Ryan Reeder
April 13, 2000
History 250
Prof. Frank Fox
In looking back over the last half-century, one notices that each decade seems to have its own distinctive flavor. Difficult as they may be to describe, the feelings evoked by the '50s, the '60s, the '70s, the '80s and the '90s have entered into the popular consciousness. The purpose of this paper, however, is not to describe what these ideas and attitudes are (let alone how they developed); rather it is to analyze a few images from each era and interpret how each reflects the particular zeitgeist of its respective era. To do so, I have selected ten advertisements, five each from the popular and long-running news magazines Time and Newsweek. I have chosen one ad from each decade of both magazines, and will examine chronologically how the various components and images of the ads embody the stereotypes that have been created (passive voice intended) for the times.
The first ad, taken from Newsweek in 1954 shows a drawing of an attractive housewife doing laundry, as her children (two young boys) undress themselves. She is wearing a dark dress, an apron, high heels, and earrings. We see most of a family in this ad-notably absent is the father, whom we assume is at work. Quoting the housewife, the text indicates the role of the father saying, "With our old water heater, I was on the scrub team. Monday after Monday! So Dave got me an automatic gas water heater." In these words, we find the spheres of influence of each parent clearly defined-the father works to provide the goods while the mother uses them to accomplish the household chores. We also see an implied dependency of the wife on the husband. The text then explains how the product works and how the same company helps develop alloys for jet airplane use.
The second ad (Time, 1955) displays similar themes to the first. This one contains photographs of ten housewives washing dishes in electric dishwashers. Again, each is quite attractive, wearing dresses with aprons, and appear to be quite happy.
These two ads show some of the themes and movements of the 1950s. Following the scarcity of the Great Depression and the rationing of World War II, Americans entered a consumer phase. It appears that these ads are for hot water heaters and dishwasher detergent, but what is really being advertised are state-of-the-art washing machines and dishwashers. The caption of the second ad-"Which machine is yours?"-claims to convince the consumer that all detergent works for all dishwashers. However, it is also stating only slightly more covertly that if "you" don't have a "machine" (dishwasher, in this case), then you're not like everybody else, or at least these ten representative housewives. The message is that as long as you use a dishwasher, it doesn't matter which you use.
The attractive housewife is a second '50s theme emphasized in these ads. The housewife must not only be content with her lot in life, she must be ecstatic with it. There is no such thing as an unhappy housewife. In addition, the housewife must always be immaculately clothed and groomed. These June Cleaver-esque ideas would change in the ensuing decades.
The sixties were a time of transition. To represent the sixties, I have chosen two ads which represent different attitudes of the time. The first (Time 1964) shows a young girl-about 11 or 12 years old-happily roller skating against a blank background. She is wearing ribbons in her uneven hair, a sweatshirt, and pants that appear to have been torn off at the knee. The image presented is one of an energetic, active youth-the sort of young person that JFK represented. The text rapidly reads off her latest activities, "practicing baton twirling," "climbed the apple tree," "skated to the store for bobby pins," and "dancing class." Her name, Judy, is one that fits her image perfectly-that of a happy, active, young girl of the early '60s. It's interesting to note that the ad does not depict her mother-rather it implies that the reader is her mother. It even includes a boxed note calling specifically for mothers' attention.
The second ad (Newsweek October 1968) reflects the events of the mid and late1960s. It shows a picture of five working men, including two black men. There is a feeling of urgency and movement, though not tension. The three men in the foreground all appear to be moving. Two are getting into a car, while one is washing the windows. The two men in the background are watching. It's interesting to note that the man getting into the driver's seat is black. The text emphasizes the need to receive "constantly up-dated" in-depth news "the minute you want it." It emphasizes a need to know about "things like Vietnam [and] crime" "so you can make some sense of this crazy world" (which is one of the reasons why I included the month in the citation of this ad).
Both of these ads are in black and white. Both emphasize movement. Perhaps that is what most epitomizes the '60s. Times changed drastically after the home-centered '50s. This decade included Assassinations, Civil Rights, the Counterculture, and Vietnam. Ironically, things did not always seem to be black and white. It was not a static era, and I found that these two ads captured some of that movement and change that this decade brought on.
