A Woman’s Place: An Analysis of Roles Portrayed by Women in Print Advertising

In the 1950’s, women were working and being transformed into the American housewife, while their husbands went off to corporate careers. In Ingalls and Johnson, women were said to have careers however, could only succeed at “motherhood substitute jobs” such as teaching, nursing, administrative assistive, and social work (I&J, 51). This culture portrayed woman as only being capable of household jobs. When looking for the perfect suburban home, General Electric said women would head straight for the kitchen because this was where she would be spending most of her time. General Electric’s Wonder Kitchen made it even easier for women to save time, space, and work, allowing for wives to have more leisure time. The Chase & Sanborn advertisement reinforces the culture of women having to do everything to please their husbands. The picture on the ad depicts a man spanking his wife across his lap because she disappointed him with flat and stale coffee. Not only are women conforming to this domestically pleasing life style, but men also had

The stereotyping of women is quite common in today 's society and throughout history. In the past, women have taken the full time job of being a mother and a housewife. The 1930s initially started the ideal image of a woman. A woman was often represented as a maid-like being who would serve to their husband and children. In Richard Alleyne’s article, “Advice for women in the 1930s: Nothing Destroys the Happiness of Married Life More than the Lazy, Slovenly Wife,” he discusses the frequent expectations of a housewife. Common assumptions included; “Don’t argue with your husband; do whatever he tells you and obey all his orders” (1) and “Nothing destroys the happiness of married life more than the lazy, slovenly wife” (1). These rules have often been published into past newspapers that were

During the 1950’s- 1960’s men and women followed strict gender roles that complied with society’s expectation at the time. Women played domestic roles in which it was implied they were only useful in the kitchen and taking care of their husbands. Throughout this time period it was more important for women marry a man than it was to attend college and be educated. Some women had college degrees and still chose to be housewives. At the time even secondary schools prepared young girls for this type of role; lessons were given in cookery, household management, darning, sewing and even how to iron a shirt properly. Women were prepared to take on the housewife role both at school and at home; housewives did not have a career so they depended on their husband. Sexism was rampant during this era; the attitude carried over into advertising, which did little to advance gender roles and ran advertisements that implied women were idiots who cared mostly about pleasing their men.

When we think of men in society, we think of someone strong and dominant. We think of the gender that is in charge. But what do we think of when we think of women? Do we see them the same way? Usually that’s not the case. When we think of women in society, we think of someone who does what they’re told without question. Maybe we think of the celebrities that advertise our favorite products. But, nobody every really looks deeper into the way women are viewed in society. However, Jean Kilbourne does. In her article entitled “Two Ways A Woman Can Get Hurt: Advertising and Violence” she dives into how women are really viewed and what seems to be the “cultural norm”. In society, women are viewed as objects or as property. So in turn, men think

Advertisements in the 50s started to glamorize being a house wife sending out the message that a woman’s role was in the home smiling, arms loaded with cooked food or women cleaning the house and portraying that the women in the advertisements were happy and content with this role in the home (Google Books, 2017)). A smiling house wife who was cooking and cleaning was a “Normal American Women’(1950s.weebly.com, 2017)) women in the 1950s were perceived as nothing more than the homemaker. It was quite unheard for a woman to go to college and receive an education, they were expected to be a stay at home wife and nothing more, they were seen as dedicated housewives who’s only goal in life were that of pleasing their husband. Society in the 1950s believed that women should not work as this would involve leaving the house and not placing attention on her family((Google Books, 2017)). Men in the 1950s had complete control over their wives with the

The use of sexualization also reinforces a pattern of gender roles that are currently circulating throughout advertisements. More often than not, women who are used as ploys in ads are seen doing household chores like vacuuming, changing the toilet paper, or making coffee. Females are rarely ever seen in a work place, and definitely not in a powerful position. In fact, the directors of most of these ads place women below or behind the man to show who has the power in actuality. Women are seen as skinny, fragile, and immobile in high heels, while men are strong and powerful. By setting up such a strong binary between the two different groups, it is obvious that the majority of the American society will not be able to fit into these roles, and it leaves a sense of rejection for the average person. This rejection, accepted by the viewers, manifests

Sexist ads show that society is dominated by the same masculine values that have controlled the image of women in the media for years. Sexist advertisement reinforces gender stereotypes and roles, or uses sex appeal to sell products, which degrades the overall public perception of women. The idea that sexism is such a rampant problem comes from the stereotypes that are so deeply embedded into today’s society that they almost seem to be socially acceptable, although they are nowhere near politically correct. Images that objectify women seem to be almost a staple in media and advertising: attractive women are plastered all over ads. The images perpetuate an image of the modern woman, a gender stereotype that is reinforced time and time again by the media. These images are accepted as “okay” in advertising, to depict a particular product as sexy or attractive. And if the product is sexy, so shall be the consumer. In the 1970s, groups of women initially took issue with the objectification of women in advertisements and with the limited roles in which these ads showed women. If they weren’t pin-ups, they were delicate

