Advertising to the 50's Housewife

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[edit] Magazine Advertising: The Fifties Housewife

Magazine advertisements of the 1950's helped shape the persona and image of the "good" housewife. The role of the ideal housewife was reinforced on a daily basis. Society, through instruments such as advertisement influenced the thought process of the common housewife. She was encouraged to be a hardworking mom whose ultimate goal was her family. She was to take the happiness of her husband and children as her personal responsibility. These advertisements showed her how to do her hair, her make-up, what cloths to wear, the importance of having a man in her life, and what products she must buy to keep her husband content while creating a more efficient way of doing her housework.



The Good Wife's Guide
From Housekeeping Monthly, 13 May, 1955.


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  • Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.
  • Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
  • Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
  • Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables.
  • During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
  • Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet.
  • Be happy to see him.
  • Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
  • Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
  • Don't greet him with complaints and problems.
  • Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.
  • Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
  • Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
  • Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
  • A good wife always knows her place.



[edit] The Good Housewife


A housewife must keep her husband comfortable and happy, keep the children well behaved and healthy, and have a sparkling clean house, all while looking her best. Advertisements such as the Coca-Cola add below used this knowledge to gear their product toward the common house wife. A housewife has so much responsibility that sometimes she needs to sit back and relax with a nice refreshing Coke. Appliances were being created to help make her many responsibilities simpler as well. A simple pushbutton oven makes dinner a breeze. The "pushbutton oven" advertisement calls their product a "speedster" and shows a happy housewife placing dinner in the oven with a smile on her face.



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Housework brings that urge to pause
and relax in an easy chair. Do it…with
ice-cold Coca-Cola. It adds to relaxa-
tion what relaxation always needs
…pure, wholesome refreshment.














Playboy ad satirizing a housewife's job:

Tired of the Rat Race?
Fed up with the Job Routine?
Well, then... how would you like
to make $8,000, $20,000--
(as much as $50,000 and more)--
working at home in your Spare Time?
No selling! No commuting!
No time clocks to punch!
BE YOUR OWN BOSS!!!

Yes, an Assured Lifetime Income can be yours (now),
in an easy, low-pressure, part-time job that will allow
you to spend most of each and every day as you please.

http://www.honors.umd.edu/HONR269J/projects/hchunt/quotes.htm



[edit] Finding and Keeping Your Husband


The women's magazine SECRETS includes many short stories. Each short story focuses on a woman's desire and need for marriage and love. This idea was being imposed into the minds of the every day woman. She comes to believe that true life happiness will never be achieved without a man in her life to give it to her. She must keep the house clean and herself presentable to achieve the ultimate goal of keeping a man in her life. The ad below used this mindset to sell their stockings product to the common housewife. "Husbands admire wives who keep their stockings perfect". A woman must learn how to please her husband from her persona, looks, and even her feminine hygiene within a marriage. The Lysol ad claims that a marriage may be destroyed by poor feminine hygiene. "That Other You Could Destroy His Love! Be the real you, the one your husband loves…not withdrawn…unsure of your intimate feminine hygiene. Remember, doubt…inhibitions…can create another you!"


Image:Image-LookingForAHusband.jpg

Short Story Quotes


SECRETS magazine issue September 1950


"No Good Without Him" title of short story p7

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"You've heard people say, 'Such a gorgeous girl--and still single!'
If you've ever wondered why some beautiful girls never marry,
this story will give you the answer." The Truth Wasn't in Her p11


"It was the kind of marriage other girls dream about--rich,
romantic, glamorous. Yet to her it was a nightmare."
We Didn't Belong Together p12


"They were like thousands of other engaged couples -- madly
in love, yet forced to wait to marry. Was it more dangerous to
wait - or to take this dangerously reckless way of getting
married?" Tempted! p23


SECRETS magazine issue August 1951


"Their love had reached the danger point. And still he kept
postponing their marriage." Such Love is Dangerous! p9


"She'd had to use all her wiles and tricks to make him marry her--
but making him stay married was another thing!" The Pampered
Husband
p19


"She was everything he'd hoped to find in a woman--nothing he
wanted in a wife." Awakening p11





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Many doctors advise patients to douche regularly with “Lysol,”
just to insure daintiness alone.


Take no chances! Never let neglect create a “dual personality”
…Another you, full of doubts, misgivings and inhibitions.
Don’t let that other you destroy your love!


Get “Lysol” Brand disinfectant today and use it regularly.











































[edit] Women's Image


The women magazine ads of the 1950's reinforced the thought process that a woman is defined by her image. A beautiful and charming woman was the most desirable bride and the ultimate goal of a woman was to become a bride. If a woman wanted to attract a husband and keep him in her life, she had to keep her looks in top condition with her hair and makeup done dressed in the most fashionable outfits. Many of the magazines geared toward women, such as SECRETS, enforced the importance of looks. The Maybelline ad questions the intelligence of any woman who uses a different brand of makeup. "Smart women insist on Maybelline". In the bra ad below it states that you too can have that alluring 1950's look, as long as you buy their product. So basically, if you want to attract your husband, make sure you have the right bra for the right outfit. Advertisements for women were so focused on having the right shape and the right curves that even the Maternity clothing ads showed no pregnant women. Pregnancy today is seen as beautiful and is shown everywhere, but in the 50's it was not considered desirable so it was left out of advertising.








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If you are a normal healthy, underweight
person and are ashamed of your skinny,
scrawny figure, NUMAL may help you add pounds,
and pounds of firm, attractive flesh to your figure.

So don’t let them snicker at your skinny, scrawny figure.
A skinny, scarecrow figure is neither fashionable nor glamorous.
Remember, the girls with the glamorous curves get the dates.































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Where is the mother to be??

There are no pregnant
bellies in this maternity ad!




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Pointed or rounded—you shape cups as Fashion demands!
Just mold adjustable flextion boning,
found only in BRA-S’LETTE!
You’ll have full bosoms,
leeny waist with no bulges anywhere.
All this plus comfort! Lovely lace-and-net
trim too. Adjustable straps included.














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Ears that stick out can ruin your looks and spoil your chance at romance. Now you can instantly
reposition even the most awkward-looking ears with amazing new “Ear-Beautifier”.





[edit] Bibliography



Magazines: SECRETS Sept. 1950 SECRETS Sept. 1951

Websites: