14th June 2010 / 8 Comments
Woman's Realm /
6th October 1967
I’ve noticed a fair bit of sexual innuendo in some of these ads, but I bet the copywriters didn’t spot the ‘flick of a knob’ joke. Hur hur. It’s easy to forget that an alarm clock used to be a far louder affair than the half-hearted beeping that my clock radio gives out. I did use a traditional alarm clock for a limited period 10 years ago, but soon got fed up with being awoken with a heart-stopping crescendo of clangs. I remember my dad having one of these, though, so perhaps the innuendo worked on my mother…
Tags: blatant sexism, household, retail
9th June 2010 / 10 Comments
Woman's Realm /
18th March 1967
Hasn’t she got her face a bit too close to that grill?
Tags: blatant sexism, cooking, Creda, electric, retail
3rd June 2010 / 5 Comments
Woman's Realm /
18th March 1967
And there was me thinking that Vaseline had only started making other products recently! I rather like this ad, as it’s not often women in Sixties ads are displayed in positions of power: even if she IS sewing up his trousers. I suspect there was an alternative shot of her winking to camera…
Tags: beauty, household, social history, Vaseline
1st June 2010 / 3 Comments
Woman's Realm /
6th October 1967
Apart from the comedy value in the copy here, this is an interesting change of approach from Sanatogen: empathetic rather than condemnatory, as in this ad from 10 years previously. It also gives the lie to the common complaint that children are more trouble than they used to be, because this isn’t how the advertising industry would talk about children nowadays. And yes, this is yet another excuse for women to get drunk, dressed up as a medicinal preparation. We’ve been here before.
Tags: blatant sexism, dodgy advice, motherhood, retail, Sanatogen
30th May 2010 / No Comments Yet
Woman's Realm /
6th October 1967
I see we’ve got the old ‘indulge your sulky husband’ advice again, but Clare’s probably right about the cause, so I would have advised a good chat after dinner myself. However, the real interest lies in some of the other letters here. The woman who hasn’t told her daughter who her real father is because of shame over the divorce is a sad case, and although I’m not sure what Clare means by ‘legal difficulties’, the daughter clearly has a right to know. The poor woman who’s not been able to tell her husband about her problems with sex is a real sign of the times, but it’s reassuring that Clare tells her that help is readily available, and I can’t, thankfully, imagine a parent reacting to a blind boyfriend in the same manner nowadays as the letter writer’s mother here.
Tags: motherhood, problem page, romance, teenagers
29th May 2010 / 5 Comments
Woman's Realm /
31st March 1967
Oh, this ice cream looks *great*. 3 big helpings for only 1/6, too! That’s only 7.5 new pence! *consults currency converter* Oh.
Tags: ice cream, retail, Walls
27th May 2010 / 6 Comments
Woman's Realm /
6th October 1967
There’s nothing wrong with the main article here, but a couple of the questions here throw up some real facepalm moments. Firstly, there’s the woman who not only thinks cancer is an infectious disease, but also hasn’t bothered to ask her OWN MOTHER what’s wrong with her, and then there’s the poor girl who’s convinced that she’s miraculously got VD without any sexual contact.
Yes, this is now over 40 years old, but that first woman was from my mother’s generation, which I think shows how much progress we’ve made as a society where the Big C is concerned. As for the confused girl: well, I’m not so sure. There’s enough people out there who’d rather keep teenagers in that state of ignorance, sadly, and then blame them when they don’t cope with the complex and sometimes dangerous world of adult sexuality.
Tags: health, sexual health, social history
25th May 2010 / 1 Comment
Woman's Realm /
6th October 1967
Blimey, she really isn’t wearing anything under that negligee, is she? Unfortunately, brushed nylon rather reminds me of the Deptford Draylons ad parody in ‘Smashie and Nicey: The End of an Era’. Anyway, for those who are interested, 5 guineas (gns) equals 105 shillings, which makes this offer nearly half price. According to this currency converter, this equals to around £65 in today’s prices. For brushed nylon? What a rip off!
Tags: fashion, retail
21st May 2010 / 3 Comments
Woman's Realm /
11th March 1967
“Breathing brushed pigskin”, now that’s a phrase that I’ve NEVER seen used to sell shoes! I love the bassett hound in this photo, and it’s a nice example of period footwear, for the fashionistas amongst you.
Tags: fashion, Hush Puppies, retail
18th May 2010 / 1 Comment
Woman's Realm /
11th March 1967
Ooh, what’s that ringing in my ears? Ah, of course. It’s my bullshit-o-meter going off. Also, I swear that woman’s got a different expression on her face than the one we see in the mirror…
Tags: beauty, blatant sexism, dodgy advice, retail