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To look at how society has changed over time, we don’t just have to rely on history books. Sometimes, the proof is sitting right under our noses.
To spot it, you could rummage through a drawer and find an old iPod. Or take a trip to your grandma’s house, open her closet, and see what her generation used to wear. Or you can look at something people used to see every single day: the ads of the past.
And when it comes to vintage ads aimed at women, they’re especially telling. On top of selling products, they also reveal the values of the time, along with the labels that were placed on women. The design might be gorgeous, but the messaging doesn’t always age well. Check them out below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Dodge Challenger R/T Ad (1970)
Michael MacKinnon 1 day ago
As I looked at this ad, I heard a "plublublublublublub...." noise in my head.
Unicorn 1 day ago
I think that's 6.25 lites. And I'm sure it came with anti-drive suspension.
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Ana Clara Rad 15 hours ago
Cars design have become so boring over the years, specially their colors :/
Laszlo Larthlanc 23 hours ago
They did a pretty good job of keeping the body style in the new Challenger. (The Charger, too.)
RELATED:
#2
Frederick’s Of Hollywood Stocking Stuffers Ad (1960s)
Lee Gilliland 1 day ago
Fredrick 's of Hollywood sold very s**y, classy clothes back in the day.
Bi.Felicia 1 day ago
Fun fact - Frederick Mellinger, the founder of FOH, invented the edible panty.
LizzieBoredom 1 day ago
Fun fact - Frederick Mellinger died from crotchtulism.
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StrangeOne 1 day ago
Jessica Vill (YT) called a Frederick's number she saw in a vintage ad, just to see if it's still in business and see if she could still order something. The old number worked but they only sell lingerie now.
Bi.Felicia 1 day ago
I'm pretty sure that Frederick's has always sold just lingerie.
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emorinelli49 21 hours ago
I remember this store so well and its collection of “s**y” clothes. Now you can get this stuff at Macy’s.
Advertisements exist to sell us products. That simple truth has remained constant for over a century, even as the methods and messages have transformed beyond recognition. What has changed dramatically is our understanding of who gets targeted and how those targets are portrayed.
#3
Chic Jeans Ad (1983)
Michael Grant 19 hours ago
These were one of the first jeans tailored to women. Previously jeans were just jeans (for men)
Leg less In Minneapolis 19 hours ago
Where I grew these were off limits for my teenage friends. Because they were inexpensive, only expensive jeans to be cool.
#4
Listerine Ad (1916)
Bored Jellyfish 1 day ago (edited)
Your description is much more generous than mine. And no doubt would trigger BP to hide my comment.
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geezeronthehill 1 day ago
You should know that listerine did not begin as a mouthwash. It was a disinfectant first.
StrangeOne 1 day ago
I've always found it interesting that something marketed for your mouth needs to be heavily diluted. The stronger versions of Listerine have caused me chemical burns on my gums, with dilution.
Load More Replies...Women were recognized as a distinct consumer market long before modern advertising emerged. By the late 1800s, department stores and the culture around shopping already spoke directly to women and treated them as key customers.
What evolved over the decades wasn’t the recognition that women bought things, but rather the increasingly sophisticated psychological tactics used to influence those purchases.
#5
Amc Pacer Ad From France
Laszlo Larthlanc 22 hours ago
Good looking car, but an absolute terrarium in the hot sun. You could not wait in the car on a hot day, even with the windows down. (Southern California, La Cañada-Flintridge area.)
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 day ago (edited)
I wonder why American cars never took off in France....? 😂
Beth Wheeler 11 hours ago
They came out in the middle 70's and wanted 1 when I got my license which never happened. My 1st car was a 72 Plymouth Satellite that I bought from an uncle.
B 1 day ago (edited)
Hey Ma, look what I just crapped out! Not sure why she needs to be in that pose, exactly.
Laserleader 21 hours ago
You will remember the pose, you will remember the ad.
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#6
Fresca Ad Featuring Jan Smithers (Bailey Quarters From Tvs Wkrp In Cincinnati)
Robin Roper 1 day ago
I still drink Fresca; and I like Jan Smithers; she was great at Bailey Quarters.
CaliPanda 23 hours ago
I haven’t seen Fresca is stores for many years. My mom used to love it. Where is it still available?
Load More Replies... Leg less In Minneapolis 19 hours ago
She looks like a child! At least they did not show her body
nottheactualphoto 16 hours ago
If the dates can be believed, she is 23 or 24 in this picture. Not a child.
