Lot 113: Half Plate Daguerreotype Portrait of Two Hunters with Game and Sleeping Dog, Est. $1,500-2,500
Daguerreotypes are a reminder of a time when photography was very different from the “point-and-shoot” instant pictures of today. Now, you carry a camera in the cell phone in your back pocket everywhere you go. Then, as now, photographers were purveyors of state-of-the-art technology.
In fact, the 19th century photographers who made these long-exposure images were referred to as daguerrean artists, and quickly supplanted the portrait painters of the day. The artists’ “images,” particularly daguerreotypes, were valued for their clarity and honesty in representation.
Other than the careful arrangement of a composition, the daguerrean photographer almost never altered an image in any way, except for portraits with pink-tinted cheeks, or gold-highlighted jewelry and buttons.
Lot 103: Ninth Plate Ambrotype Portrait of Man Pouring a Milk Can, Est. $100-150
Daguerrean artists did, however, use interesting means to achieve compositional effects that would otherwise be limited by long exposure times. In the ambrotype pictured here, depicting a man pouring milk from a pitcher, the “milk” is actually a white cloth.
The long exposure times needed for daguerreotypes and other forms of early photography also cause families, soldiers, children, and laborers to look out from stiff, unsmiling poses. It could be a long and strenuous task to sit for one of these images. Yet, if you look closely, the lives and loves of the subjects become clear, and the 19th century doesn’t feel quite so distant.
On October 30, 2011, the American Furniture & Decorative Arts auction will open with 150 lots of daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tintypes from the Early Photography collection of Rod MacKenzie.
As a collector, Rod MacKenzie has a sophisticated taste for images that speak to him – and now to us – emotionally, historically, and artistically. He understands well the limitations of early photography, and carefully collects images which, though mainly portraits, show us more than just what the sitter looked like.
Lot 17: Sixth Plate Ambrotype of a Boy with His Drum, Est. $600-800
There are signs of life throughout the images in his collection – children holding toys close, workmen demonstrating tools of their trade, and soldiers exuding confidence and swagger.
In addition to the portraits, MacKenzie collects images that tell stories. Among the best of these is a set of so-called “occupationals.” There are dozens of images that convey a strong sense of narrative: portraits of beautiful, elegantly dressed women give us a window into the day’s style; prosperous young couples exude airs of optimism; and men show their skill at their daily occupations. This group includes some of the rarest examples MacKenzie gathered: an architect seen in his office at a desk with his drafting tools and elevation drawings of Italianate houses on the walls behind him, a blacksmith at his anvil, a mailman, farmers, a banjo player, a string quartet, a bugle player, carpenters, buggy drivers, and firemen.
In Part II of this series, we’ll take a look at some of the highlights of this truly astounding collection. Every time I turn a page in the catalogue, I seem to find something new in one of these images that I hadn’t seen before. Which images speak most strongly to you?
On October 30, 2011, Skinner will offer the first part of the Early Photography collection of Rod MacKenzie in our American Furniture & Decorative Arts auction. Read Part I of this series to learn more about Rod MacKenzie’s sophisticated taste as a collector.
MacKenzie’s extensive knowledge of American history, particularly of the Civil War, is represented by dozens of extraordinary images of military officers and soldiers. The collection includes portraits of soldiers of all types: officers, dashing men in uniform, and heart-breaking images of very young men headed off to war. In looking at these images, we feel tantalizingly close to the battlefield and to the figures taking part in military history. Notes tucked behind case liners, such as “taken at Newbern, No. Carolina 1863 WLW Private C. E. 44th Mass,” bring us in even closer.
Another focus of the collection is photography of children being children in ways we aren’t used to seeing in 19th century photographs. One highlight is an image of a class of thirty children attending “Petersham School in Miss Laura’s Day.” We must credit the photographer for keeping the kids still during the exposure, though perhaps more of the credit is due to Miss Laura herself.
Rod found a pair of photographs showing a sweet-faced boy and a girl, probably twins, seated in the same stencil-decorated chair. He has an image of a girl holding a chalkware cat, and another of a boy with his paint-decorated drum – both subjects hold their cherished possessions close.