The seventies seemed to bring in a desire for relaxation and an attempt to recapture the home life of the '50s, but on different terms. The ads I chose for the seventies effectively capture this feeling. Color begins to be quite important in advertising at this time. The dominant color in these ads is brown, which is the color of wood and consequently the color of a home. In one ad (Newsweek 1977), we see a family of five enjoying each others' company (immensely) during a camping trip with their new station wagon (which is also brown). In four pictures, we see them posing with their gear upon arrival, then bursting into song with arms outstretched (the car's tagline is " Introducing the wagon that has America singing "). We also see the three children walking along a seashore, and the family gathered at a campfire. The other ad (Time 1978) shows Roger Staubach, a well-known football player, eating dinner with his wife and five children. The table and place mats are, of course, brown. In addition, we see an open view of the backyard, neatly mowed, with several brown trees. The children are young. The two older boys (aged about 10 and 8) appear to be looking at the comics in the newspaper. A daughter (about 5 or 6) looks like she's trying to identify words she knows in another section of the newspaper. Another son, about three years old eats, while his mother feeds his baby brother, looking lovingly at her family. Roger Staubach, who has invited us into his home, is explaining to us the advantages of his family's new air conditioner/heater. The emphasis is that this is a family just like your own. (The air conditioner is also brown).
In these ads, we see the values that the seventies have come to be identified with. As an interesting sidenote, the ads thus far have reflected the state and attitudes of the baby boomer generation. In the '50s, when they were born, we see them as young children with their mothers. Judy is right in the middle of the baby boomer generation. Now, in the late '70s, they are with their young families. The children are not yet teenagers. The clothing and hairstyles are also indicative of that time. (Boys' hairstyles look a lot like the actor who played Joseph Smith in The First Vision, which was filmed about this time). The appliances advertised (station wagons and air conditioners) are family goods, indoors and outdoors. In the 1970s, we see an emphasis on home and family life, and a disregard for what later generations would call 'sophistication.'
The '80s were different. I have chosen two ads that reflect this different style. Like the 1970s, color is important, but the colors are very different. The bright neon pink and purple is reflected in both of these ads. One even has pink neon rectangles coming out of a stereo, supposedly representing sound. The city is also readily apparent in these ads. Noticeably missing is the familiar image of the family. Instead, one ad (Time 1986) shows skyscrapers talking (supposedly, there are people inside the buildings), and the other (Newsweek 1986) shows a teenager listening to her music. This individuality reflects the idea of the '80s as the 'me' age. We also read phrases mimicking the slang of the '80s, including, "No wa-a-ay," "Take it or leave it," "We've taken 'no' out of our vocabulary," "we won't 'no' you," "don't get rattled," "rock and roll that seems to shake the walls, even when there are none," "bass notes sound so low they seem to come from underground," and "an extra blast of bass." (And, of course, the catchphrase "batteries not included"). Perhaps now the baby boomers turned yuppies are concentrating on making money and communicating with their now teenaged children. Again, the hair, clothing, and jewelry of the young woman vividly reflect the styles of the '80s.
It's difficult to determine what the '90s were like in retrospect, since so little time has expired since their close, but I've chosen a pair of images that I feel reflect some of the spirit of that age. The first (Newsweek 1997) shows the business world, and the second (Time 1998) returns to the image of a mother and child. Both utilize the new magic of computer imagery. In the first, employees, having received an e-mail message from their boss ("Arriving a day early. Would like to see the final plan") are anxiously running around their office with flames of fire coming out of their rear ends. Noticeably, the employee in the foreground is a woman. In the second ad, a happy colorized woman holding her child literally "break through migraine pain" as they step through a black and white picture of the woman with a headache, shattering the picture as if it were glass. It's interesting to note the products the ads are hawking-a laptop computer and a prescription medicine. By emphasizing health care and the universality of the computer, these products could be mirroring some of the attitudes of the '90s. Finally, we notice a distinct image change between the mother of the '50s and the mom of the '90s. While both care for their children, the '90s mom doesn't wear an apron. She appears to have more in common with the fire woman running in the office in the last ad than with any of the ten women washing dishes in the 1955 ad. Lifestyles and attitudes appear to differ drastically from each other among these last five decades.
A few final notes-in limiting these ads to two similar magazines, I feel that there exists some sense of control. The values of Sports Illustrated would have varied greatly from those of Seventeen, for example. Also, I chose to abstain from ads for products emphasizing alcohol, tobacco, or sexuality. Not only would I be personally uncomfortable analyzing and promoting ads of this nature, but by limiting the scope, I found an even greater control on how products are advertised, yet this approach allowed the products to be broad enough in range that it was possible to show the movement of the times. This movement of the times is what this project has been about, to trace the values and attitudes of each post-war decade by looking at its own mirror-the magazine advertisement.