Load More Replies... Melissa Robinson 22 hours ago
Grandma and I enjoyed a cold glass of fresca after working in the garden back in the day
#7
The Undie-L'eggs Panty Ad With Joyce De Witt Of The Threes Company TV Series (1982)
StrangeOne 1 day ago
I like the way they look when they're on. I decided to wear some in gym class. The girls thought it was so cool because they made my legs look smooth. (I have a skin disorder that was very prominently visible on my legs.) But I had a heck of a time handling the delicate material without causing runs.
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Mel in Georgia 1 day ago
This was a great product and great ad campaign when pantyhose were a must. No VPL? Control top? Sign me up!
Bi.Felicia 1 day ago
I haven't bought or worn any pantyhose or nylons for 20+ years, but I recently attended a ball event and decided to get a pair. This mission turned out to be more difficult than I thought, as I couldn't find any at the first 2 stores that I went to. Finally decided I would check Walmart and I was able to find a very minimal selection and they no longer come in the egg shaped or rounded boxes, like they used to.
Auntriarch 19 hours ago
On the rare occasions I need such ridiculous leg coverings, I have hold ups. Just the thing for vertically challenged people like me
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Soap companies became masters of speaking to housewives through guilt and aspiration. A 1930s Lysol campaign actually marketed the disinfectant as a feminine hygiene product, with ads suggesting that women who failed to use it risked losing their husbands.
The copy was clinical and authoritative, borrowing medical language to create anxiety where none existed before. The campaigns sold entire value systems about what made a woman worthy alongside the cleaning products themselves.
#8
Alfred Angelo Wedding Dress Ad (1970)
#9
L.A. Gear Ad (1988)
HistoryNerd 1 day ago
They came with a key chain, and mine had two sets of laces, which was dumb
Leg less In Minneapolis 19 hours ago
I had the pink ones in the middle! I loved those shoes and I want them back!
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 day ago
I had a pair of LA Gear takkies that I wore for more than 10 years and only got rid of when they started coming apart. Good workmanship. Now I wear a pair of Sketchers that I've had since 2018 and they show no signs of wear and tear!
Twidder Sux 1 day ago
We 80's kids used to call it "LA Sneer" because only snotty d***ebags wore that stuff.
#10
Royal Crown Cola Ad (1961)
StrangeOne 1 day ago
Oh that's what RC stands for. I thought it was just a generic store brand.
Pferdchen 1 day ago
Now all she needs is a Moon Pie! If this makes no sense: a Moon Pie is two round Graham crackers, with marshmallow filling in the center, dipped in chocolate (or banana flavoring) that is a popular treat in the American south. RC Cola is a classic pairing and there's an annual RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. The pairing was also commemorated in the song "RC Cola and a Moon Pie." My favorite version is a cover by NRBQ (the National Rhythm and Blues Quartet). And who says America has no culture!?
RomanceRadish 19 hours ago
I'm glad you explained, I never have heard about this in Northern USA!
Load More Replies... Laszlo Larthlanc 23 hours ago
For some reason, all of the Southern kids I knew referred to this as an RC Co-Cola. I swear those bottles easily weighed a pound.
Kitchen appliances became central to advertising in the postwar boom. Refrigerators and washing machines appeared in ads as solutions to domestic drudgery, promising to transform the daily grind of housework.
A smiling woman in heels and pearls would pose next to her new vacuum cleaner, dressed as if ready for an evening out. The ads suggested that modern technology would make housework so effortless that women could look immaculate while doing it.
These machines were sold as labor-saving devices, yet the women in the ads always seemed to be performing for an invisible audience.
#11
1939 Wrigley's Doublemint Twins Ad
Mel in Georgia 1 day ago
Yeah, W*F is this? I understand nothing but the words.
Load More Replies... Michael Largey 1 day ago (edited)
🎶🎵 "Double your pleasure / Double your fun / Make out with two girls / Instead of just one." 🎵🎶
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 day ago
As Bill Hicks said, I'm not sure what thise girls have to do with gum. Maybe it's the chewing....
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FlamingZombies 1 day ago
Fun fact: The Doublemint Twins from the mid 80's are Peggy Bundy's sisters.
Jeff Anderson 23 hours ago
Dang beat me to it. You can tell too if you look at Katey Segal's cheekbones and theirs.
