off!" "Yeah? -Well I Gets Part of every day off- mah folks got the Hoover." |
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| Servel, 1944 |
It's not all about the ladies this time... black boys and men were regularly depicted as happily uneducated servants too.
Cream of Wheat, Year Unknown
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| Fry's Cocoa, 1842
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| Talon, 1934 |
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| Nu-Top, Year Unknown
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Hires Rootbeer, Year Unknown
20110120
Paying the Cost to Be The Boss(lady)
...means making sure you always have your leg make-up preparations close by.
When I ran across this ad I thought "Hey! Boss *Lady*, they say! Is this some odd advertising anomaly of yesteryear, some rare relic of female empowerment?
Spoiler Alert: No.
It starts promisingly enough.
"It's her yes or no that goes", the DuBarry ad reads. "She selects spot news items, writes captions, and releases them to hundreds of papers all over the country." Whoa, she's like, a journalist and stuff! She's important! She's the boss ... lady!
"...replacing a man in vital civilian work, as our country asks every woman to do."
Fair enough, this ad is from 1944, when World War II was revolutionizing the role of women in the American workforce. Women all over the United States suddenly found themselves in occupations traditionally considered "man's work." (Which apart from child rearing, cooking and cleaning, was pretty much everything and anything.)
"Miss Callahan handles her man-sized job because she's learned the knack of fitting all of her activities into a streamlined schedule."
Ah, so she's a savvy business woman, is she? A master of organization? A time management genius?
"She's depending on DuBarry's Beauty Preparations for complete beauty care."
Riiiight, I forgot! A woman's first priority is to look attractive! The rest is a cakewalk- look at the woman in the ad; she's gonna let her legs do all the talking, baby! But there was one problem- sure, we could slather salves and powers all over our subpar faces to make them acceptable, but how could we be sure our legs were up to the beauty standard? Thank God Richard Hudnut had the good mind to invent leg make-up preparations for the new business woman on the go!
"DuBarry Leg Make Up has the creamier consistency that will give a smooth finish in just one application!
With both hands, start at heel, work upward and forward. Blend quickly before it dries."
When I read the instructions, it's just like self tanner! I guess we are still using leg make up beauty preparations today... good thing, because we wouldn't want to be wandering around this Man's world looking all pale and disgusting!
When I ran across this ad I thought "Hey! Boss *Lady*, they say! Is this some odd advertising anomaly of yesteryear, some rare relic of female empowerment?
Spoiler Alert: No.It starts promisingly enough.
"It's her yes or no that goes", the DuBarry ad reads. "She selects spot news items, writes captions, and releases them to hundreds of papers all over the country." Whoa, she's like, a journalist and stuff! She's important! She's the boss ... lady!
"...replacing a man in vital civilian work, as our country asks every woman to do."
Fair enough, this ad is from 1944, when World War II was revolutionizing the role of women in the American workforce. Women all over the United States suddenly found themselves in occupations traditionally considered "man's work." (Which apart from child rearing, cooking and cleaning, was pretty much everything and anything.)
"Miss Callahan handles her man-sized job because she's learned the knack of fitting all of her activities into a streamlined schedule."
Ah, so she's a savvy business woman, is she? A master of organization? A time management genius?
"She's depending on DuBarry's Beauty Preparations for complete beauty care."
Riiiight, I forgot! A woman's first priority is to look attractive! The rest is a cakewalk- look at the woman in the ad; she's gonna let her legs do all the talking, baby! But there was one problem- sure, we could slather salves and powers all over our subpar faces to make them acceptable, but how could we be sure our legs were up to the beauty standard? Thank God Richard Hudnut had the good mind to invent leg make-up preparations for the new business woman on the go!
"DuBarry Leg Make Up has the creamier consistency that will give a smooth finish in just one application!
With both hands, start at heel, work upward and forward. Blend quickly before it dries."
When I read the instructions, it's just like self tanner! I guess we are still using leg make up beauty preparations today... good thing, because we wouldn't want to be wandering around this Man's world looking all pale and disgusting!
20101027
How Far Have We Really Come?
Advertisements that were focused on African Americans used offensive, cliche language and fed on the insecurities of a group struggling to find it's place and voice in America.
When advertisers first started using black people in their advertisements, they were poorly speaking stereotypes, like well known icon Aunt Jemima. Aunt Jemima was a typical "mammy", focused on domestic tasks - well, only one, really -making pancakes. It was common for African American likenesses to be used for food items, particularly "comfort foods".
(Energizing pancakes? Indeed - sugar was long advertised as a health food, providing needed energy to your family and children!)
When advertisers first started using black people in their advertisements, they were poorly speaking stereotypes, like well known icon Aunt Jemima. Aunt Jemima was a typical "mammy", focused on domestic tasks - well, only one, really -making pancakes. It was common for African American likenesses to be used for food items, particularly "comfort foods".(Energizing pancakes? Indeed - sugar was long advertised as a health food, providing needed energy to your family and children!)Aunt Jemima has changed over the years, going from "mammy" to more of a housewife, and you'll find no apologies from the company that created her - they are proud of their heritage and claim "The Aunt Jemima products continue to stand for warmth, nourishment and trust – qualities you’ll find in loving moms from diverse backgrounds who care for and want the very best for their families." Lawsee we sho' do!
"Happy Husband! Thrives on home cookin' ... knows he's saving money." In this Aladdin ad we again see the use of shortened, slang type language used to advertise to African Americans, a trend which unfortunately has not died out in our society. The wife knows her role- to make her husband happy (with food!) and not waste any of that money he's bringing home. Aladdin thermos ads were occasonally questionable, like this one eluding to domestic abuse.
Skin lightening creams and treatments are marketed to all women for things like sunspots and blemishes; after all, who doesn't want the milky white skin that poets write about? For ethnic women, the issue is not just skin deep. As African Americans struggled to find equality in America, advertisements from as early as the 1920's encouraged black women to have lighter skin. "Pride in our race demands that we look Light, Bright and Attractive." This issue remains controversial today; skin lightening is a multibillion dollar industry who's beauty standards have affected cultures around the world.
"Bleaching" is a huge industry in developing countries. This legacy of slavery or colonization, where lighter-skinned or white people were given visible privileges over hundreds of years has resulted in societies where the lighter you are, the higher your status socially and economically. In India, women strive to achieve the "wheat" colour much-requested on Asian dating websites. In the Caribbean, light skin is also highly desired while in African countries even seemingly minor variations in skin tone can contribute to ethnic conflict." -Vanessa Walters
As is the unfortunate case with most beauty products for women, skin whitener can contain a range of dangerous chemicals that give "Beauty is Pain" a whole new meaning. Hydroquinone inhibits melanin production and has been associated with possible cancer risks causing many countries to ban it (but not America!) Of course, you could always turn to the alternative and get a lovely acid peel. The practice of skin lightening combines the audacity of an impossible beauty standard with the danger of industrialized, media driven racism.
But remember ladies, it's not just your skin that's the problem, it's your hair too.
"Historically, long, straight tresses -- along with pale, white skin -- defined beauty in the United States. Black women, our complexions the hues of a cocoa rainbow and our hair often kinky and short, didn't fit the Eurocentric ideal, and we were made to feel less soft, less lovely, less womanly.
Hair became a thing that we obsessed over, searing it into contrition with hot combs and lye, and assigning it the attributes of good (straight/wavy) and evil (naturally nappy.) Indeed, Madam C.J. Walker, a black woman widely regarded as America's first black female millionaire, earned her fortune devising products and techniques that made our hair "behave."' -Charisse Jones
When we look at these advertisements, we shake our heads at history and tend to indulge in "how far we've come" ... Are African Americans still stereotyped by uneducated language and soul food? Are women still expected to fit a standard for beauty and homemaking? Does lighter skin still equal greater success? Do people still use everything from oils to weaves to wigs to attain hair different from their own? Does the media still drive the machine, the greedy industry that preys on women's self doubt with chemicals and pretty colors? How far have we really come?
"Happy Husband! Thrives on home cookin' ... knows he's saving money." In this Aladdin ad we again see the use of shortened, slang type language used to advertise to African Americans, a trend which unfortunately has not died out in our society. The wife knows her role- to make her husband happy (with food!) and not waste any of that money he's bringing home. Aladdin thermos ads were occasonally questionable, like this one eluding to domestic abuse.
Skin lightening creams and treatments are marketed to all women for things like sunspots and blemishes; after all, who doesn't want the milky white skin that poets write about? For ethnic women, the issue is not just skin deep. As African Americans struggled to find equality in America, advertisements from as early as the 1920's encouraged black women to have lighter skin. "Pride in our race demands that we look Light, Bright and Attractive." This issue remains controversial today; skin lightening is a multibillion dollar industry who's beauty standards have affected cultures around the world."Bleaching" is a huge industry in developing countries. This legacy of slavery or colonization, where lighter-skinned or white people were given visible privileges over hundreds of years has resulted in societies where the lighter you are, the higher your status socially and economically. In India, women strive to achieve the "wheat" colour much-requested on Asian dating websites. In the Caribbean, light skin is also highly desired while in African countries even seemingly minor variations in skin tone can contribute to ethnic conflict." -Vanessa Walters
As is the unfortunate case with most beauty products for women, skin whitener can contain a range of dangerous chemicals that give "Beauty is Pain" a whole new meaning. Hydroquinone inhibits melanin production and has been associated with possible cancer risks causing many countries to ban it (but not America!) Of course, you could always turn to the alternative and get a lovely acid peel. The practice of skin lightening combines the audacity of an impossible beauty standard with the danger of industrialized, media driven racism.
But remember ladies, it's not just your skin that's the problem, it's your hair too."Historically, long, straight tresses -- along with pale, white skin -- defined beauty in the United States. Black women, our complexions the hues of a cocoa rainbow and our hair often kinky and short, didn't fit the Eurocentric ideal, and we were made to feel less soft, less lovely, less womanly.
Hair became a thing that we obsessed over, searing it into contrition with hot combs and lye, and assigning it the attributes of good (straight/wavy) and evil (naturally nappy.) Indeed, Madam C.J. Walker, a black woman widely regarded as America's first black female millionaire, earned her fortune devising products and techniques that made our hair "behave."' -Charisse Jones
When we look at these advertisements, we shake our heads at history and tend to indulge in "how far we've come" ... Are African Americans still stereotyped by uneducated language and soul food? Are women still expected to fit a standard for beauty and homemaking? Does lighter skin still equal greater success? Do people still use everything from oils to weaves to wigs to attain hair different from their own? Does the media still drive the machine, the greedy industry that preys on women's self doubt with chemicals and pretty colors? How far have we really come?
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