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.