Lot 23: Two Sixth Plate Daguerreotype Portraits of A Boy and a Girl, probably twins, Est. $300-500
Rod made an effort to collect images of leisure activity, too, giving us even more opportunity to peer through a window into the 19th century. There’s an image of two men playing checkers housed in a Union case appropriately called “The Chess Players.” An ambrotype of four men, one wearing a military cap, holding mugs of beer, allows us to view a moment of revelry. A half-plate daguerreotype of hunters posing with game and their hunting dog represents the type of artistic composition that daguerrians often practiced. In another, a gentleman hunter with a stovepipe hat and a frock coat poses with his long gun against a painted backdrop representing a rural landscape, all housed in a case called “The Hunter.”
Lot 137: Half Plate Ambrotype Depicting a Whitehall, New York, Street Parade with Band, Est. $800-1,200
City- and townscapes, another category in the collection, are represented by some rare early photographs of mid-19th century houses including a gothic cottage, a Greek revival farmhouse, and a three-story Federal mansion. Perhaps rarest of that group is an image showing a street parade in Whitehall, New York.
Many of these sometimes haunting photographs are housed in rare thermoplastic or “Union” cases, each collectible in their own right for their unique designs. To create these cases, a specific mix of shellac, pulverized wood fibers and dyes would be heated to create a thick plastic liquid. That semi-solid was rolled out into a sheet, then individually pressed into any one of dozens of patterns which hardened when cooled. Half-plate examples of these thermoplastic cases in the collection are titled “Washington Monument, Richmond, Virginia,” “American Country Life – Summer Evening,” and “The Wedding Procession.” Others show firefighters, military trophies, and more.
In all of Skinner’s years in the business, we’ve crossed paths with and offered hundreds of early photographs. Rarely have those images equaled the quality and beauty of the pictures Rod found, or given us such insight into the people they show.
June 1, 1967: The most difficult thing about going into battle isn’t the fighting – it’s being away from your family. Soldiers stationed in the South get letters and packages from family at home. (Credit: GPO)
June 11, 1967: The IDF mobilized an incredible 264,000 soldiers during the Six Day War. Soldiers, some smiling, some exhausted, listen to the order of the day after the end of their advance on the southern section of the Sinai Peninsula. (Credit: GPO)
(ALEXANDER JOE/AFP)
Stephen Darori on Iconic Media and Photography 
103 thoughts on “Love And Marriage? 25 Vintage Ads Depicting Blatant Sexism”
I “think” the intent of the Goldie Hawn or Goldie Hawn look-alike one is based on her dumb/simpleton blonde Laugh In characterization that she was well known for and perhaps maybe not so much a “women are idiots” message.
Ugh! Most of those are horrid! Thankfully, they’re a thing of the past. Unfortunately, we haven’t moved beyond the attitudes in some of them.
The Total one, I get. They’re saying the cereal will give her the energy she needs to keep up with her housekeeping. I don’t really find that too offensive and think it’s a bit tame compared to some of today’s weight loss ads which are just focused on being thin. Heck, we all still have housekeeping to do, no matter what glass ceilings have been shattered. I’ve blogged about fatigue issues getting in the way of housework. It’s a real problem for some.
And, I wouldn’t mind a vacuum for Christmas, but that’s just me – lol. I’m all about the practical gifts and not getting something that’s going to be useless clutter.
Wow, a douche with Lysol?
@Nashpam – Ha! I thought the same thing!
Calm down ladies. I’m purposely not checking his coffee for store freshness, because seriously that spanking looks like fun.
They are horrid, but they are not all a thing of the past. Has anyone seen the latest Dr. Pepper 10 campaign? The tagline is “Not for women!” and it is straight from the 1930s playbook. Here’s an article about it. I stopped buying all Dr. Pepper products as my way of letting them know they are totally out of touch. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/story/2011-10-10/dr-pepper-for-men/50717788/1
How many fingers does that one lady have?? :-p
These are hilarious (in a totally disturbing, I can’t believe people actually would print that dribble kinda way). Thanks for posting. I needed a little amusement in my day.
yeah the spanking is hot and the blowing in your face, too…double entendrés much? anyway, the “automatic” thing is laughable because I drive stick and my husband CANT
hahah wow those are bad! I love how the on the self cleaning ad, the women says she broke 14 fingernails. Do they think women can’t count how many fingers they have? My goodness.
http://www.fitandpreggers.com
@Suzie – Me too! I’m going to add that line to the post!
I love the Schlitz one (didn’t burn the beer)! I want to frame it and put it in my kitchen. I’ve made some pretty egregious cooking mistakes, where the only redeeming part of the meal has been the accompanying glass of wine
I have to admit, I did giggle a little at the “you didn’t burn the beer” ad.
