Obesity has been a problem in the United States, even in the 60s. American diet included potatoes that are high in carbohydrates, thus leading to weight gain that is hard to sweat off. The Rice Council of America published several advertisements to convince citizens to convert from potatoes to rice which is high in fiber and can help with weight problems. Now, this is a good cause; a healthier way of life is always something we should strive for whenever we can, but there are certain…questions about how they deliver this message to the public.
Their way of doing so? Claim that there are no such things as fat Chinese people. It’s true that rice is a healthier side dish than potatoes, but stereotyping a race and being culturally insensitive is definitely not the way to advertise your cause.
Women Can Open This Catsup Bottle
Strangely enough, even advertisements for aluminum bottle caps contain material of an adult nature but are free to be published and displayed in public. It’s hard to see how something like this was considered a pleasant way to advertise aluminum bottle caps, and we’re glad it’s not around anymore.
It’s kind of strange that more than 50 years ago, people thought that women are weaker and incapable of doing mundane tasks like opening bottles and that we need a strong man to...well...open a bottle, as most strong men do. While it’s true that we have trouble opening bottles occasionally, this isn’t only a problem exclusive to women. Sometimes it’s just that hard to twist that cap off! A Tutorial on How To Kick It with The Ladies
This Time It’s Coffee!
Nothing beats the smell of coffee in the morning. The perfect breakfast for the working man: eggs, bacon, bread, and a steaming hot cup of coffee with a hefty dash of....a feminine friend. We already know that ads of this kind were rampant in the earlier days, and this is yet another good example.
This specific ad plays on the idea that a wife only belongs in the house and that her sole purpose is to serve her husband at home and make his life as pleasing and comfortable as possible. Today, more and more women are realizing that they can do so much more than stay at home and that their lives don’t have to end after getting hitched.
Unlucky Tiger Hair Wax
Whoever sees this ad can point out everything that’s wrong about it. To say the least, this hair wax ad is so creepy. What does a tiger have to do about hair wax? There seems to be a reverse role in this picture. The tiger is depicted as the hunter when it’s the other way around in reality. The poor animal is portrayed as a beast when in fact, humans are the ones who invade their territories.
If you think that there could be nothing worse...you are very wrong. Mounting the busts of the women on a wall is such a psycho thing to do. The male gaze exudes the misogynist mentality of the creators of this ad. This ad displays pure absurdity that it even has the guts to say, “Which one do you want?” It’s as if women are not given the choice to say no. Sorry, the gals aren’t naturally going for any guy who uses Lucky Tiger. Not so lucky now.
Women? Outside the Home? Impossible!
This Trans World Airlines ad was probably considered slightly feminist when it was created in 1954. Today, of course, it’s completely laughable. However, back in the 50s, it marked a change in how companies advertised to women in the US. The ad asked women, “Who says, ‘It’s a man’s world?’” as a way to appeal to “modern” women who had more social independence than ever before.
TWA lets women dream big and even consider traveling on their own. Without a man. Gasp! Can you even believe it?! This whole marketing gimmick is obviously ridiculous to anyone living in 21st-century America. Some women would even argue that traveling without a man is a million times better.