Society in the 50s and 60s had certain expectations of the average American woman. A woman was expected to keep a clean house while wearing high heels and dresses and, above all else, make sure that her husband was happy. The rigid gender roles of the time were made obvious through advertisements designed specially for the typical housewife.
Visual artist Eli Rezkallah and founder of Plastik Magazine sought to expose sexism in his photography series: In a Parallel Universe. The fictional ads in this series are recreations of real advertisements during the 1950s and 1960s with a twist. Rezkallah flips the gender roles in these fictional ads to question modern day sexism.
The entire photo series can be viewed here.
On his website, Rezkallah describes the genius behind the idea, describing a personal experience with sexist attitudes that unfortunately continue to exist today. “Last Thanksgiving, I overheard my uncles talk about how women are better off cooking, taking care of the kitchen, and fulfilling “their womanly duties”. Although I know that not all men like my uncles think that way I was surprised to learn that some still do, so I went on to imagine a parallel universe, where roles are inverted and men are given a taste of their own sexist poison.”
Brand: Alcoa Aluminium, Origin: USA, Decade: 1950s, Image type: Magazine Advert
Original ad: Brand: Chase and Sanborn, Origin: USA, Decade: 1950s, Image type: Magazine Advert
Brand: Hardee’s, Origin: USA, Decade: 1940s, Image type: Magazine Advert
Brand: Van Heusen, Origin: USA, Decade: 1940s, Image type: Magazine Advert