That douche advert is hilarious. “Ladies! Is YOUR vagina feminine enough?”
Is it wrong that i found these hysterical (& offensive, but mostly hysterical)? Thanks for sharing these!
I can’t seem to be able to click through to read the fine print. Am I missing the links?
Wow, those are hysterical, in a horrifying kind of way.
http://www.thegentlemom.com
These were great to laugh at…and cry at lol. How about that yellow bikini, wow any higher cut and it would be stuck under her armpits. Wonder if it comes in any other colours…..
This post cracks me up. Granted it’s super disturbing they are in fact from our past but I’d say most women have a good sense of humor now days. Love love love the schlitz beer one, though I too would be okay with burnt dinner as long as there was still beer.
So THAT’S where doucheing and the vagina monologues came from. Stinky balled men who didn’t like the natural smell of a woman. Your hubby will leave you if your vagina smells like a vagina and not a field of roses… This post made me sick… in a good way.
I love how the woman in the Hoover ad has an empty thought bubble over her head. “Husbands, your wife doesn’t know what she wants until YOU tell her — get her a Hoover!”
I’ll bet you can find current day ads that are almost as insulting and I don’t mean in a girlie magazine. Some just seem like they are aimed at women.
So many things to say but one thing that sticks out to me is Lysol feminine products. Lysol? really?!? Lol yikes!
Like ads were not offensive to men , children , the elderly and animals of both sexes back then and now? Heck homer simpson, Bart simpson , grampa simpson and the simpson’s pet dog certainly do not paint males in general in a grand light now do they? Nor do other adds and television programs for the rest of the population , those adds above are not only insulting to women they are insulting to men as well as if a man in general thinks like that? My hubs sure as hell would be insulted if he were depicted in that light as a wife beater, who can’t do his own shopping, cooking and cleaning yet expects his supposed mindless wife too lol he would boycott those products in a heart beat.
http://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2007/12/05/101947_twelve-ways-advertisers-insult-consumers.html advertising and views like this have been around since the dawn of organized written civilization written in our very religious and law texts yet nothing has changed except how we word it and depict it along with the current mindset of the times . http://www.trivia-library.com/a/history-of-advertising-ancient-history-middle-ages-and-the-early-days.htm In Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale, Autolycus sings: “Come, buy of me; come buy, come buy, buy, lads, or else your lasses cry.” so how better to advertise without insulting everyone? Now that would be far more interesting to see because no matter what you do someone will feel jilted.
I’m not sure whats wrong here. Doesn’t everyone physically abuse their wife when the coffee isn’t as fresh as it could be?
As a young female, these ads depress me. Not because I find them horrible, but because it makes me pine for simpler times. Some women still live to please their husbands, I know I do.
Bravo! One who still believes in being a good woman and wife out of conviction. Your husband is fortunate to have you!
And there are a lot of adds insulting to people with physical and mental disability’s and debilitating conditions and different skin tones, after all what paraplegic can climb a mountain after eating a health food bar? And how many time’s have you heard so easy a child can do it yet you know someone with the mind of an infant due to an accident or birth defect who is taken care of? Or here’s one use this pearl face powder to give you a healthy peachy glow yet the add is in ebony magazine XD So do we make things that everyone can use or do we market for specific demographic’s insulting and leaving out the rest ? Yes those adds above are insulting but not just to women yet i still find the humor in them .
I couldn’t read most of the images either, and for the one that suggested the wordy body was most important, I tried to save the image in case the site just shrunk it down too much, the image itself is tiny sized and unreadable.
Oh well. Still, I’m in agreance that most of these are no worse than the ones out there today. (The Milk Council’s PMS, Toyota’s minivan, most truck ads, and Dr. Pepper’s new product come to mind, and don’t EVEN get me started on the diet pills…)
Anybody remember the Virgina Slim’s “you’ve come a long way, baby?” ads? Yes, now you too can kill yourself and those around you in public!
LMAO @ “intimate neglect.”
Feminist idiot writing a stupid article. Found this via Yahoo, and figured I’d see some funny ads. Have a laugh at how things have changed, not see a full blown bulldike lesbian convention freaking out over some old ads. Sexism is still out there, yes, but it’s dying and taking on a new form, one in which men are discriminated against. Spousal abuse and divorce court come to mind immediately, my own father was terrified of getting a divorce because he was afraid he’d lose all his kids no matter what they said about wanting to live with him. So, Ms. Article Lady… Would you like some cheese with your whine?
