Blog Post #3: Women in Advertising

Women were portrayed as housewives, as seen in this 1950's shirt ad.

As the times have changed, so has the portrayal of women in the media, specifically in advertisements. In the 1950’s, women were mainly seen as stay-at-home, housewife type personas and the advertisements of the day reflected it. Women were shown staying at home, cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children while Dad was away at work, the true representation of the middleclass nuclear family. On the rare occasion women were shown in a rather risqué manner, it was much milder than the ones today. As you can see in the example below, her one-piece swimsuit makes the man in the background go wild, but it is nothing compared to some of the ladies seen on TV today. Overall, advertisements in the 1950’s portrayed women very conservatively, preaching the ideals of the middleclass housewife.

This "liberal" 1950's swimsuit ad doesn't hold a candle to some of the ads in today's age. 

Today, things have changed. Women are no longer seen just as stay-at-home housewives, but rather an important part of the work force. However, their duties involving children are still there. Women are portrayed to be a jack-of-all-trades, someone who can handle a full time job, kids, cooking, and more (as seen in this video). Also, women are shown in much more risqué fashions. Advertisers utilize a woman’s sexuality to sell their product, which has been successful over the past decade. All in all, the portrayal of women in advertising has changed drastically over the past 60 years. 

Very Risque Go-Daddy Commercial

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