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AS WE APPROACH the final season of”Mad Men”, the show will no doubt get people talking once again about advertising’s sexist past—starring happy housewives who can’t drive cars but can really push a vacuum cleaner.
The caveat tends to be: “But look how far we’ve come today! Times sure have changed!” But have they?
While demeaning ads were more omnipresent in the ’50s and ’60s, their modern counterparts can give vintage ads a run for their money. We’ve compiled some notoriously sexist vintage ads and put them side-by-side with their modern doppelgangers. The similarities are shocking. And depressing.
This old ad which took the whole “walking all over women” thing to the next level
This modern ad for Valentino (at least the woman-as-rug image was a joke)
This vintage ad that says if your wife lacks domestic skills, at least she can still bring you a beer
This REAL promotion from 2008 in which Stil vodka offered men a trip to Russia to pick a Russian bride
This vintage ad which claims the ketchup lid opens so easily even a weak woman can do it
This modern ad. The technology has advanced but the concept is the same…
Women belonged at men’s feet in the 60′s
They belong under men’s feet in the 21st century, apparently
This ad that implies, at best, that “Rosie” might have sex with five guys
- Lee Stampler.
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Any of those ads that portray men as incompetent buffoons make the short list or are we sticking to one way sexism as per journal usual?
I love hearing about women banging on about equal rights, it’s the most self centred argument going. Women get full rights when it comes to kids and men get nothing women get 6 mts meternity leave men get nothing
Also they live longer and dont do the mist dangerous jobs in society.
Richard, most women who campaign for gender equality argue vehemently for paternity leave/shared parental leave because it’s the biggest factor in reducing the salary gap and creating a more level playing field both at home and at work. I don’t agree with ads that depict men as incompetent buffoons because they’re unfair and not accurate, but I DO think depictions of women at/under men’s feet, purchasing of wives or allusions to gang rape, are much more degrading and send a more sinister message. Just my two cents.
The mens feet one is stupid – the one with the foot on the throat ought to have been banned- there are NO allusions to gang rape in any of those ads up there.
I genuinely think if women got equal rights they would shij a brick and demand things go back the way they were.
I see your friends call you Dick. Entirely understandable.
Sheik, I just checked out your twitter as you did mine 3 followers, you have no friends!
Trust me Richard, if you ever push out an 8lb bowling ball through your dick you’re going to need 6 months off work too :/
I don’t get the gang rape reference in the D&G ad. An orgy maybe, but no rape.
Its easy to click a red thumb not so easy to construct an argument – nobody has yet been able to defend the stupid notion that some of these ads are sexist – some are – but most are not, instead the discussion is being dragged off onto things nobody really disagrees on like equal pay, shows there is no credible argument here.
This is a screenshot from an ad using male models:
http://postimg.org/image/7n6wbta7b/
Nobody would say these girls are dragging the guy off to be raped would they? Why because he has a smile on his face and so do they but they make the absurd claim with the ads above despite there being nothing in the ad to suggest it – it’s no less absurd to suggest it above than in this ad ^
Molly women are pregnant for 9 mths for a man he has to hear about it for the rest of his life, billions of women have given birth you are designed to give birth, it’s what you do if you didn’t you would have very little to complain about. If you want equal rights it comes as a full package you can’t pick and choose.
Well, I must have a serious design flaw as my first ripped the hole off me, took over 3 months to recover, couldn’t walk straight for quite a while after that, believe me I would have loved if my husband could have claimed more than a few days paternity leave (such as it was 30 years ago), instead i had to bring my mum down to help, so yea, I’m in favour of equality and after 3 months of the mum in law living with us so was the hubby.
I agree. Maybe women have the first baby and men the second. How equal would that be?
An article about sexist ads that doesn’t have any involving sexism against men. Considering how men are portrayed in ads that’s pretty sexist.
Ok Catherine, you go first. I’ll time ya!
Men didn’t carry a heavy living thing inside them for 9 months, with the last few months being strenuous so I doubt men deserve 6 months off because their wife popped one out. Any excuse for weeks off I guess.
All of the ads are rectangular, which is blatantly anti-circle.
Shame on you the journal.
The Tayto park radio ad where the husband is depicted as a child? Typical of many modern ads that show men as buffoons, especially popular in Ireland
Or the Travel comparison site, can’t remember the exact name, where the ad depicts the man as a monkey-like eejit while the ‘genius’ woman discovers that he could’ve just used their site.
I just showed this to the wife as I was handing her a beer. I then went back to letting her rest her stiletto on my throat. Send help now please…
After reading this I want, shoes, beer and wimen… in that order…
Is it my turn this week lads? Right here I go:
“What about the Diet Coke ad?”
What about it?
or every Abercrombie & Fitch ad that shows every inch of the male models body other than right before his dick (as low down his V as it can possibly get while the shorts are still staying on – without trunks underneath I might add) and just above his knees…not a peep about that..whos job is literally to intimidate non goodlooking people from crossing the door haha never hear about that…nope… .because it’s OK for guys to be sexual, that’s the ironic message feminists (who are there to supposedly empower and free women) send us – just not for women.
1000s of ads exploiting the female body lads; time to suck it up.
**or every Abercrombie & Fitch ad that shows every inch of the male models body other than right before his dick**
You don’t have to keep staring at them for hours, in fairness.
We don’t like the Diet Coke ads. They’re embarassing!
Where can we get a bottle of that vodka?
the burnt beer ad is funny!sorry bra burners!
And he’s being so kind to her, just can’t win sometimes.
(Could not post this the first time…odd…will try again)
Ok..as always with these things I’m going to risk getting my head torn off by putting forth the controversial opinion – so here goes …..on the two group sex implied ads…
The women don’t look distressed at all they look like they’re having a great time – so maybe they’re just messing around OR maybe they’re beautiful people who just wanna get it on with some group s–x ….that does happen among the beautiful people sometimes shocking as that may be to some…and if they want to….so?
The real sexism here is suggesting that any woman who is in any way sexually adventurous must be a w__re who should get back to being a ‘correct’ socially acceptable lady who conforms to societies expectations – hardly a statement of burning feminist freedom is it? In both ads the sexism is on the person saying it’s gang rape or wrong, clearly projecting their own morality onto someone else and saying anyone who does not conform to what they would do could not POSSIBLY be doing it willingly.
Good old divide and conquer tactics.
Can’t disagree with any of them to be honest
Jesus lads . When they let the women out of the snug and into the bar we were fecked.
Tut tut back to your man cave lol
Thats sexist because its a gender specific cave .
So is snug in context of which you referred to it touché !!,
Ugh ugh ugh
Hey. It’s my cave. I’m fussy who I drag in there.
Shocking but you just have to open any fashion magazine, weekend supplement of newspaper, x factor (if you can sing leave clothes on shouldn’t need any distractions) or music video etc to see how sexist and sexualised women are depicted. It’s women’s fault too for allowing this. But it’s more society pressure in general. Extreme sexist photos in these adverts confirms sad albeit unoriginal adage that sex sells.
What about those 2 stupid ads for Tayto. 1 showing the bloke’s bulge and the other showing the girls knickers through her tights…come on, if that isn’t sexist (and completely juvenile) I don’t know what is. I can’t believe Tayto get away with that one.
Identity politics, because sometimes the rest of the world isn’t Balkanised enough.
More revisionist guilt tripping, women have every opportunity that men do today but many of them choose to waste their education protesting against imaginary boogey men instead of studying .
have your say