All this from a female Native American (yes, that would be the smallest “minority” in the world). Have a nice day.
What is going on in the ad with the man stepping on the head of the woman/rug thing. I can’t read it. What is that advertising.
I left off the question mark.
Babble editors must not think Ipo Vogel is a very disgruntled, sexist, prejudiced, very ignorant and hostile, very poor example of a Native American ANYTHING! I am shamed if her claim to my ancestry is true, and apologize for her unseemly ignorant vomiting. Thrown out of her own tribe no doubt for the shame she causes.
My birth name: Raven
My coming of age name : Silvercat
My spirit Guide : The Florida panther and …
My Tribe : Nez Pierce
Ya -teh-hey
Some of these are just ridiculous, especially the “A girl-sized hand needs a girl-sized pen” ad. Who screwed up and let her out of the kitchen long enough to learn how to write, anyway? (Sorry ladies… I couldn’t resist.)
It’s definitely a good thing that ads aren’t generally like this anymore, but over the past decade or so, I’ve noticed things swinging the opposite way, though not as much in print ads as in television commercials. There are tons of commercials that portray men either as clueless simpletons who have no idea what goes on around them and need to be told what to do, what to buy, etc., by their wives.
My least favorite in recent history is the Sears ad for central air conditioning systems, where the woman say something like “It’s going to be a scorcher. You should call Sears and get a new central air system.” He’s sitting there reading the newspaper, probably attempting to enjoy his last few minutes of relaxation before heading to work, and says “Ok, I’ll call tomorrow.” She leans over, hands him a phone, and says, “You’ll call NOW!” Thus ends the commercial, but he should have told her “Excuse me? Are your fingers broken? If you’re in that big a freaking hurry, pull out *your* credit card, make the call, and leave me alone.”
No, that’s no worse than some of the print ads above, but the point is, we feel your pain, ladies. I wish advertisers didn’t feel the need to belittle either gender, but as long as advertisers think it helps to sell products, they will.
Funny thing… When these ads were used the US seemed to have a more integral ethic, national pride and family value. WOW all before “sexism” was put to an end, and women were allowed to exploit their goods.
Gimme a break. Things should go back in this direction, We’d se no more Kardouchians and Paris Whoreltons or Lindsey Lowlifes.
Thank God I came of age in the “You can laugh at anything you want” age. These ads are first and foremost highly entertaining. They are funny because they are wrong. It’s how we were and we’ve evolved since then, okay? Getting all high and mighty about things one cannot change is silly. I grew up seeing all those ads, and more, and I turned out fine. I knew they were wrong then, just as I know it now. You talk about sexism and gender inequality, but you don’t want to give us any credit for having the brains to evaluate them for ourselves.
Wow! I would liked to have seen the year’s that these were created. I think the sad part is that while we’ve come far, we haven’t come as far as we think we have in advertising. (Anyone seen a Go-Daddy or Axe commercial lately?)
Sidebar: Nothing would make me happier than receiving a Hoover for Christmas this year. Seriously. I asked for one.
Ok, so now we have Victoria’s Secret ads where women(girls) prance with their boobs pushed up so far that choking is a real threat. Yes, they are beautiful, and yes, I am sure they are paid well. But the real secret there is that fake boobs sell.
omg this is hilarious.
Insane and outrageous.
Seriously?! People are still getting upset about this??? Yes, the current day ones can be a little frustrating. But we can’t change what was printed over 50 years ago! Get over it! It doesn’t do any good to keep bringing it up! The one about losing weight while cleaning? Sounds good to me! I am a housewife and I do clean and losing weight sounds great!
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm
These made me laugh. And yes, there are ads out there that put men down too. The Carl Jr.s ad about how if it wasn’t for them some men would starve drives my husband crazy, he hates it so much. Again, I just laugh
Having grown up during this time period, I am very familiar with the “women are stupid” mentality: they just don’t know how to drive, etc. I sat in my room and listened to the men at cocktail parties making jokes about it and the women laughing right along with them. I learned how to manipulate men by saying, “Well, I just can’t do this…can you help me?” But it is hard to understand, with things changing so quickly these days, that some of the women at that time had had mothers or grandmothers who remembered not having the right to vote! I also remember rebelling against all this when I was passed up for opportunities in school because I was a girl and became a very angry teenager in the 60′s…just in time for the women’s lib movement and everything else that was going on.