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#13
1947 Helen Neushaefer Lipstick Ad
Mel in Georgia 1 day ago
Can you imagine a lipstick ad today that doesn't show inflated bubble lips?
sturmwesen 1 day ago
in all seriousness: I wonder if 30% of teen/tweens use filler. there just seem to be so many more full lips than 10-20 years ago
Load More Replies...Listerine turned ordinary bad breath into a social disaster during the 1920s with their halitosis campaign. The ads featured stories about women like Edna, who remained a bridesmaid but never a bride because of her bad breath.
The campaign worked by suggesting that friends would never tell you about the problem, leaving you to face rejection without knowing why. Within seven years, revenues jumped from $115,000 to over $8 million as the company convinced people they had a medical problem that needed fixing.
#14
Datacomp Ad
CaliPanda 23 hours ago (edited)
Wow, so many comments here have been hidden without the ability to reply. They’re not offensive. What’s your problem, BP? I absolutely agree with Bill Swallow. I grew up in Silicon Valley and cut my tech teeth on these devices. And, yes, women were just seen as data entry operators (at best). I worked for a company that was hosting a nationwide service that would now be considered “the Cloud.” There’s a history here that is buried.
nottheactualphoto 16 hours ago
I think that's an ASR-33, what with the paper tape reader and punch at the left.
#15
Ben Barrack (1959)
Mari 1 day ago (edited)
I think in the fifties they had the most beautiful clothes. Elegant, classy,s**y and chic.
#16
Fiat Ad 1899
NightOwlPanda 16 hours ago
The way she's turned makes me think she's trying to ride that thing sidesaddle.
Beauty advertising has long worked by making women feel insecure. Mid-century beauty and fashion ads helped shape narrow ideas of femininity and “acceptable” appearance, repeatedly tying self-worth and social approval to how women looked.
Women got the message that their natural appearance needed fixing and constant attention. The ads promised younger-looking skin, flawless complexions, and the kind of beauty that would make them worthy of admiration.
#17
1945 Ad From Heinz Baby Foods
Robin Roper 1 day ago
I remember my mother doing this for my younger sister. She also had a sterilizer for the bottles and nipples.
Leg less In Minneapolis 19 hours ago
My first born came right around the time when playtex plastic liners for bottles were the thing, all we had to do was wash the bottles and boil the nipples at night
Load More Replies... C M 1 day ago
My mum used to boil my drinking water and then wondered why I refused to drink water as I got older. It really didn't taste nice.
Auntriarch 19 hours ago
Because we had to boil water when we were in some countries, I would automatically ask if I could drink the water when we went somewhere new. I embarrassed my mother and upset aunties so many times. Well I didn't know you could drink the water everywhere in UK.
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#18
L.A. Gear Ad (1986)
#19
Cannon Towel Ad From 1937
The regulatory picture started changing in the 1970s as women’s groups protested against demeaning portrayals. Norway banned gender stereotyping in advertising in 1978, becoming one of the first countries to legally recognize that commercial messages could cause social harm.
The United Kingdom established similar guidelines decades later through the Advertising Standards Authority. These regulations work from the idea that ads shape culture rather than just reflecting it, influencing what people think is normal.
#20
Virginia Slims Ad (1971)
LizzieBoredom 1 day ago
"Women are more resistant to starvation, fatigue, exposure, shock, and illness" said the man writing the 1970s ad as his wife worked full time, raised the kids, and cleaned the house.
nottheactualphoto 16 hours ago
We used to call the something like that, but replace Virginia with the Latin word for "sheath" or "scabbard."
Load More Replies... #21
Jnco Jeans Ad (1998)
Sarah Belt 1 day ago
Well, she definitely couldn't fit her phone in them, so nothing's really changed... XD
Load More Replies... StrangeOne 1 day ago
I remember girls making jeans like these. I don't miss wearing them on a rainy day. I do miss the vibe of these days.
Laszlo Larthlanc 22 hours ago
And you could roll your pants up over your knees, which was the original reason bell bottoms were created -- for sailors swabbing ship decks.
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Smeghead Tribble Down Under 3 hours ago
These were so dumb. Loved them. I don't think we had that brand in Australia, but I wore something very similar :D
#22
Heats On (1965)
Modern platforms have made things more complicated. Influencers use them to sell products while claiming to share their real lives, making it harder to tell advertisements from personal content.
Thankfully, different countries require influencers to disclose when posts are sponsored. That’s a good step toward transparency in advertising.
