Many people are inclined to watching and reading ads. They play a big role in educating the viewers and consumers. If an ad is sexist, the consumer’s ideals might be in trouble. The idea that women’s only place to be is at home has long been demystified. Women were not born and raised to serve their husbands. They have their own lives to live and own dreams to fulfill.
And then, Kenwood Chef comes into the scene. This product has been specially made for wives. “I’m giving my wife a Kenwood Chef,” the slogan reads. Kenwood thinks that women become wives to cook for their husbands all their lives. And it’s just so wrong.
Sweet Diet
Pal Many of our friends take good care of their health through a healthy diet. Sometimes, temptations come in the form of savory food with high calorie and fat content. Also, when you go to fast food chains, you’ll be offered the Supersize of everything. What else does that mean? A cheat day, of course.
There’s this ad decades ago that shares a shortcut to achieve your diet goals. It sounds chancy but just spare a moment at least. Apparently, sugar, one of your diet archenemies, can actually help you lose weight. This ad claims that if you eat something with sugar before your mealtime, you’ll lose your appetite. That means, your calorie intake would abate a little. Treat sugar as your diet accomplice. Your relationship will definitely grow sweeter.
Treat Yourself
Self-care is nothing new, but it did look and smell a little different back in the day. Lux was advertising their new line of soaps in this ad, but here’s the thing. It wasn’t a new scent. It was just a line of new colors for their bar soap. This doesn’t seem like the most appealing reason to buy new soap, but maybe back then, that’s all it took to get attention?
Admittedly, these Lux soap bars do look very pretty. But we don’t want to know what kind of weird dyes were in these soaps. Considering it was the late 50s, they probably used some stuff that’s outlawed today. Also, a big selling point in this ad is that “9 out of 10 film stars” use Lux soap. Apparently, you could say anything in an ad back then, no matter how vague.
Medical Cocaine
Before we get into the product in this ad, let’s take a detour to the merit of cocaine in the 1880s. Cocaine was actually an additive to alcoholic beverages in the mid-19th century. Coca wine was the most popular one during that time. You might have the idea cross your mind now. Coca wine has become the soda we all enjoy these days, Coca-Cola.
1880s was a year full of discoveries. Doctors found out that cocaine can serve a purpose in the medical field. The common cause of kids crying for help is toothache, then and now. Toothache is too powerful a feeling that it can make you cry and sick all of a sudden. If it were in the 1880s, we can immediately ask for Cocaine toothache drops and instantly chase the misery away.
Vitamin M
So, there’s this vintage vitamin ad that claims that their vitamins can give more energy to a wife. It says that it can transform a wife into a cleaning machine. She can cook, clean, do all other chores, and take good care of the children. Amazing, isn’t it? Whoever thought of this marketing idea should be the one taking a dose of vitamins that can awaken the senses.
This old-fashioned idea has been outmaneuvered. Companies can manufacture vitamins such as this to advocate for a healthier body and mind. This ad got it wrong on making it for women to make them become machines for their husbands. Not just that, this vitamin ad also claims that it can make the wife look more blooming. It can make the husband love the wife more. So wrong on so many levels.