Woman's Realm / 15 July 1961
It’s interesting that you see an advert for a non-branded foodstuff such as milk in this era without seeing a Marketing Board endorsing it, but I suspect the Milk Marketing Board was responsible for this piece of emotional blackmail.
Tags: emotional blackmail, food, milk, Milk Marketing Board, motherhood, social history
Woman / 25 December 1965
This is fab, man. That black and white top is too much!
Tags: 1960s, fashion, marriage, motherhood
Woman's Realm / 15 July 1961
The ‘Woman of many parts’ letter on here nearly broke my heart. What sort of messages must this woman have got from society to believe that she was a ‘no-one’ when she was a unmarried only child?
Tags: blatant sexism, marriage, motherhood, social history
Woman's Weekly / 11th July 1969
Ah, the Pandora’s Box that is child rearing. Obviously, it would have been in Heinz’s interests to promote their foods as the ideal weaning solution, and it’s interesting that these foods still cause controversy today, as what was reported as a link between industrially-produced baby food to childhood obesity in the UK media, actually, erm, isn’t. However, the main point I have about this advert is that copy which is ostensibly intended to reassure new mothers actually provokes anxiety in me; a clever skill!
Tags: dodgy advice, food, Heinz, motherhood
Woman's Weekly / 11th July 1969
Yep, it’s another tantalizing problem which we don’t have access to! What on earth happened to poor Worried Jane? Another letter which confuses me is the question from an unmarried mother about adopting her own child after the father clearly left her high and dry. I’m going to have to page friend of the site Kif; did unmarried mothers not have automatic custody of their children, or has she given up the child to the local authority and is trying to get it back? It’s not clear.
Tags: Mary Marryat, motherhood, pregnancy, problem page
Woman's Weekly / 26th March 1965
Blimey Nora. Somehow, I don’t think there was an equivalent advert in Playboy questioning men’s fatherhood skills. Despite the wider range of men’s magazines available nowadays, there still aren’t, but women are still fed a good spoonful of guilt in adverts aimed at them. Why do we put up with it?
Tags: blatant sexism, emotional blackmail, health, motherhood
Woman's Weekly / 18th June 1965
I find it interesting that older motherhood is not being seen as a problem here, when there’s an awful lot of panic nowadays about women ‘delaying’ having their first child. I suspect that legitimate concern over how helpful IVF can be after a certain age has been extended to a general panic, which isn’t helpful.
Tags: motherhood, pregnancy
Woman's Weekly / 9th April 1965
I thought this was an interesting example of how much things have changed over the last 40-odd years. The reply about guessing the sex of a child gave me a wry smile, as the big decision for expectant parents nowadays is whether they’re going to wait until the baby is born. The poor mum being wound up by her friend over hiccups made me laugh, and the chapped legs issue made me very glad that kids are allowed to protect their legs nowadays! That poor lad…
Tags: motherhood, social history
Woman's Weekly / 6th June 1969
Another ad in this excellent series!
Tags: cheese, food, motherhood
Woman's Weekly / 20th June 1969
MARY MARRYAT IN QUITE SENSIBLE SHOCKER. Nah, I can’t find much to be snarky about here, sadly, although the silly woman asking for advice on what to write in a prayer book was clearly a gift to Mary. Money for old rope!
Tags: Mary Marryat, motherhood, problem page