Advertisers today are still printing and filming sexist ads, but early print advertisements were a lot more blatant, some of them downright offensive. I can’t believe this was acceptable. Could you imagine what the reaction would be if any of these advertisements were put up today? It’s probably a good thing that things have changed.
1. Kellogg’s Pep

2. Palmolive

3. Lysol

4. Drummond Sweaters

5. Advertisement For Automatic Transmission

6. Datacomp

7. Kenwood Chef

8. Dormeyer

9. Advertisement for STDs.

10. Del Monte Ketchup

11. Facial Cleanser

12. Mr. Leggs

13. Chase & Sanborn Coffee

14. Amolin

15. Zonite

16. Drummond Sweaters

17. D-Con Mouse Poison

18. Total

19. Demure

20. A Shoe Ad

21. Parker Pens

22. Sears Kenmore Stoves

23. Tiparillo

24. Mom’s On A Warpath

25. Ballot For Women’s Voting

26. Hoover Company

27. Mornidine

28. Van Heusen

29. Volkswagen

30. Schlitz

31. Zonite

32. Palmolive

33. Van Heusen

34. Hotpoint Dishwashers

35. Lysol

36. Listerine

37. How To Add Glamorous Curves

38. Koratron

39. Lux

40. Dorothy Gray Salon

41. Pitney-Bowes Postage Meter

42. Fuller Bosom

43. Bon Ami

44. Thermodor

45. Tipalet

Some of these are just downright offensive, like the, “Is it always illegal to kill a woman?” Yes, yes it is! It’s amazing that when printing these advertisements that most people didn’t even bat an eye. It was the norm in the 1950s and 1960s, but times have definitely changed. Women can vote, they work outside of the home, and they don’t necessarily do all of the cleaning. We are slowly becoming a more equal society, but there are some areas that could still use some improving.