Curious Historian

No one likes having to relive the days when men thought women to be lesser creatures, both in strength and intelligence. Thinking that woman were only there to satisfy men in the bedroom, cook their meals, clean the house, iron their clothes and look good while doing it. Well sadly, in some places, this way of thinking still exists. Luckily in the Western world, we are way passed such things (I'm hoping) and we have accepted women as equals, as they should be. But a few decades ago, we still had a ways to go. These are some of the ads that were printed during that time, but would never be allowed today.

Not Strong Enough

Seems as if women were being portrayed as being so weak and helpless that they couldn’t even open a bottle of ketchup. But don’t worry there is one that they can open. Just wow!

Women are most definitely not weak or helpless.

How To Save Your Marriage

There are so many things wrong with this photo. If I am unable to make a good cup of tea, my husband will leave. but if I switch brands he won’t? If this isn’t messed up then I don’t know what is.

Maintain Your Weight

This definitely gives young girls the wrong image of themselves; the ‘if you’re not skinny then you’re not beautiful’ image. Thank goodness that this has been banned otherwise the world would have been in need of a lot more counselors and nutritionists for young girls.

Of No Use

What does the advertising of a sweater have to do with the belittling women and saying that they are not useful? Thank goodness these types of ads have no place in today's world.

Under My Feet

Yet another reason why men believe that they are always superior over women. Thinking that they belong nowhere but under their feet. This certainly gets you thinking doesn’t it?

A Marlboro Will Calm You Down

We'd really like to know why a baby is part of an advertisement for cigarettes. This sends all kinds of warning signs, not to mention the fact that he’s requesting his mother smoke one to calm down. What was this person thinking?!

Great Hair Or I Die

Yet another definition of crazy. Portraying a woman who would commit suicide if her hair is messy. Nothing wrong against wanting your hair to look good but to go to the extreme as to promote suicide over messy hair? That just isn’t right.

For The Cooks

This ad is unbelievably cringe-worthy. The sexism just hits you right in the face. Kenmore isn’t even trying to be discreet about it. It’s amazing what some ad companies will come up with. Yet women were the ones buying these appliances.

Clean Woman Clean!

Oh no! Not another' cleaning is only for a woman' ad! Apparently this person thinks that the best gift for a woman on Christmas day would a vacuum cleaner. Oh Santa what will Mrs Claus think of this?

No Tears? No Appliances

My oh my! What were they thinking? As a woman am I only measured by the appliances that I own in my kitchen? Yet another sexist Christmas ad. I guess Mrs Claus did not get any of our letters back then. Or did women not know how to write either?

Morning Breath

As if women are the only ones who have morning breath? But why the comparison to waking up with no makeup though? Are they trying to say that women should go to bed with make up too? Man that is sexist on so many levels.

Head Games

Today it would take more than just Mr Legg pants to get a woman’s attention. It’s really funny to think that this ad pitch, with a woman’s head on the floor as if to show the superiority of men over women, sold pants.

The Projection

Exactly what are they advertising? Is it the projector or her breasts? To make a woman’s breasts pointy and then think that it should be compared with the “finest projection equipment” is just absurd.

Triggered

The feminists of today would be triggered so hard by this ad. Well luckily for us today, the Navy now includes brave women. However, this really traps the male ego to prove himself worthy by saying “be a man and do it.” Pressured much?

Bridal Showers

Is everything about satisfying a man? Bridal showers should be about a woman enjoying her last few days a single woman. How exactly does this make a lovely gift for her if the focus is totally on him?

Cooking- The Centre of The Marriage

Guess all women need to know how to do to keep a man is be able to cook. Love, honesty and faithfulness apparently played no roles here. With the highlight of the ad as “Successful Marriages start in the kitchen” it’s no wonder this ad was banned.

Miracle Cream

As good as the intentions of this ad may be (to help women), it also stirs up some insecurity in the targeted woman as well. Why the comparison in facial attributes between her and her husband? But Dorothy Gray aren’t you a woman? You should be ashamed of yourself.

Doused In Water

Does the durability of the material really have to be advertised by a woman wearing a shirt that is being hosed down by a man? FYI just because the ad says she doesn’t care, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t; she really does.