But having also cleaned and waxed the linoleum and hardwood floors in my floors on my hands and knees with my mom, we were thrilled when Dad came home with a floor polisher. We also the first family in the neighborhood to have a dishwasher because mom and I got tired of boiling my baby brother’s glass bottles and nipples in hot water, as prescribed in those days, so she was able to sterilize them in the dishwasher while also (yay) saving us all from having to wash and dry all those dishes. (Yes, Dad participated.) And need I mention not having to hang the clothes outside on the line? Or having the clothes come out soft and warm and a few of them not needing ironing? I still needed to sprinkle all the clothes with a Coke bottle with a corked special sprinkler cap, roll them up to get nice and damp, spray them with spray starch (another time-saving invention) and spend hours ironing while watching Ethel and Lucy play dumb on I Love Lucy on our new black and white TV! (No permanent press in those days. But I was so proud that Dad was the second dad in the neighborhood to buy us one! Electric mixers, pop-up toasters…all those things were wonderful! And just as exciting to buy as are all the new appliances we buy today! Have you seen the current ads for the Frigidaire or the newest washers and dryers?
Last one:
BTW: Sex is not only used in advertising today, but in many high fashion ads women are depicted as INVITING abuse! What are all the torn-up clothes about…half ripped off the body as if a woman has just been raped. And have you listened to current music lately? Or watched an R-rated film or late night TV? Violent sexual abuse of women is glorified! Today I’m angry about that! Let’s face it…much has changed, but not in every case for the better. And, yes, Goldie Hawn was playing the part of a “dumb blonde” who danced on SNL, so in that case, blondes should be upset, which I’m not, so…’nuf said!
There was something to the lysol douching. a family member was told that for birth control prevention. Her sister told her to cease and desist and the next month she was pregnant. so almost two years of great bc then poof
Macie, thanks for perpetuating rape culture. Men have control over themselves, and they decide to rape people. Clothes don’t make people rape. Do some serious reading.
Also, most men, and some women, consider breasts sex objects, when they are not. They are erogenous zones in both sexes. Yet women have to legally keep them covered when boys and men don’t, thus “indecent” (legal term) body part is hidden from view, and only legally allowed to be shown if someone is working in an adult establishment.
When a woman can’t walk down the street without a top on but a man can, in America, this is very sad, and sadder still that people still think that would invite rape, or that she is crazy. They are the same parts. Literally. Scientifically. Sex object? I could care less about mine during sex. Almost 100% of my life, breasts are the same as a mans – doing nothing. I do not have kids. They are not FOR anything, until they are being used….yet as a woman, I can’t show mine? I basically live in the Middle East. And the US government, allows states to decide for themselves, when it should be a basic human right to not be discriminated against based on sex or gender. And yet it continues.
I am disgusted with America. The message to girls is clear: you are not equal. You cannot do the same as a boy, and your breasts make you a sexual object.
Wow. People need to see the light. When you are mad that your girlfriend, mom, or friend is raped, realize that by not allowing the same rights to women, you help men and women everywhere perpetuate rape culture, by allowing people to objectify and hide women’s breasts, thus making them (and the owner) indecent. Did you know that women who show their breasts, even if they barely have any, (meanwhile a fat man can have DD breasts showing) and she is registered as a sex offender in most places in America? Seriously.
Discrimination is still here. Legally.
I’m still trying to figure out that oven cleaning one. I only have 10 fingers..is she cleaning the oven with her feet also tha she can break 14 nails?
By the way thats not a crumpled bumper. Thats a fender. Now,, get back to the kitchen and make me a sammich!
Some fairly extreme reactions posted here. Yes, these are a bit sad and, in our current time, silly as all heck. I could not read many of them to even figure out compelte what was being advertised. I’m just glad I don’t have to look at such junk these days. And I wish many of current-day ads were also not being shown as many are still rather disturbing and usually make me NOT want to buy a product. The most interesting thing is how few years ago many of these were printed. Thanks for the yesteryear tour.
Think about it the ads today are only subtlety different. Todays ads show the woman doing every thing from dishes to cleaning of floors, dusting, carpet cleaning, windows, child care, cooking, etc. Half of which being done after she comes home from work.
These are so funny! I’m totally printing the beer one to hang in my kitchen as well!
