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 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).
Horror Movie or Meat Ad?
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.
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.
Ideal Brain?
When Coca-Cola was invented in the 1880s, it was originally marketed as a temperance drink with medicinal benefits. Also, the rumors are true. The original Coca-Cola recipe did, in fact, contain cocaine before it was made illegal in the US. With all of that history in mind, it’s still crazy to see Coca-Cola marketed as a “brain tonic.”
If this ad was for the “special” original Coca-Cola, we have no doubt that it helped with “mental and physical exhaustion.” Anyone would perk right up with a sip of that stuff. Nowadays, the thought of soda being marketed as a type of medicine is truly wild. If anything, we all know the negative health effects of soda rather than the positive ones.