These 1950 Ads Are A Shocking Reminder Of How Far We’ve Come.
There was a time in this country when print advertisements were overtly racist, and sexist and gave extremely unhealthy advice, almost as if every day was an episode of “Mad Men.” Although we still have a long way to go, here is a shocking reminder of how far we have actually come. These ads would be commercial suicide to any company that tried to run them today. They are extremely sexist and racist but no thought was given to them back in the 50s. It sure makes you wonder how today’s ads will be looked at 50 to 60 years from today. How many years are still left until it will be considered outrageous that people did eat “genetically improved” food or that, if a couple divorced, only the man was expected to pay for his child and his ex-wife? Some say that all that’s really changed is the new products that are being hawked. The same unscrupulous advertising agencies are hiring younger talent that do a slicker job of lying..er, advertising. Time will tell.
Ah well, let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we? Our apologies if you get eye strain from rolling your eyes so much.
Yes, it starts out bad and gets worse.
Just imagine trying to say this to a woman today, and then imagine the woman in this picture holding a sharp pair of shears in her left hand. Yeah, you can see where I’m going with this, right? It’s okay to be a man, but the mastery of men can’t get away with this kind of sentiment.
You know, I’m torn about this one, seriously.
I don’t promote smoking or using children to sell a project, but these days one can’t really say that the advertising is 100 percent better when it comes to using kids for selling one product or another. Of course, since you don’t see ads for cigarettes like this anymore, things have progressed a little at least. What the hell does ‘over-smoked’ mean though? That sounds like an ad for a meat smoker, not cigarettes.
Advertisers had something against kids, didn’t they?
One has to remember that at one time, kids played with sticks and rocks and called it fun. Well, we still did a few decades ago, but that’s not the point. Wait, what is the point again?
Do not show these ads to Gen Z…ever.
Even the kid on the left appears to be thinking ‘are you for real?’. Hey, it was a different time.
We like to think we’re civilized, don’t we?
These days if you said something like this to a woman you’d be canceled before you could reach your social media to apologize if you had the mind or the intelligence to do so. Seriously, some of these ads make it appear that men feel like women should be kept on a leash and allowed to be feminine at all times. It’s worth cringing over, isn’t it?
Ignorance was a nice suit and no accountability.
But then again, if one out of the five decides to live in the wilds I wouldn’t blame the guy, life is a little simpler, even if it’s bound to be more dangerous. Plus, who the hell wants to wear some tight-fitting pair of pains and a tie if they can be free and loose? Different lifestyles man, some folks didn’t get it back then, and some still don’t today.
That’s a ruptured pair of testicles waiting to happen.
The woman in the picture looks like she’s ready to grab a handful and twist, not get frisky. Seriously, when was the last time you blew a lungful of smoke in a woman’s face and she asked for more? Guys, whatever you do, remember that these ads are a joke now, and nothing to emulate.
Wow…I mean just, wow.
You have to wonder how advertisers weren’t lynched in the streets at times when writing out stuff like this. Different times, different standards, and people who didn’t say as much about it. One had to have thick skin to get through these years I guess.
Nope, she’ll just burn all of your clothes.
What would your wife or girlfriend say if you said this nonsense to them, guys? A lot of you know that if they didn’t say anything, they’d probably do something. Right? She might not burn the beer, she might just smash the bottle over your thick skull.
Huh boy.
Somehow I don’t even believe that neanderthals were this dumb. Somewhere along the line, men forgot how much women really add to society, not to mention that they’re only so tolerant of this type of behavior.
Women are bad drivers? Are guys paying attention?
So yes, some women are horrible drivers, just like some men are horrible drivers. But arrogance and masculinity sometimes go hand in hand, as this ad proves.
I mean, there’s something to this, but it goes beyond what the ad means.
A woman’s place is where she wants to be, let’s get that out there so people aren’t going to misunderstand what I meant by the subtitle. But there is something extremely sexy about a woman that gets in there and starts working, and it’s tough to explain. Maybe it’s thinking that a woman can do anything she wants if she works hard enough at it like anyone does. But the point is this: yes, women that do the work like everyone else are kind of sexy.
Seriously, this might excite a few people.
If you’re about to spank your wife like a child over buying the wrong coffee though…bro, sit back and reassess your life. The idea that any guy did this back in the day is comical but also sad to the point of wondering how mentally tough some folks really were.
I’m pretty sure everyone’s heart is roughly the same color.
Yeah, for some reason advertisers did push whiteness way too much, especially when it came to people of color and other cultures. It’s fair to say that there wasn’t a lot of goodwill between Caucasians and people of other colors for a long time. Some would say there still isn’t, but then, not everyone appears to think that we’re all human and need to find a way to get along.
Smoking in the Olympics? Oh dear lord.
Yeah, that’s just what an Olympian needs, a lungful of smoke while they’re trying to perform at their best. I don’t know about you, but I’m always ready to represent my country while coughing up a lung.
How much did Camel pay for this ad?
Imagine, there was a day when you could trust a lawyer more than a doctor because at least the lawyer wasn’t pushing you to light up because it was somehow healthy. Oy.
My brain is about to short circuit, seriously.
It was a very different time, but after seeking to gain more rights, one has to imagine how frustrated women were when they saw these ads and realized that things were changing at a glacial pace. When women asked for equality I don’t think this is what they meant.
Do you think her other hand is placed somewhere important?
Not all of these ads are as terrible as others, but they’re all still cringe-worthy.
So that must be where calling fat people ‘happy’ came from.
Well, some people were more active. Those who sat around and ate lard were just ‘happy’.
Forget the milk and cookies, right?
Yep, back in the day, it was better to leave out a pack of Lucky Strikes and a six-pack of Schlitz for Santa. It didn’t make the presents any better but ‘Santa’ obviously appreciated it.
Yes, this actually existed.
Okay, I have a few words, and they’re simply this: don’t do this…ever.
These days this might be the wife locking the husband out with a big smile on her face.
This is messed up on so many levels that it’s tough to think of them all. The idea that a wife would beg a husband not to lock her in or lock the door on her and that it would be a problem that she had to deal with. It doesn’t feel realistic, does it?
There’s a time to use quotes and a time to not.
I almost dare some guy to do this to a woman today, just to see what might happen. But then again, I don’t wish the result on anyone unless they deserve it.
Um, I’m going to go with ‘yes’.
Maybe I should see if I can get some and write another book in thirty days. Kidding, seriously, I’m kidding. And no, it’s never okay to kill a woman, but I’m still trying to figure out how we go from asking about killing a woman to pushing a postage meter…I’ll get back to you on that one.
WTR? (Why’s That Radass?)
To be fair, ads are just about as ridiculous today as they’ve ever been, but in an era where so many people are sensitive about a dozen things at once, it’s best to cut out the sexist and racist and all other -ist crap as much as possible, at least if it’s blatant and obvious. Other stuff, well, it’s tough to determine at times what’s bad and what’s not, since the media and those who like to be offended by everything feel the need to call out anything that can be deemed the offense of the day. Use your own judgment Radassers and be grateful that the ads up above are no longer in circulation.