#23
G-D Justrite Corset A Faultless Figure (1912)
emorinelli49 21 hours ago (edited)
I’m 76 abd in my teens my mom made me wear a long-line girdle (high wasted) and a long-line bra ( met the girdle) whenever we went somewhere nice. My fat used to settle right in the space between the bra and the girdle and when I got home. I had lines all across my body where it dug in. I really hated that stuff.
nottheactualphoto 16 hours ago
At first I thought "G-D" indicated that the company was Orthodox-owned.
#24
From Liberty Magazine Dated September 16, 1933
#25
Swatch Watches Ad (1985)
Multa Nocte 1 day ago
Because I am dumb enough to think I look cute wearing 8 watches at a time.
Of course, we haven’t reached a perfect state with advertising. Many campaigns still manage to raise more than a few eyebrows with their tactics and messaging.
What’s changed is that we’re more educated about how persuasion works and can recognize when selling products to women means first making them feel inadequate.
We have more systems in place now to call out harmful advertising, and more people are willing to ask whether certain desires should be manufactured in the first place.
#26
Keyko Margarine Ad - 1955
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 day ago
If you ever saw margerine without the yellow colour, you would never buy it. If you tasted it without the flavourings, you'd probably puke. And yet it's still regarded as something healthy 🤮
Babs Ishkabibble 1 day ago
I still remember mixing the dye into the greasy junk for my grandmother!
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Wij 1 day ago
Margarine is c**p. Invented during the war due to butter shortage. Gross oily garbage
Mel in Georgia 1 day ago
B-b-b-ut it's made from vegetables! And vegetables are healthy, right? /s
Load More Replies... Michael Largey 1 day ago
Background - The dairy industry in some states tried to make it illegal to color margarine yellow, so as to make it less competitive with butter.
#27
Pepsi-Cola Ad (1954)
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 day ago
As Ben Elton pointed out, if advertising had to be honest "🎶Pepsi Cola, it's a fizzy drink!🎶"
Chewie Baron 1 day ago
Or they could have gone with “Pepsi-Cola, it’s what Joan Crawford hides her vodka in!”
Load More Replies... Mel in Georgia 1 day ago
I'm so confused by this ad. Is she really trying to wrap a live bird in a cage? Is she in the tropics in winter? Has a sugar-laden soft drink destroyed her mind while filling her up with fewer calories? You know men made this. This is how little they knew about women. And what they came up with on alcohol-fueled lunches.
#28
Coca-Cola Advertisement From 1939
Charlotte 1 day ago
Wholesome. So much emphasis on wholesomeness back then and I have absolutely no idea what it means. Like "self-care" now, I guess
Ashtophet’sRevenge 1 day ago
The implication was that smaller, local beverages might have been manufactured in dirty conditions.
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#29
Dodge Charger Ad (1968)
Mel in Georgia 1 day ago
This is actually kind of funny. I really hate to admit it, but when my future husband rolled up in a cute little MG convertible the first time I saw him since high school I thought, "I really want a ride in that car!" Of course, he had to bring more than a cute car to the table, (and I never saw it again after that because it was a c**p car that was unaffordable to maintain) but yeah, he was cute, his car was cute and I was young and impressionable. Good thing he was also a really good guy. :)
emorinelli49 21 hours ago
My first husband also rolled up to my house in our first date driving a corvette with act-top. Wowza! But turns out the car was more impressive than the man.🤣🤣🤣
#30
O-Cedar Polish Mop - November 1913
Mel in Georgia 1 day ago
O-Cedar still makes really good mops! I love this one. Link in reply.
WindySwede 1 day ago
The one i found on Swedish shopping sites looked very much like Vileda. Or perhaps the other way around?
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#32
General Tire Ad - 1943
Lee Gilliland 1 day ago
Absolutely women are attracted to men who only use certain tires. I can guarantee it. Uh-huh.
Charlotte 1 day ago
Wait -; should I have been asking this during my dating days? Darn!
Load More Replies... #33
Esleep Ad (1988)
Bill Swallow 1 day ago
OH, that's *E* Sleep! At first I thought it said "*F* Sleep", and figured they likely had something better to do in bed dressed like that!
#34
Scotch Tape Ad - 1945
Mel in Georgia 1 day ago
Ugh, climbing a ladder in a dress and heels. Please, never, ever bring this back!
Huddo's sister 9 hours ago
My grandma always called sticky tape Scotch or Sellotape. It's funny what brand names get used as nouns.
#35
1925 Real Silk Hosiery Ad
Auntriarch 19 hours ago
I do have a pair of actual silk stockings. Fortunately I have no suspenders.
