Back in the '50s and '60s, ads were pretty sexist and racist, but no one batted an eyelash. So we’re going to take a look at some of the worst vintage ads from back in the day that would never fly today...
Can She Open It?
Life may have been different back then but this one's still mindblowing. In this ad, they showed a ketchup cap that was so easy to open, even a clueless and fragile little woman could do it.
She Can Have a Tummy
This 1956 ad from Life magazine is promoting a style of clothing called Chubbettes. As the name suggests, it’s intended for parents with daughters who aren’t as slender as other girls. The wardrobe was also designed to hide the extra weight, you know, just in case having a few extra pounds would "offend" anyone.
You Didn’t Burn the Schlitz
This ‘50s ad shows a husband who’s just come home from work comforting his wife, who is balling her eyes out over the fact that she completely burnt dinner. But the husband’s assuring her that at least she didn’t burn the Schlitz beer on the table.
Having a Bad Hair Day
This ad from Charles Antell, a hair product manufacturer shows a woman having such a bad hair day that she’s contemplating three different ways she can off herself. But much like most ads from that era, their incredible formula will solve all this woman's hair woes so she can keep her hair healthy and live another day.
That’s What Wives Are For
According to Kenwood, the company that created this kitchen mixer, a woman's place is in the kitchen. This is just another sad example of how women weren't allowed to have a career, (or a life of their own!) outside of the kitchen.
The Un-Lucky Strike
In those days, anyone who was anyone smoked cigarettes, even Santa Claus. The ads even claimed Lucky Strike cigarettes protected the throat, so smokers wouldn’t have to worry about coughing. But there didn’t seem to be any mention of throat or lung cancer anywhere. Hmmm.
4 out of 5 Men
The level of racism was pretty obvious in this Van Heusen ad, which shows how 4 caucasian men and a man of color. The latter is the only one not wearing Van Heusen styles and it’s insinuated that he’s not educated enough to know better because he didn’t go to Oxford. Wow.
Beer Made Better Parents
Some would argue that beer turns people into accidental parents. But this ad suggested that beer was an “appetizing, stimulating tonic.” Obviously, the baby’s going to be a lot less fussy because it’s getting drunk.
Light Up First
In today’s world’s most kids would tell their parents to take a chill pill, but in the ‘50s, Marlboro released these ads, which use babies on the front, asking their moms and dads to light up a Marlboro cigarette.
Vitamins For Peps
Kellogg's once thought women looked better when they worked hard. And the little comic on the lower right-hand corner showed a husband learning his wife took vitamins to avoid keeling over.
His Heart Is White
This ad for the Canadian Patriotic Fund shows an aborigine calling his skin dark but his heart white, hence why he is giving to the cause. Anyone who’s read the history of what aborigines have endured over the centuries would gawk at this.
Is It Always Illegal?
Everyone knows that a man should never lay a hand on a woman. But this ad from Pitney-Bowes suggests that a woman is too stubborn at times, so much that they can really get on your nerves. It also asks the oh-so terrifying question “Is it always illegal to kill a woman?”
She’s Going to Crash It
Volkswagen fed into the common belief of the time that women “are soft and gentle, but they hit things.” They wanted to convey the message that replacing damaged parts on this vehicle would be pretty simple, which is something that would come in handy when she eventually crashed the car. Ah! Female drivers, am I right?
Never Too Old to Start
Razors didn’t come in packages with labels like “sensitive skin” so companies like Gillette used babies to promote how safe it would be to use their razors. But why would anyone want to give their baby free access to a razor?
On Your Knees, Woman
You might miss it when you first glance at it, but this is another example of how advertisements made women look like nothing but cigarette holders in this ad. Here's a woman on her knees offering a cigarette and a crown to a man.
Treat Her Like a Rug
An ad intended to promote Mr. Leggs slacks for men went too far by advertising a woman with a tiger rug for a body and a man standing over her while he puts his foot on her head. But sadly, this was typical of those days.
Give Her What She Wants
In the ‘60s, The Hoover Company was under the impression that a vacuum cleaner was on the top of a woman’s list to Santa. But no one ever bothered to mention whether the woman actually wanted to do the extra housework.
Youngest Customer
This ad isn’t sexist or racist, but it does promote bad parenting. These days, there would be a serious backlash if an ad told parents to feed their 11-month-old 7-Up or any other soft drink instead of something healthy like milk.
It’s All Her Fault
Some ads placed the blame on the woman as the cause of a marriage cooling down. Oh, but there was an easy way to fix the problem. All women had to do was use a douching product to make herself smell more appealing.
Women Are a Drag
This ad called indoor women “useful” but suggested that “they are something of a drag” when you take them hiking or climbing. All this to advertise Drummond sweaters. Oh, and pay attention to the way they bolded the words “men are better than women!” Nice touch!
If He Ever Finds Out
In those days, no one would've cried out over the spousal abuse in this ad. Ad agencies had to problem telling people that the woman in this photo deserved to get slapped because she didn't get the right coffee.
Does He Look Younger?
The Dorothy Gray Salon beauty line made women have a complex over the fact that they might be aging faster than their husbands. That’s a cruel way to use someone’s insecurities to get them to buy the product. But in all fairness, they're still doing it today.
Is She Pretty?
Who knew an ad about a Palmolive soap that's so good for the skin could be so bad for women's rights? They made it seem like women should only place value in their appearance because men don't care about women with brains.