Hey on your quote “I’m to pretty to do my homework so my brother has to do it for me” you missed that it’s “too” not “to” – the T-shirt graphic has that right; guess someone needs a brother that’s a proofreader.
For those who are wondering, the woman-rug ad was for Mr. Leggs dacron-rayon blend slacks; the copy 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.”
o_O…….
I’d really like it if some of these were larger so I could read the text (as you suggest).
Well, you know, back when women had a sense of shame and some self-respect, back when they were cleaning house and eating Total, they weren’t the fat cows they are today.
And about the shoe ad, “Keep Her Where She Belongs. You know… naked, on the floor, kissing your feet? That’s where women belong.”
My woman agrees with that and is quite happy down there.
14 fingernails? Perhaps ‘the woman belongs in the kitchen’ isn’t the only stereotype there. Either that, or she has quite a few more fingers than your average human.
Sadly, Apple still pushes some of the stereotypes listed. After all, the iPad is supposed to be great for women, because they don’t need much from a complicated ol’ desktop computer-just something easy to use to find recipes and knitting patterns. (2010 blog post from an Apple PR guy) I’ll bet he can’t even figure out simple HTML without his handy drag and drop blog editor. Wait, nevermind, another perk you get from buying Apple? Never having to learn how to drag and drop, like on those complicated Windows and Linux OSs. Seriously?
Ahh the good old days.
Those commenting on housecleaning not being that big of an issue, try to remember all the commercials you’ve seen of men doing housework. Mr. Clean does not count, because he just hands the stuff to the woman cleaning. I only can think of one commercial myself, where the entire family is handing off that magic eraser in the kitchen.
please, girls…
you should feel empowered that a man designed easy-opening ketchup with you in mind to allow you 1 more service to please YOUR man!
(beware you don’t chip a nail!)
How do you fix a woman’s watch?
You don’t…there’s a clock on the oven!
Ok. First, stop living in the past. This is a different day and time and todays male has given a supporting role to women. They are appreciative and grateful for the contribution sacrifically given by the woman of today. Secondly, the commentator on these pics needs to seriously GET A LIFE and stop the hate!! Hey, if you don’t like the man you’re with, find SOMEONE who will make you sing instead of whine like a jackass about something that happened years ago. This is a NEW DAY!!!!
What is the problem with appliances as gifts?
Personally I would like a new vacuum for Mother’s day. The one I have doesn’t work wonderfully and a working one would make my job much easier.
I must have absorbed acres of these, as a big, early reader – but I only remember Mr. Lee’s shirts. Verbatim.
“How do you get your shirts so clean, Mr. Lee?”
“Ancient Chinese secret.”
“My husband, some hotshot. Here’s his ancient Chinese secret….
((PS: Genuine party joke from the era of drunk Twister))
Long story short:
Woman buys vase at a garage sale, genie gives her a wish.
She’s lonely, her cat loves her, so turn him into a man.
Swooning, etc.
Man/Cat: “Now aren’t you sorry you had me fixed?”
Personally, I think more of these are funny rather than “horrid” as most claim on here. There is nothing wrong with being a housewife, so please stop the negativity. I’m proud we have come as far as we have to be accepted in the ways we are now, but honestly, I do look to my husband to be the head of the household & I enjoy making our “house” a “home”. I feel that a lot of these comments about these pictures are basically stating that “It’s stupid to be a housewife” Really? C’mon now!
Cindy, I saw some Mother’s Day gift suggestions, including a vacuum on Lowe’s email ad that came today.
these ads aren’t even funny and they weren’t back then either.
I do think it’s sad that old attitudes like this seem to be keeping some women from enjoying cooking today. I love cooking and being a stay at home mom, but that is my choice and what I dreamed of doing.
being a homemaker is honest work that I am proud to do. It is not my whole identity and it is still a valid economic option when daycare costs are incredibly high. Men can make great homemakers, too.
I was born in 1948 so I was either not born yet when these adverts were out or a a baby. I still grew up in a era when pretty and dumb (which I was back then was a sure guy getter). I am glad, now that I an 63 (and still pretty but very smart) that I have a great guy who does everything for me and a house keeper (so I don’t have to break my 10 beautiful long fingernails – LOL. I wish I had the brains back then was I was young and beautiful.
i know that these ads are very sexist, but what i really don’t like is your reaction.
please, most of these ads were made in the 1950′s, and the people who made the ads have probably already died. therefore you shouldn’t react to them so harshly.
