The 1950s were marked by cherry red lipstick, shiny new gadgets and hardworking housewives slaving to make their husbands happy. At this time, mass communication was on the rise and the very first forms of consumer advertising were taking shape. Newspapers, magazines and storefronts were rife with boisterous ads claiming that this was the product that could change your life!
While it’s true that increased manufacturing capabilities were making lives easier, there was a significant problem with most of the advertisements promoting these products. These early campaigns preyed on gender stereotypes with their explicitly misogynistic messages. In the ads, everyone was smiling and everything was bright, shiny and outrageously sexist.
Recently, an artist was inspired by these decades old ads and recreated them to reverse classic gender roles. Eli Rezkallah, fine-art photographer and founder of Plastik Magazine, came up with idea after overhearing his uncles announce that women are better off “fulfilling their womanly duties” in the kitchen.
The finished photos highlight the audacity of previous advertising campaigns, while simultaneously illustrating that gender stereotypes still exist in current media.
Check out Eli’s photos here.
Photo by Eli Rezkallah
While modern advertisements may not be so overt, there are many sexist undertones to current campaigns. Some are even as blatant as 1950’s brands. Audi, Sprite and Co-Op are just three examples of the sexist ads released in 2017.
The current tone of mass-communicated messages needs to change. Women are constantly targeted. They appear secondary to men in most circumstances. It’s time to do better.
Our generation of communicators is the most powerful yet. We have the ability to shape social standards, political movements and the future of innovation with miniscule amounts of text or time. As we delve deeper into the 21st century, we should aim for greater awareness of sexist media, stronger moral guidelines and stricter prevention of this content.