Frequently throughout American history, the woman has been viewed as the domestic housewife. Becoming a domesticated woman was essentially their way of life. From a young age they were expected to learn how to clean, cook, sew, and take care of the children (Kendall-Tackett, Web). When they were older, they led their household with the same mannerisms. Stigmas were placed on women that differed from the traditions of society. Such stigmas basically marked them as “impure.” The housewives sole job throughout the majority of American history was to cater to the needs of the family within the house. This social norm started to deteriorate post World War II. Colossal amounts of women had inundated into the work force and had no intentions of leaving. The pressing debate of the woman in the kitchen versus the woman in the office waged in the 1950’s through the 1960’s (“The Fight for Reproductive Rights” Web). The social significance of the American female gender role passively shifted out of focus. Now, it is more accepted for women to take on different roles, even male oriented roles, outside of the house and in

Women Can Do Everything? In Jean Kilbourne’s film, “Killing Us Softly”, she examines popular stereotypes of women in advertising. Her work has helped to develop the study of gender and how it is depicted in advertising. Gender stereotyping of women in advertising is everywhere today; television, internet, billboards, movies, magazines, airlines, taxis, subways, videos, and other digital media.

This book outlined the gender inequality and oppression of women that persisted in America. It addressed the trends in the 1950s and 60s where the age of women marrying was decreasing, while birth rate was increasing. 1950s American culture reinforced the idea that homemaking would mean fulfillment and happiness as an American woman, but Friedan noticed the exact opposite. Friend pointed out that these limiting expectations for women actually lead to depression and a sense of bereft. She encouraged women to fight off these feelings by finding fulfillment and meaning outside and alongside marriage and motherhood.

As I analyzed three different issues of the Ladies’ Home Journal that were published in 1960, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of how women were perceived during the year in which my mother was born into. Since the magazine was mainly targeted towards housewives, it included features on marriage, beauty, fashion, food, and interior decoration. The messages perpetuated by the advertisers, news writers, and fictions writers would often contradict each other and sometimes agree. The publications would try to influence women’s marriage life, the way they looked, what they should eat, and how they should care for their families. Marriage and beauty were two of the most important things in a woman’s life according to the magazine.

The 1952 Schlitz advertisement that is shocking to most modern day feminists, was trying to normalize the “imperfect woman” by advertising beer. The printed ad states: “Don’t worry darling, you didn’t burn the beer!” After WWII, women were slowly gaining independence as most of the male population was away at war. The women had to fill in the spots of males in society, transcending from the private sphere, being confined to the home, to the public sphere, where they would work for wages. Once the men returned home from war, so did the women. The women became confined to their homes and became what we know as the stereotypical housewife: caretakers of their children, caterers to their husbands, and makers of the home. The media continued to build upon the ideas of the perfect housewife, and while perfect housewives were ubiquitously depicted in their ads, they strategically used women as bait to conform to the development of the dramatic consumerist ideologies.

A woman’s role in the 1950’s compared to present day women’s roles are very distinct. Back then, women were expected to stay home and relish in their role as a homemaker, and if they did not appreciate their role they were viewed as either mentally ill or unfeminine. Not only were women expected to behave properly, but they were also expected to look

Adverts for households’ products in 1950’s stereotyped women as happy housewives with emotional attachments to cleaning agents which was the key part of their life. The mentality of the Roman Catholic Church in 1950’s was that if women work outside their natural home, then they were abandoning their children (Altermatt et. al, 2014). There was a huge campaign in 1950’s advertising that shows how cool it was for women to stay at home so the adverts were more focused on household catered for by women. Oakley (1988) remained committed to feminism, and much of her work was to address gender issues.

Throughout the ages, women have lived in what can be considered “a man’s world.” Salary gaps, social stigmas, and hypocritical expectations are simply a few of the many challenges that women face even today. In the two articles provided, the authors address distinct differences they feel contribute to the hurdles they face. In Judy Brady’s essay “I Want a Wife,” the writer focuses on the unrealistic expectations and requirements of a housewife in the early 1970’s. In contrast, Anna Quindlen speaks, not of man’s set standards, but of the natural differences in thinking between men and women in her article “Between the Sexes.” Both essays concentrate on the challenges these women are presented within their modern day; however, they are presented from different angles.