Sexism in Advertisements

The 1950's have long since been over. Nevertheless, the world hasn't forgotten about the war heroes of World War II, or the beginning of the space race with the launch of the world's first satellite, Sputnik 1 (Wikipedia.) This decade however reflects an America whose wife belongs in the kitchen, a joke that is used about women even to this day. Backing up this stereotype was the use of cliché but catchy advertisements to draw the average American away from the backyard grill, and into the convenience store to buy their product.

The ad in question depicts a married, middle-aged couple becoming inseparable as the husband comes home from a long day at work to find his stay-at-home wife dusting the house to spotlessly clean perfection. So powerful of a gesture that the man asks, "How can she do it?" PEP Vitamins.... That's how! Kellogg's most eccentric product to date: a pill claiming to give you that extra "pep" to get the job done.

The mid 20th century marked a significant boom in immigrants coming into the US in search of the American dream; the majority of the population shared the same dream (Wikipedia.) The ad cleverly targeted both genders. It appealed to the average man by suggesting that he could turn his ordinarily lazy wife into a housekeeping maid, if only she took her special vitamins. Women however were drawn to the products unconsciously, envying the girl in the picture, who has everything: she is cute, thin, and has a handsome, working husband standing behind her. Back then, the nature of unity between men and women, was not so apparent (Gender Roles 1950s.) In today's world, gays and gender-role-opposites would likely take offense to the incredibly blatant use of the stereotypical atomic family, the norm for everyone at the time.

Back then, it was commonplace for a woman to stay at home with her two or three kids while the man of the house was working a 9-5 job, or drinking at the bar to relax (Gender Roles 1950s.) A woman was expected to cook, clean, and take care of the children and this pill would make her job easier. Hell, it'll make her the perfect trophy wife, one you will come home from a hard day of work to find dusting the house. Who wouldn't want a wife like that?

Every Pep advertisement included a comic in the bottom corner, sometimes a longer one than shown. The main image of the man holding the woman holding the feather duster implies the following: Pep will make a wife work harder, which will intern make her cuter (Loyd.) I can speculate that any change in behavior was in the person's head, or due to the placebo effect. The false promises made by this particular vitamin brand (also a brand of cereal with the same name) are giving the average person above-average capabilities, when in reality it's just a combination of necessary daily vitamins, neatly packaged under the Kellogg's name. I'd also like to note that I couldn't find the ingredients for Pep anywhere on the Internet.

In a picture perfect world... the husband arrives home from work surprised and ultimately pleased by a perpetually cuter girl. In the comic that--from the looks of it--seems almost like sexism propaganda, the characters in the sketch are clearly modeled after their live-action counterparts. Both portrayals show the typical wife with an apron around her slim waist. In her hand she holds the feather duster: the tool of her trade. She is the artist of the household, and that is her paintbrush

Honestly, the ad relies on its good-looking couple, and their snazzy '50s clothes. From a psychology standpoint, consumers at the time were likely to identify with the guy or girl in the advertisement. Our country's (middle to lower class) citizens tend to view people in advertisements as celebrities. Suppose a person like me takes the pills hoping to one day be the husband in the picture, ultimately ending in disappointment when they realize real life isn't like the ideal dream world depicted in black and white. As logical and reasonable as the world has become over the years, an ad like this wouldn't fly in present day America.

Both renderings of the couple suggest the hints of blind happiness. This is clearly mind-control, to put delusions in a consumer's head of conquering their problems, mortgage, kids, and work, all with the help of a single pill. Who needs effort when all the