The quote above by American author Alix Kates Shulman perfectly aligns with the history of sexism in advertising. In 2021, men outnumbered women as advertising professionals 57.3 percent to 42.4 percent (Statista, 2022). Even today, men are creating advertisements targeted to women. However, today's advertisements are much more empowering and far less overtly sexist than advertisements from decades ago. There is still room for improvement. In 2021, women were represented in only one tenth of all advertising in The United States (King, 2021).
This collection of six vintage print advertisements demonstrates how women have been objectified and unfairly represented in marketing. Women have been portrayed as the submissive and unintelligent servants of men until several decades ago.
This blog from HuffPost comically switches gender roles in these vintage advertisements to highlight the absurdity of sexism in advertising. Artist Gives Vintage Ads A Feminist Makeover By Swapping Gender Roles | HuffPost Communities
In the 1950s, only 1.2 percent of American women went to college (The Story of Women, n.d.) Women were expected to get married, keep house, have children, and remain slender. This cultural message is reflected and propagated in this 1957 Pepsi commercial.
In 1962, when this commercial aired, women in The United States earned two-thirds less than men in the same position. (History.com, 2019). This commercial features a secretary who is disappointed because her boss hasn't invited her out to lunch. If she had been making as much as her male counterparts, would she have wanted to go to lunch with her boss?
While men are 3.4 times more likely to be issued a citation for reckless driving and 3.1 times more likely to be arrested for driving while intoxicated (Edgerton, 2011), this 1967 commercial for Goodyear tires suggests that women are dangerous drivers. As with the two preceding commercials, this commercial portrays women as not just helpless, but hazardous as well.
This powerful commercial made by Nike in 2017 is the antithesis of the three preceding commercials and exemplifies the moving away from sexism in advertising. It also demonstrates Nike's commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility by teaching girls that they are capable of much more than they might believe.
