25 Horribly Sexist Vintage Ads

[Nurse Jenna]

Check these out. I can see why fundie men are pining for the “good old daysâ€. The Lysol douche ad just about keeled me over

http://www.icanhasinternets.com/2010/05 ... ntageads1/

[ladypuglover]

They didn't know Isabella Bird i take it. she was the first woman to scale Pikes Peak in the early 1870's and did it wearing a dress!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Bird

When my grandmother gave birth to my mother in 1938, she was treated "down there" why lysol. Why? Because it was saving women from child birth fever and other infections. I asked my grandmother about it and she had said that it was more water than lysol and didn't burn any more than any other antiseptic sprays. Remember, antibiotics hadn't invented yet or were in every hospital until after WWII.

Over all, I'm glad my husband thinks differently than those ad men do. Otherwise I would be taking out the trash and I don't mean what the garbage men pick up tomorrow. :snooty:

[JenniferJuniper]

These are especially important for young women to see. It really wasn't that long ago that ads like these were the norm.

I only just tossed that exact model harvest gold Kenmore range about 8 years ago when I remodeled my kitchen.

[doggie]

Lysol? god that sounds nasty. would make you think of cleaning not sex.

[Witsec7]

First off I loved the iodine smell of original lysol :oops:

But why no 1950's Maidenform Bra ads?? The ones with the circle stitched cups that looked like the tail lights on old Buicks??

[O Latin]

Some of those don't even look that old. The one with the oven, the one for the mixer thing, and the one with the woman in the yellow bikini (which I gather was for some kind of beer) all looked like they could have been from the last 30 years (although I'm horrible at guessing the decade of any picture after the 50's or so).

What always surprises me about these ads, though, even more than the sexism, is how much text they include. A lot of print ads today don't include any text other than the name of the product (and sometimes not even that). I just think it's interesting the way things like that change.

I think it would be interesting to see someone do "25 sexist ads from the last ten years" or something like that. I can think of a few.

[doggie]

sad part is these ads I bet were effective. Now you may find sexist ads that swing both ways.

[Lillian]

Gotta agree with O Latin. Sexist ads are everywhere even now. Maybe not as overt as 'Men are better than women!!', but some men's body spray ads are ridiculous.

[StarrieEyedKat]

Here you go, a current one!!

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[emmiedahl]

Here's a similar one to those Lysol ads, but from modern times:

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[BravaAmica]

Here's a similar one to those Lysol ads, but from modern times:

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Wow, great production values for a shitty commercial. It was funny. Now I have to wipe off my monitor.

[JenniferJuniper]

The Dr. Pepper ad billing a drink as too macho for women is somewhat different from the basic theme running through nearly all of those old ads. Which is that women belong in the home serving their husbands and if they aren't living up to expectations, the particular product being sold - whether it be a mixer, a range, a morning sickness drug, vitamins or a douche - will help bring her back in line so she can better tend to her man's needs. "The harder she works, the cuter she'll look." Even Ivory Soap will stop her from becoming "tired and cross" and ruining her man's pleasant evening.

Images of women being spanked, turned into rugs and stepped upon, left to dangle off a cliff, and smashed up cars are used to drive home the point that women are stupid and useless unless they are fulfilling their husbands' every need.

Sexism is indeed live and well and I agree ads are far more subliminal today. But there's no denying we're a long way away from the total patriarchal world depicted in the old ads. Or as the old - and ironically blatantly sexist - Virginia Slims ads used to say, "You've come a long way, baby".

[PennySycamore]

I have some old movie magazines from the World War II era and some of those ads appeared in those mags. The ads for feminine hygiene products could be fairly educational and the ads for pads and tampons usually had an offer to send in for more information about menstruation. The wartime ads for pads and tampons also tended to emphasize how they'd enable you to not be an absentee on "those days". Did anyone else notice the word "vaginal" in the Lysol ad? That was pretty daring and progressive for the times.

A couple of other things: We had a Dormeyer stand mixer years ago. I'm trying to recall if it was in the things that we sroted through at my mom's house after she died. It was a pretty darn good mixer. I'll have to show the Mini ad to the women in my MINI club; some of us actually drive sticks. The new Fiat ads with JLo show her shifting into fifth gear fairly wimpily. I guess they're trying to show how easy the cars are to shift, but that won't appeal with to motoring enthusiasts. I find it interesting that so many people only want stainless steel appliances, but several high-end appliance manufacturers make their stoves in various colors. Viking, Blue Star, La Cornue, La Canche and Bertrazonni ranges are all available in colors other than stainless steel. The Bertrazonni range is sent to the Ferrari factory for painting.

