selling shame/shaming women

[movie zombie]

don't know if you caught this or not:

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/art...s-vintage-ads-any-woman-would-find-offensive/

marketing by shaming continues.

 

[aviastar]

We don't have TV in our house, as a result of living in the boonies and refusing to pay exorbitant satellite prices. Also, I decided a few years back that if I didn't like the practices of the papparazzi, which I don't in general but also make me very uncomfortable because I value privacy so much, the only real recourse was to stop giving them my money. So I stopped buying magazines, as a general rule.

Unintended, but brilliant consequence: It is amazing how much better I feel about myself without all that crap circulating around in your face all the time. Just say NO to advertising!

 

[anne_h]

LOL!! Interesting how these ads capture the culture and values of the time. Well, I guess ours now do too.

While reading them it occurred to me that if one's best (or only??) economic option is to land a husband, being attractive and a good homemaker become sort of paramount.

Certainly not to my tastes but I understand how it was our society at the time.

Anne

 

[pregcurious]

Wow, that Eastern Airlines one is harsh! Didn't people realize how mean that is?

 

[LaraOnline]

I couldn't get over the 'feminine hygiene' ads which basically told women (over and over and over) to douche with harsh floor cleaners!!!
Or expect your husband to walk out on you.
For a married woman with little prospects for keeping yourself and your children if your husband leaves you... Can you imagine ?!
Really gross reading those ads knowing they were placed in 'women's companion' type magazines
Surely those types of products were extremely unhealthy to use.
It was only recently proven That talcum powder is implicated in some cervical growths.

 

[packrat]

We have a laminated copy of The Good Wife's Guide with some of the numbers highlighted...I can see my husband laminating some of these to be a smart ass.

 

[Gypsy]

Those were just awful. Especially that Eastern Airlines. Not to mention douching with harsh chemicals. WOW.

 

[ChristineRose]

The Lysol douche was the most common form of birth control during the period. A lot of the ads make more sense if you decode "germ" to "sperm" and realize that the husband is upset because she denies him sex during her fertile period.

It's pretty bizarre but once you know the code the ads read entirely differently.

 

[distracts]

I couldn't get over the 'feminine hygiene' ads which basically told women (over and over and over) to douche with harsh floor cleaners!!!

Sounds like a good way to get a yeast infection.

 

[manderz]

When packing up my grandmother's apartment when she moved into assisted living, I found an old glass bottle of Lysol, complete with directions on how to use it as a douche. It terrified me and made me laugh at the same time. THANK GOD we've made some steps forward since then.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The Lysol douche was the most common form of birth control during the period. A lot of the ads make more sense if you decode "germ" to "sperm" and realize that the husband is upset because she denies him sex during her fertile period.

It's pretty bizarre but once you know the code the ads read entirely differently.

That is so interesting! How in the world did you know that?!

 

[LaraOnline]

The Lysol douche was the most common form of birth control during the period. A lot of the ads make more sense if you decode "germ" to "sperm" and realize that the husband is upset because she denies him sex during her fertile period.

It's pretty bizarre but once you know the code the ads read entirely differently.

Just bizarre how the culture of men's entitlement to sex - hang the real risk of pregnancy and labour - was so entrenched for so many thousands of years!! I'm not sure a douche of Lysol would make me feel better about having unprotected sex, what a crappy lottery!

I mean, even now women across the world die in their thousands in pregnancy!! What a horrible way to die!

I really don't understand why there was not and is not a greater cultural protection of women from death in pregnancy.
The man's 'right' to sex is greater, I guess. And the need to 'sell off' expensive girl children by making the bargain of sex-and-kids.
So we downplay the risk and pain so as not to scare girls.

 

[nkarma]

The Lysol douche was the most common form of birth control during the period. A lot of the ads make more sense if you decode "germ" to "sperm" and realize that the husband is upset because she denies him sex during her fertile period.

It's pretty bizarre but once you know the code the ads read entirely differently.

Just bizarre how the culture of men's entitlement to sex - hang the real risk of pregnancy and labour - was so entrenched for so many thousands of years!! I'm not sure a douche of Lysol would make me feel better about having unprotected sex, what a crappy lottery!

I mean, even now women across the world die in their thousands in pregnancy!! What a horrible way to die!

I really don't understand why there was not and is not a greater cultural protection of women from death in pregnancy.
The man's 'right' to sex is greater, I guess. And the need to 'sell off' expensive girl children by making the bargain of sex-and-kids.
So we downplay the risk and pain so as not to scare girls.