Size Matters

So they made pens just for women? The size references really raised an eyebrow and the puns were very much intended. We’re very grateful that we’re alive in an era where all pens are created equal.

Nail Polish or Typewriter?

Is it the nail polish or the typewriter being advertised? Either way it seems as though looking good when doing your work is more important than actually doing the work. Oh when will this end? Oh wait, it’s already over. Thank goodness!

Girdles

Exactly how does this image promote girdle sales? This is just down right insulting. It should be used for an ad against domestic abuse rather than girdle sales. Being grabbed by the hair with a huge smile on your face? Not nice!

Self Defense

As good as the intentions to protect men from venereal diseases may have been, it is difficult to ignore the blatant negative view of women. Shouldn’t they protect themselves too? Whoever wrote this must not be going home to a woman at night.

Pep In your Step

We really hope that this medication worked, although we’re quite a bit skeptical. We wouldn’t be surprised if this was just used as a placebo to encourage women to work harder than they already did. Sigh. The things they do.

A man’s world

The message behind this is so demeaning. Maybe the promotion of ties was done a little different back then. Get yourself a woman serving a man in bed and him with a condescending look on his face as she goes down on her knees before him and you’ve got a sale.

Van Heusen

Women run for the hills! If this is what we had to look forward to, we would die a million deaths. A tie that helps men act even more barbaric at that time? Yikes!

Tamed Woman

A vehicle being compared to a woman in the words “Like a spirited woman who yearns to be tamed”. Is a woman a wild animal that there is this need that she be tamed? What will they think of next we wonder?

Illegal Crime

Is that even a real question? It is illegal to kill a woman or any human being for that matter! Although the woman here doesn’t seem interested in answering the question because she knows better.

Inhale Death

Wow! Might as well say blow in her face and she’ll get lung disease. Then she wouldn’t be following you around, now would she? Seems the dangers of second hand smoke was not talked about back then as it is now.

Pear Shaped

Even then society knew what the ideal woman should look like. And even then they had already set the bar. We salute the century we are in now, where women are more comfortable and happy with their bodies because this ad just doesn't cut it.

The Hair Dryer

Even knowing that the woman doesn’t have a full head of hair, she is still encouraged to buy a hair dryer saying that “even if you can’t use it, it’s fun to have”. It is trying to be funny but very insensitive to women who suffer from hair loss. Oh how low these companies go!

A woman’s worst enemy: Time

Ads like this is the reason why women today are still hyper-obsessed with youth. Men didn’t have to worry about the condition of their skin, but wives were surely scorned by their husbands if (and when) their skin aged. What’s worse is that wives were told to blame themselves if they lost their husband’s affection.

Sexy aftershave?

It’s hard to ignore the very rape-y undertones of this ad. “If she doesn’t give it to you, get it yourself”? We know that putting a woman next to a product boosts sales, but the caption on this ad takes it too far by encouraging sexual assault.

No, Mickey. No.

Clearly, a woman’s face, head, or brain doesn’t matter. All eyes on her vagina because that’s all she’s worth. Come on, what does this have to do with liquor? Who even approved of this vulgar ad? Shame on them!

The art of wife-beating

Look at this ad: the husband happily spanks his wife while she gladly takes it. Certainly, this façade is far from the reality of pain, humiliation, and shattered self-esteem that battered wives go through. Ads like these are why some men today still think that domestic abuse is justified.

Where does she belong?

A woman belongs on the floor, naked, admiring a shoe? Perhaps what they were trying to say is that she belongs at a man’s feet, praising him, like his name is Jesus or God. How demeaning.

Working hours

At least this ad acknowledges that housewives work longer than men! It doesn’t change the fact that a woman’s entire existence is still confined to a home. We’ll forgive them, though. This was in 1893 when they supposedly didn’t know any better.

Get this car because your wife will wreck it!

The messages of this ad is that: the wife will inevitably be the one to come home with a fender bender; never the husband. Funny enough, men get into more accidents than women, but it’s convenient to ignore that statistic when demeaning women’s driving abilities sells cars to men.