It’s silly to think that women (and men) aren’t still prisoners of societal expectations. The really achievement is to define yourself and choose your own path. It has always been so.
What are all you women doing on this comment board? Get into the kitchen and make supper! And don’t burn the beer.
If the women today would stay at home the America would be a much better place. The only reason they go out and work is so they don’t have to take care of a husband, and so they can take care of more than one man.
Pretty good, except for propagating the “75 cent” myth as if it were gender related. Look into the facts and psychology. It is clear that the problem is with negotiation and satisfaction.
Men measure success by money and are harder negotiators. Men who don’t do well at negotiation are also making less than men who do well at it.
Reduce the whiny blame gaming and take action. Make your own way. That is independence…
I’m a woman and I’m not angry at men – I’m angry at WOMEN. Women have become 100% hypocrites. Look at how much money is spent just so a woman can look “hot”. Really? Hot? “Hot” is a term that denotes being receptive to intercourse. “Hot” used to be the goal of foreplay and the biggest complaint of women – that men don’t spend enough time using foreplay to get her “hot” before sex is initiated. No problem guys – we’ll wear things – think things – do things that puts our sexuality out on our sleeves so all you have to do is pluck the one you want to … well … it rhymes with pluck. Then we’ll complain when you don’t take us seriously and you’ll be punished for it. Yeah, if you notice those ads ARE directed toward the men and not the women. Women don’t want to another woman to tell her how to get a man they want to hear it from the men. So these days women dress in shoes and clothes that are impossible to move about in just so she will look “hot” for men and then complain that women of yesterday were soooooo stupid to let the men rule them.
Some of these ads are over the top by today’s standards, but I am more struck by the possibility that the author (Monica Bielanko) might have some serious self-esteem issues, and an axe to grind of her own. Perhaps these ads hit a little too close to home for her? For example, look at some of her comments on these ads:
“You can take your kitchen appliances and shove it, mister.”
“I’d love to show you my reaction if my husband rolled up on Christmas morning with a new vacuum for me.”
“I’d love to get the dude behind this ad in a sweaty headlock. HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW? HUH? THAT INDELICATE ENOUGH FOR YA?”
“I can drive a stick and my husband can’t, suckas!”
“Yeah I can open it. WHEN I CRACK IT ON YOUR SKULL.”
If Monica is married, then I certainly pity her husband if he has to deal with this kind of attitude.
The ads depicted are from an age where gender discrimination was tilted in favor of men. We now live in an age where it is tilted in favor of women.
Today’s media is just as skewed, depicting men as helpless buffoons while women save the day. Facts are irrelevant—for example, whenever you watch television today, the bad guys tend to be white while the good guys tend to be black.
In my view, women and men have always been equal, but we have different priorities in life, and we have traditionally chosen different areas of expertise. Is that such a bad thing? It is great that women have more opportunities available to them today. We should and do celebrate that. But why must we turn it into a competition? Do we really need woman boxers and truck drivers? Is it wrong to acknowledge that, in general, certain groups of people tend to be more talented in certain areas, while other groups tend to be better at other tasks?
Oh, and one more thing—the so-called “gender-related wage gap” is a myth perpetuated by feminists who want to have their cake (work fewer hours than their male counterparts) and eat it too (earn the same amount as those who log more hours and/or produce more than they do). In my 27 years in the workforce, I have never once seen a job that offered different wages for men than for women.
Well, I’ll take the anti on this. So what, that’s what sold products then. Today’s ads are mostly the same, in many cases making the man the “dumb” one. How is that better?
I’m having difficulty deciding which comment is the most astounding, MOD’s or ssarefascists’s. Both are jaw-dropping.
Sam Hill: “If the women today would stay at home the America would be a much better place. The only reason they go out and work is so they don’t have to take care of a husband, and so they can take care of more than one man.”
SH, few men do not expect their wives to work, and many men use the term “gold diggers” for women who do not financially support themselves. What would you say to those men?
I don’t understand what the issue is. It’s a different time and place. But now we have to sit through commercials that make the men, husbands look like idiots. Is that OK?
Well… Call me what you will….. I truely miss the wholesome type woman that was lost with ERA. Now women want to act like men, but expect to be treated like a lady…..That’s why Chivalry is dead!
