Luckily, we seem to be moving beyond the old adage, “It’s a man’s world.” Not fast enough, mind you, but progress is being made. To remind everyone of how far we’ve come, take a look at these incredibly sexist vintage ads from the 50s and 60s.
All you can do is shake your head…
It’s a Man’s World
We get it. It was different in the 1950s.
But this ad for Van Heusen ties is so blatantly sexist that it seems like it should be a parody. Nope. This ad is real (we looked it up). It’s hard to believe that anything like this was ever considered okay. But we are just getting started…
Kill a Woman?
Holy. Shit.
There really are no other words for this. Is this story about a postage meter supposed to be endearing somehow? Or worse, identifiable?
“Now the mail is out early enough so I can get to the girls’ room in time to hear all of the dirt.” Wow.
I want to dig up the guy responsible for this ad just so I can kick his ass.
Spanking
Look at this gem. I guess this was considered cute or funny a few decades ago? How dare the wife just go buy a can of coffee beans off the shelf. She should be testing to make sure her husband is getting fresh coffee or suffer the consequences, physically?
Seriously? Was Chase & Sanborn Coffee so unconfident about their coffee that they needed to pass the blame for their bad product along to some poor abused housewife?
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
This is probably dumber than it is sexist, but it definitely checks both boxes. Blowing smoke in a lady’s face is a dick move that will probably not make a great first impression. I guess at least they encouraged smokers to switch to a non-inhaling product?
King Man
Oh look, it’s our friends at Van Heusen again with another bizarrely sexist ad. All you need to do in order to have women slave over and worship you is wear a tacky jungle-print shirt.
I hope they are taking him to the edge of a volcano. That’s the only reason they’d be smiling.
It’s Just Luck
The He-Man Woman-Hater’s Club over at the Pabst marketing team must’ve conjured this ad up. Clearly a woman has no business being good at anything resembling a sport! Mrs. Carruthers should be baking pies, not bowling, right? Ugh.
Wives are for Cooking
Not only is this ad incredibly poorly designed, but it’s also offensively sexist. I guess this guy is a real swell guy giving his wife a mixer so she doesn’t have to slave quite so hard in the kitchen for her ungrateful family.
Secretaries, Look!
Getting the work done for your male boss is only half of the equation – you also have to look pretty while doing it. Time to get rid of that old typewriter that chips your nails and makes you look oh-so unpresentable for your boss.
Slaving Away in the Kitchen
The wife should be in the kitchen, cooking or cleaning for most of the day, right? Doing dishes for a family of 4 or more can be time-consuming. But it’s okay husband, you don’t need to pitch in.
Instead, just buy her a dishwasher so she can escape the confines of her slavery a few minutes earlier in the evening. You’re such a great guy!
The Best Christmas Ever
Forget about getting your wife a gift that is truly thoughtful – or even one that she explicitly asks for. Just get her a vacuum. Because she cleans, right?
The Thermometer
See, it isn’t even the idea of getting a kitchen instrument as a gift that’s the problem. Some people truly enjoy cooking and would love to get a cool new gadget. But the fine print, man.
When it says it can make sure that the roast “is done the way HE likes it.” The word “he” is literally capitalized like they are talking about GOD or something. Disgusting.
You can try to unroll your eyes now. Good luck and keep up the good fight!