Under-thing magic

In an alternative universe, this advertisement would depict three desolate men who can’t seem to find wives because they can’t get the scent of their sweaty scrotums out of their underwear. Doesn’t that sound ridiculous? Then why portray that image with women?

Clever girls don’t matter

Who cares if a woman is clever, witty, or a down right genius? Men of the vintage era only wanted women for their looks. Why? Because they were convenient – only good enough to cook, clean, bear children, and show off to their friends.

Morning sickness? No problem!

New Mornidine! The morning sickness reliever that poisons your wife’s liver and threatens the health of your unborn child. But hey, at least she is out of bed and cooking breakfast!

Need a man? Get a pressure cooker!

In the vintage era, most of the ads geared at women insinuated that they must have a man in their lives to be of any worth. Of course, to get that man, you’ll also need to be able to cook and prepare his favourite meals.

Wrong on so many levels.

Women never got a break in this era. First of all, the woman gets punished if the coffee company’s coffee isn’t fresh. This has nothing to do with her! Second, beating your wife is never okay. This ad is just terrible!

Squeeze in your guts after you squeeze out your toothpaste

Of all things to purchase with extra money: a girdle? How about saving for your children’s education, or buying food for the family? It’s hard to believe that this is just a toothpaste ad.

Gram ‘em by the… booty?

What’s his hand doing there? This is supposed to be a leotard ad, not an “It is ok to sexually assault women” ad. These types of ads made men feel like every woman’s body was theirs to touch, even without permission.

Sexism galore

Wow. “Women don’t leave the kitchen!” It’s as if the woman in this ad is a prisoner while she watches her husband and child have all the fun outside. Perhaps many women of the era felt like this too.

Paedophile alert!

This disturbing ad depicts a very young woman holding a teddy bear. Why would any company encourage sexualising innocence?

Totally ridiculous

In those days, there was so much pressure on a woman to be perfect for a man. Instead of simply encouraging healthy eating, Total cereal had to take the misogynistic route and emphasise the stereotype that women belong in the home.

“Be the woman your husband wants you to be”

It’s like vaginal care has more to do with a woman’s husband than her! How demeaning can this get? It should be an ad targeting the woman for her own health, not targeting her so that she can please her husband.

The horrible ad that blamed women for marital problems

The blatant sexism in this ad almost makes you forget that women used to use Lysol in their hoo-ha! Shame on Lysol for blaming bedroom issues on the woman. Marriage is a two-way street and one party should not have to take all the blame when the spark goes out. But back then, they didn’t see it that way.

Don’t let your husband leave you!

Is it really inevitable that your husband will leave you if you don’t look 20 years old for the rest of your life? Certainly, these ad companies made both women and men think so.

Where’s the honesty?

So instead of just talking through the issues, the husband prefers to leave the wife at home wondering what she did wrong. Whatever happened to unconditional love, trust, and respect in a marriage?

Guard your stockings

It’s like women only exist so that their husbands can admire them. Who knew that stockings had such a significant role in a marriage!

Indelicate woman

It’s one thing to keep your body odour in check, but it becomes offensive when a brand does this! Saying that “Society won’t stand for indelicate women” is a clear dictation that women should be feminine, desirable and of course, delicate.

Hold a man with Listerine

A successful woman is one who can keep a man. God forbid, she make the mistake of forgetting to use Listerine! Why must the blame be placed on the woman when a man strays? Isn’t he the guilty one?

Wife-saver?

Because husbands and men never clean, right? Thankfully, some men today will be offended by this ad, but they are still few and far between. Clearly we still have a long way to go.

How to pick up a girl at a bar

First, call her over and give her a glass of Captain Morgan’s. Ignore everything that she has to say and ensure that she is only talking about what you want to talk about. When her glass is empty, lure her to your house with more Captain Morgan. Wow.

The best women are thin

The best women are thin and rich? Many women suffer from eating disorders, and this is part of the reason why!

The best women have curves

It’s so confusing. Women must be thin, but they also must have curves. And why? To attract a man of course! Because that was the ultimate life goal.

Simply driving

Women have had to live for decades with the stereotype that they are simpletons who cannot operate a vehicle. Well, this ad perpetuated that erroneous perception.

Vintage Ads That Would Never Be Allowed Today