The early 1900s were a totally different time. One of the big differences between then and now is how common and accepted child labor was in the US and UK. Putting kids to work was so generally accepted that early cleaning brands used the concept as a marketing tactic.
Vim, produced by an early version of Unilever, was a popular scouring powder used for cleaning. It was so easy to use that even your kids could give it a go. What kid doesn’t love doing chores like cleaning, scrubbing, and dusting? According to this ad, every kid from the early 1900s was all about the Vim life.
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.
Women had to Think About Their Appearance Even While Biking
There are so many products throughout history that simply don’t exist anymore. Take this weird safety skirt holder. This illustrated ad from the 1890s shows a brand-new, innovative product that was supposed to revolutionize the way women rode bicycles. Instead of giving women more range of movement while riding their bikes, this handy dandy skirt holder further restricted them.
No decent woman back in the late 1800s was going to go ride her bike and show off her ankles for all the world to see. Imagine the scandal it would cause. Wearing pants was definitely a no-no for women, so a skirt holder gadget was a natural solution. We can’t help but wonder how well it worked while women were pedaling. One thing’s for sure. There’s no way that thing was comfortable.
No, You Can Trade Kellog’s for Anything
We have old Uncle on the screen again. The world of advertising doesn’t just feed on machismo. They can’t get enough of discriminating people. They even make it so obvious. Kellog’s introduced their new Corn Flakes by hiring the same actor from the Jewish rye bread ad. They seemed to have had a hard time finding the right wardrobe for him. They decided to use the ones he wore in another ad.
Clearly, Kellog want the actor to appear like a Native American. Let’s take a short history class review. In 1920s, Native Americans were granted full citizenship. However, discrimination was still present at the time, especially in the world of advertising. Most of those ads end up being presumptuous and insulting.
What’s A Guy Got to Do With J&B Whiskey?
They say that a man has got a good taste if he’s got the eye for good whiskey. It shows sophistication and style. It’s also generally known that those who have the money enjoy this luxury. Some people tend to generalize that women admire guys who have the affluence that brings them to this kind of hobby. Before long, the term “sugar daddy” came to life and to square the term, also came “gold diggers.”
J&B Rare Scotch Whiskey released an ad stating that you don’t need to know a man further if he just ordered the said drink. Quite bold of them to claim. Their ad says that a woman will be enamoured to a man who orders their drink. The guy will be a potential sugar-daddy. The woman is then generalized as a gold-digger. Some hasty generalization in a whiskey ad.