When we first laid eyes on this magazine ad, it left us speechless for a few seconds. No, it’s not an ad for the latest horror movie. It’s a French magazine ad for a pork product, and we absolutely hate it. Why, oh why, did the creators of this ad think it was a good idea to have this poor pig cutting himself open with a knife?
This ad is so gruesome and disturbing that we can’t imagine anyone feeling hungry after coming across it in a magazine or newspaper. It’s a little too literal for our modern meat-eating tastes. We’d be so curious to learn how people of the time actually felt about this creepy ad.
Housework So Simple, Even Dad Can Do It
Believe it or not, sexism and misogyny harm men as well as women. This ad from the 1940s shows a father triumphantly doing his family’s laundry while his wife is in bed and on the mend from some unspecified ailment. The thing is, laundry isn’t really that hard to learn.
The average American family was pretty traditional back then, with men going to work outside the home while women managed the household and children. Even though most of us know how to do basic household tasks nowadays, men never bothered to learn how to cook, clean, or do laundry on their own. This ad further reinforced the idea that men simply couldn’t teach themselves to do basic chores, which is kind of sad in a way.
The 1800s Loved Problematic Illustrations
We would like to apologize if this vintage ad gives you nightmares. We never wanted to see this terrifying illustration of a pig with a man-child’s head, but here we are. This weird and surreal ad is for a chill tonic, which was medicine for adults and children who had malaria, fevers, and any other ailment that caused the chills.
Apparently, taking this chill tonic was also a good way to gain weight. We’re not exactly sure how because the connection to chill tonic and weight gain seems dubious at best. We would never see an ad like this today, especially because of the language used. The phrase “fat as pigs” is definitely not politically or socially correct these days (thankfully).
Corporal Punishment: The 1950s Way
As a whole, our feelings about physical punishment have changed quite a bit when compared to the 1950s. What many considered “normal” back then is now considered abusive and violent. To our modern, 21st-century eyes, this ad looks like it’s from another world. We would never see a mainstream ad featuring a husband doing such a thing to his partner.
The humor in this ad did not age like fine wine. In fact, it aged quite poorly, much like a stale cup of coffee. We’re sure glad it’s now widely accepted that a man physically punishing their partner for buying the “wrong” thing at the store is unacceptable.
The Doctor’s Orders
According to the CDC, scientists started linking lung cancer to smoking in the 1940s and 50s. At the time, smoking was incredibly popular, and tobacco companies were worried that these findings would affect their bottom lines. So, they did something truly unhinged and insidious to hedge their bets.
This ad is an example of how big tobacco companies started hiring doctors to endorse their products. Their hope was that these paid endorsements from actual doctors would help stomp out the bad press and very real dangers of nicotine and tobacco smoke. Any doctor worth their salt knew smoking was bad for people’s health, but some of them still sold out and did these ads.