Avoid Offensive Body Odor
This ad talks about three women who through their “own carelessness,” allowed their sweat to get out of hand, leading to body odor. But the ad, which is for a product that removes smells looks like a wanted ad for husbands.
Doctors Smoke Camels
Ah! The good old days when no one really knew about the harmful effects of nicotine. So, even doctors agreed that one Camel cigarette a day kept the doctor away. Unbelievable!
Yearning to Be Tamed
Even car makers like Subaru had an insatiable need to make women feel inferior. So they advertised the GL Coupe “like a spirited woman who yearns to be tamed.”
Have a Toothache?
You can’t walk into your local pharmacy and ask for cocaine drops for your toothache. But if you go back far enough, you’ll find ads about this instant cure for pain using a substance that’s beyond illegal today.
Blow in Her Face
Here you were wasting money on flowers and chocolate when all you had to do was blow hot smoke into a woman's face to get her to come home with you. Joking aside, this ad is just plain awful.
It’s a Man’s World
This vintage ad shows a wife on her knees as she serves her husband a tray full of breakfast in bed with the words “show her it’s a man’s world.” How this ad helped promote men buying ties is a mystery.
Pick the Right Deodorant
Supposedly, the only three charms that anyone looks for in a woman are nice hair, nice eyes, and nice teeth. Oh, but if a gal has the slightest hint of body odor it's immediately over.
Sabrina’s Projectors
Sabrina may not have been a teenage witch but Bell & Howell’s color slide projector ad worked their innuendo hocus pocus to get people to draw their attention on the model’s upper body.
You Pick the Furniture
Horton’s Furniture insinuated that it’s a man’s job to think of the tough things like Vietnam while women should just focus on things like picking out the furniture.
Cornfucious Say
If someone were to run this ad, people would immediately call for a boycott but back in the day, no one seemed to mind that Kellogg’s Corn Flakes was culturally appropriating Asian outfits and making fun of the way some people talk to sell their product.
He Won’t Know You’re Gone
The ad suggests that her man won’t ever know she’s missing on Sunday while he’s busy watching the game. So, she’s free to do girl things like visiting Tami Reid to check out their girly blouses, skirts, and coats.
She Doesn’t Care
She clearly doesn’t have to worry about her dress getting all wrinkly or wet, so no need to stress, right? But no one seems to question why that doctor is spraying that woman with water.
Beat Your Wife
No one raised an eyebrow when they read an ad that suggests you should never stop beating your wife because apparently, it’s a “manly art” and she will apparently like it.
Why She Needs This Oven
In an effort to get people to buy their Kenmore Stoves, this Sears ad appealed to housewives who knew the pain of cleaning an oven. It once again reinforced the concept that a woman’s place was in the kitchen.
Baby Soft Innocence
This ad will give you the total creeps. Whatever Love Cosmetics was trying to do here, they obviously didn’t mind objectifying little girls to sell their products.
The Black Widow
The woman in this ad appears to be luring a man into her web like a spider with some serious help from this dental hygiene product. Oh, but at least they think she's smart enough to know she needs to get rid of her nasty morning breath.
Don’t Forget You Stink
Talk about meeting the man of your dreams! Who wants to open up the page of a newspaper or a magazine only to find an ad like this about a man who reminds his wife that her hair stinks?
The Harder It Gets
This ad was actually from the ‘80s and was designed to appeal to gamers of the new Sega game console, but the imagery and the wording were more suggestive, (and a bit unnecessary) than people could stomach.
Assert Yourself
Van Heusen was no stranger to inappropriate ads. But this one’s just plain sad. It asks a man to assert himself by buying one of their ties, so they’re the ones dragging their wives by the hair and not the other way around.
Absolutely Safe
Iver Johnson Revolvers would have said anything to get people to buy their firearms. So, they used a little girl holding a weapon while she was in bed and the words “Papa says it won’t hurt us,” to prove how safe it was. Wow.
Smell Nice or Else
Feminine hygiene must have been a real deal-breaker back in those days because this ad shows a husband packing a bag and walking out on his wife and daughter because of his wife’s hygiene issues.
Wash With Fairy Soap
The earlier you go, the worst things got with regards to ads. In this one, it’s insinuated that the white boy is assuming that the reason the child on the left is so black is because his “mamma” doesn’t wash him with fairy soap.
Don’t Neglect Your Stockings
Here’s one ad that reminded women that marriage is no reason to wear stockings that are wrinkly, have runs, or holes in them. Oh! And notice how the husband is staring at his wife's run.
Have Some Fun
Although there’s nothing wrong with beating someone at a bowling game, it’s the way that the wording is phrased that makes your jaw drop. No one should ever make light of domestic violence.
4 Reasons to Fly
Even Delta Airlines was objectifying women by making them the “4 good reasons” why you would want to choose their airline to travel. Fortunately, we live in a time when people would raise heck if they saw this ad today.
Gain Some Weight
While some vintage ads were used to encourage women to lose weight, other ads like this one promoted weight gain so men wouldn’t find them unattractive, because of course, looks should be your main and only one concern, girl.
Use Chlorinol
Everything after the word "Chlorinol" on this ad is downright offensive. It insinuates that children of color need to bleach their skin. And their magical product, (made out of Chrolinol soda?) will help them do that. In this day and age, this ad would get banned in a quick second...fortunately.