[annalena]

Here's a similar one to those Lysol ads, but from modern times:

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Oh! Advertising. Field of interest here.

I can't find this one too bad, isn't ist basically saying the "V" has power?

Dr. Pepper, on the other hand, is so over the top I can't take it serious. I think it's supposed to be. I just want to mention that a "Not for men" ad would probably not cause any attention. But of "Not for women" isn't ok then that one wouldn't be either.

Some of the vintage ones are seriously bad. The one with the girl/tiger carpet or whatever on the floor? WTF?!

i'm realizing a lot of these are for female hygiene. Was that a thing of the fifties, or from whenever these are?

[Soldevi]

Coca-Cola Zero has overly masculine and over the top ads here. They have all kind of superhero themed videos which are not even meant to take serious. (funny thing is that here cc zero and cc light are exactly the same drink in two different bottles, maybe men are thought to be so naive that they can't buy anything with the word light ;) ).

Time to time we have banned ads. Most of the time they are banned because of sexism but I have to say that majority of people don't agree every time with the ethical committee of advertising. And sometimes there is that one person who hurts his/hers mind for someone else (like that one christian who was worried if pig shaped concrete statues hurt muslims feelings and local muslim community couldn't care less). Some ten years ago there was an ad company for local paint manufacturer. Quite busty lady in a sleeveless top painted house showing a little cleavage and these ads were banned because committee thought woman in the ad was only a decoration and had nothing to do with the product and that "in real painting work that top would fall off". Yeah, that was a real given reason by a committee member (a man) why they banned the ad. At the same time committee said nothing to another ad where muscular man was painting roof shirtless. No need to mention that this ad campagn was and is the best working campaign in manufacturer's history.

[annalena]

Quite busty lady in a sleeveless top painted house showing a little cleavage and these ads were banned because committee thought woman in the ad was only a decoration and had nothing to do with the product and that "in real painting work that top would fall off". Yeah, that was a real given reason by a committee member (a man) why they banned the ad. At the same time committee said nothing to another ad where muscular man was painting roof shirtless. No need to mention that this ad campagn was and is the best working campaign in manufacturer's history.

This. No double standards, please.

I have to say "The Axe effect" was really well made, for example. Although many will claim it's sexist.

Edited for SOTDRT grammar.

[apple1]

But why no 1950's Maidenform Bra ads?? The ones with the circle stitched cups that looked like the tail lights on old Buicks??

My mom had those bras. :roll:

[Deleted03]

This. No double standards, please.

I have to say "The Axe effect" was really well made, for example. Although many will claim it's sexist.

Edited for SOTDRT grammar.

right but for once I want to say that there are way more nearly naked women on ads than men. Plus even if you might see the shape of her boobs without a full front, you're never getting down there for guys... so yeah, bad things to objectify both sexes, but since they don't seem to hurried to take down the sexist women ads, I just think it's normal retribution to see a little man action too. When guys will complain, most probably taking down the ads will work :P

[debrand]

Sometimes, I am disturbed by the constant modern messages in ads that men are stupid and women are supposed to mother them, but the ads against women were so much worse.

[sacrilicious]

The majority were pretty horrible, but this one made me laugh:

I could see my husband saying something like that to me if I had a kitchen disaster, or vice versa.

[Crackedeggs]

I still have that range. UGH.

[annalena]

Would you cry over it though?

Although I have to say when I really piut thought into something I wanted to cook and screwed up, it doesn't exactly make you feel good.

[Crackedeggs]

heh. that range makes me cry on a regular basis. Especially when I tried to use the self cleaning feature and flames shot out of the back.

[Nothing2CHere]

Here you go, a current one!!

3iuG1OpnHP8

I remember seeing this ad on TV a few weeks ago with my husband. Once it was over, I turned around and asked him, "Do you feel a need to drink that now?" He was laughing his ass off at how stupid he thought that commercial was.

[alba]

I laughed at this one for being so over-the-top. Then I realised it's probably not a joke.

I can't find this one too bad, isn't ist basically saying the "V" has power?

I think it starts off well, with the 'cradle of life' thing, but goes quickly downhill. The men fighting over it as the woman looks passively on reinforces the idea that women's bodies are men's property. Does the woman not have an opinion over which man has access to her vagina?