Very interesting fact ChristineRose. I have always been fascinated about what women do without access to hormonal birth control.

Lara, there isn't a greater cultural protection of women because they are the marginalized gender. Don't think that our ads today are any better, just because they don't say to douche with harsh chemicals. They tell you to malnourish your body and undergo treatments and life risking surgeries so that you can keep yourself youthful & photoshop perfect. If you don't, men won't want to have sex with you.

If you look carefully, you will see women are still very much expected to open their legs at a man's request regardless of the health & pregnancy consequences, both in the Western world and developing countries. Examples of this are the US congress, world religious institutions, etc... excluding birth control and family planning from healthcare. Not to mention the radiohost listened to by millions who went on a 5 day slut shaming rant about a stranger because she wanted access to birth control, all the legitmate rape comments, etc...

It's great that racism and sexism aren't in your face anymore, but they are as prevalent as ever and made even scarier by the fact that a lot of people miss how subtle it is.

 

[ChristineRose]

The Lysol douche was the most common form of birth control during the period. A lot of the ads make more sense if you decode "germ" to "sperm" and realize that the husband is upset because she denies him sex during her fertile period.

It's pretty bizarre but once you know the code the ads read entirely differently.

That is so interesting! How in the world did you know that?!

Well, it's in Wikipedia.

I've read some long articles but I don't remember where they were. But here's a decent article that names a book.

http://www.motherjones.com/slideshows/2012/02/when-women-used-lysol-birth-control/lysol-douche-cobweb

Condoms, withdrawal, various sorts of caps or blocks of clay, rubber, metal, even wood, the rhythm method, and induced abortion have been around since the beginning of recorded history. I'm not sure when they made the first IUD but I know the Victorians had some very scary looking ones. The douches were relatively recent and pretty much ended in 1938 when a doctor wrote a vicious article about what Lysol does to your insides. Early birth control wasn't super-effective and both herbal and mechanical abortions were common. There was a plant the Romans used so much that it actually went extinct. In the 19th century they used to sell pills with labels on them like "For irregular menses" and "Do not use while pregnant for it will cause miscarriage!" Fascinating stuff.

 

[innerkitten]

The Lysol douche was the most common form of birth control during the period. A lot of the ads make more sense if you decode "germ" to "sperm" and realize that the husband is upset because she denies him sex during her fertile period.

It's pretty bizarre but once you know the code the ads read entirely differently.

That is so interesting! How in the world did you know that?!

Well, it's in Wikipedia.

I've read some long articles but I don't remember where they were. But here's a decent article that names a book.

http://www.motherjones.com/slideshows/2012/02/when-women-used-lysol-birth-control/lysol-douche-cobweb

Condoms, withdrawal, various sorts of caps or blocks of clay, rubber, metal, even wood, the rhythm method, and induced abortion have been around since the beginning of recorded history. I'm not sure when they made the first IUD but I know the Victorians had some very scary looking ones. The douches were relatively recent and pretty much ended in 1938 when a doctor wrote a vicious article about what Lysol does to your insides. Early birth control wasn't super-effective and both herbal and mechanical abortions were common. There was a plant the Romans used so much that it actually went extinct. In the 19th century they used to sell pills with labels on them like "For irregular menses" and "Do not use while pregnant for it will cause miscarriage!" Fascinating stuff.

Victorian IUD?! Omg Scary!

 

[distracts]

In the 19th century they used to sell pills with labels on them like "For irregular menses" and "Do not use while pregnant for it will cause miscarriage!" Fascinating stuff.

You can still find these in drugstores and especially organic food stores.

http://www.amazon.com/Herbal-Gardens-South-Florida-Inc/dp/B000LJ5QP4

"Used for respiratory ailments, digestion, mouth sores, and female disorders. Used as a means of inducing delayed menses."

 

[LaraOnline]

Well you're right. The hypocrisy surrounding unplanned pregnancy is Massive.
Women are expected to put out for every goober yet suck it up and be publicly flayed if they happen to fall.
And, please, don't 'pressure' a man to make an honest / more peaceful woman of you.
He'll keep his options open, you keep your legs open while he makes up his mind.
Least you got Lysol.
Or go to a nunnery. Lol.
A man told me that once, a fairly casual acquaintance, when it became obvious that a cheap gift and twenty minutes conversation wasn't enough to get me into bed.