#36
Teen Spirit (1992)
C Hendrix 1 day ago
The product. The song came from a bit of graffiti that said, "Kurt Cobain smells like Teen Spirit".
Load More Replies... RomanceRadish 18 hours ago (edited)
I remember this product, it was considered very cool for girls, was heavily scented. On another note, I don't miss pleated pants with belts.
#37
Smooth Silhouettes From L'eggs (1995)
Bewitched One 22 hours ago
Yea I thought it was an add for period products at first lol couldn't make much sense of it any other way 🤷🏼♀️
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#38
Joy - 1953
Highwaytozen 1 day ago
Yes especially when I'm on shrooms and the dishes are singing and dancing around with me Beauty and the Beast style
Load More Replies... nottheactualphoto 15 hours ago
She looks positively manic. But maybe I would too, if I had a Light-Emitting Saucepan (TM).
#39
Fiat Ad, 1960s
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 day ago
Whenever I see someone tall in a Fiat Spyder (you still see a lot in Italy) it looks like a toy car. It's great!
Chaos Pandas Unite 20 hours ago
Makes me think of Calvin and Hobbe’s dad stuffed in his car.
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zatrisha 19 hours ago
You shouldn't have an accident with them, even if they look super nice.
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#40
Bold Hold Ad (1988)
Charlotte 1 day ago
Soft bouncing looking curls that would crack if anyone touched them
Load More Replies... Spittnimage 23 hours ago
My brother called my daughter's bangs barbed wire because she used so much hairspray so her hair wouldn't move. Sorry, was Aqua Net Extra Super Hold not stuff above...
Laserleader 20 hours ago (edited)
As a kid of the 80's I didn't understand that hair like this was hard, so when I tried using hairspray as I was told to get the effect I hated it for how stabby the hair became.
#41
1980's Dillards Ad With Stephanie Seymour
#42
From The Saturday Evening Post, July 29, 1933
Auntriarch 18 hours ago (edited)
It was visualising dual balloons that set you off wasn't it
Load More Replies... #43
Remington Typewriter Ad - 1909/1910
General Anaesthesia 1 day ago
Wite-Out©™® not-so-auto-correct not included.
Load More Replies... RomanceRadish 18 hours ago
I'm a fast typist on today's keyboards but am aware the keyboards of the past were a whole different beast requiring a lot of strength patience and skill!
Highwaytozen 1 day ago
New Single Dog Escapement? I'd hate it if my typewriter helped my dog run away.
#44
Bien Jolie Modern Foundations Ad (1930s)
Auntriarch 18 hours ago
I'd have been no good in that era, I've had a substantial bust since I was 13
emorinelli49 20 hours ago
“Bien jolie” means “good pretty” or I guess you could say “pretty good”.
#45
Another From Mg
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 day ago
The way she's holding that handbrake isn't suggestive at all, is it.....?
David Morgan 17 hours ago
The disinterested look is hilarious. I wonder if that was the model's equivalent of an eye-roll?
Load More Replies... Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 1 day ago
Hur hur hur she can fiddle with my handbrake any time. Sorry, the attitudes of these advertisements are getting to me.
Auntriarch 18 hours ago (edited)
I didn't envisage you as someone with a Midget
Load More Replies... Bill Swallow 1 day ago
Reminds me of the old ads for the Triumph Spitfire, a small British sports car of that time: "You not only get a car and a girl, but a piece of history!"
Charlotte 1 day ago
So the girl DID come with the car! The ads implied it but I figured it couldn't be true!
Load More Replies... #46
Clairol Final Net Ad (1981)
#47
Lancia Ad, 1978
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 day ago (edited)
Lancia made some pretty dull cars for Italians. Almost everything else (apart from Fiat (except the X19!), obviously) is pretty swish. Impractical, but swish!
#48
Shu-Mak-Up Ad (1963)
Bec 23 hours ago
I was in a wedding in the 90s and had to go to the shoe store to get shoes and have them dyed to match the bridesmaid dress. God those shoes were ugly and uncomfortable.
RomanceRadish 18 hours ago (edited)
Getting your shoes dyed to match was practically a requirement! If you were fortunate you'd first be part of a wedding party with a light color theme (pink, yellow) then next in another with a dark color theme (navy blue) and could have the same fabric shoes re-dyed!
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#50
1967, Clairol Naturally Blonde
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What do you think ?
Eastendbird 20 hours ago
I have photos with my hair like that - what were we thinking?
Load More Replies... Eastendbird 20 hours ago
I have photos with my hair like that - what were we thinking?
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