I think we have a long way to go and it’s our fault. How many men do you know who would wear platform shoes with 4inch heels,have their chests cut open to look sexy and other other things we do in the name of retaining our youth and looking beautiful! I wear makeup and look nice but come on !
I was laughing out loud at the Hoover ad: it happened at my house when I was a kid. My Mom was P.O.! Not because my Dad EVER made her feel like her place was in the kitchen (she’s a horrible cook, and he’s a great cook, btw), or any of that. I think it was because she was always used to getting “good” gifts from my Dad. You know, like cars, coats, etc. (and we weren’t rich by any standards). He got her stuff she wanted, in other words. Honestly though, the vacuum was such an upgrade to the one we had before that MY BROTHER and I appreciated the thing more than she did. It was waaaay lighter: the previous one felt like it was made of lead.
She still talks/fumes about it, and that was a little over 30 years ago!
I was watching the Graham Norton show last weekend (Jon Hamm, Charlize Theron, Steve Coogan guests), and they actually showed the ‘Blow In Her Face’ ad! Then I saw this blog.
I’m glad that we’ve taught my daughter that she can be anything she wants to be. She’s had great female role-models, none of which are the simple, lame-o type of woman that’s being pitched to in these ads. I can’t believe these ads even worked.
One of my earliest TV memories is an ad for a hair spray. A woman Dr. just worked a 16-hour shift at the hosp, but her hair still looks great!. Even at the time, I knew there was something wrong with having to be a fashion plate no matter what.
Can’t see anything wrong here. Move along. Guys tell her you’re going out to smoke a cigar with some friends. After you kick over her ironong board.
The big thing now for liberals and attention starved media rabble rousers like the one who wrote the above article is to cry ‘sexism’ over everything.
For the past 30+ years feminsm has been the #1 cause of divorce, gender confusion and the *ucked up state of this nations soul.
You & your “type” are the whole cause of the US being in the state of turmoil it is in today! You don’t see NOTHING past your snotty nose. You need to blow the CRAP out of it, but BLOW HARD, cause it’s also DEEP in your head. You weren’t even a thought when these ads were used. What an IDIOT! You don’t have ANY “class”. I would DEFINATELY not call you a lady. You have some pretty bad psycological issues that really needs addressed! You look pretty on the outside, but there’s a whole lot of UGLY inside. If you are married, you MUST be venting out this hatred by using jokes. I’m only guessing, but you are probably a lezzie. Thats my observation. Now here’s my comment…Men are the stupidest, idiotic, dumbest fools when it comes to commercials (OR sitcoms) these days. USUALLY men are not even a part of a family in an ad or sitcom. Men cannot get a government job. You are encouraged to apply if you are a woman, handicapped, or minority, which means anyone but a MAN! You need to take your bra burning mentality and find a good life. Someone done you wrong somewhere, & I am truly sorry about that…WHAT YOU REALLY NEED IS JESUS! GET SAVED! HE’LL GIVE YOU A NEW HEART & A NEW LIFE! CALL ON HIM NOW!!! Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved”.
Oh come on people! Women’ lib did nothing but liberate men from their responsibilities. It was all about getting women out of the home and into the workforce by ripping up the security of the homemaker and no-fault divorce. There used to be hundreds of laws giving advantages and protections to women. Women actually lost rights because of women’ lib. Now if your husband divorces his wife, he is no longer required to provide her with a house to live in and support her and mothers no longer get custody of their children by default. Wake up girls!
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Gee, all so offensive. Not like the Levi’s ad right next to them discribing how women can make their butts more shapely.
God why do people get bothered by this, it’s over and done with~~
[o3o i guess i’m just one of them people who thinks one should bury the hachet]
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Its sad how sexism is still aorund. I mean grow up already. One gender isn’t superior to the other. Women just can’t pee standing up and men can’t have kids. The end.
Wow. Such negative sexism. My sister, an unmarried feminist, once complained to me that there were no real men left. Real men like women. Not women trying to be men. Embrace your difference. Behind every great man there was a great woman. Men need the accolades, I guess. Great women do not.
Honestly, the Dr Pepper 10 is more sexist towards men than it is women. Women can drink any old soda they want, but men won’t drink from a can that doesn’t look like a bullet? It’s just as ridiculous and sexist as those Bic for Her pens.
I hate how sexist those ads are, but I couldn’t help laughing at the sheer ridiculousness.
Men suck.
A generalization demeaning to the male sex?
Yes.
But after all they’ve done to us, I think they deserve it.