“The female is a female by virtue of a certain lack of qualities; we should regard the female nature as afflicted with a natural defectiveness.” – Aristotle
At times, being a Daddy’s girl has its particular advantages. Lately, one of those advantages seems to be in discussing feminism, sexism, and well women’s roles in general. These conversations often range from lighthearted to heated, but they’re always insightful and done with the best of intentions. One of the most difficult components of the feminist movement today to handle is their views on the overall role of women. Often citing the 50’s housewife as the perfect example of sexism, I can’t help but feel a little at a loss. As a submissive, I find myself sometimes trying to aspire to those “old” and “outdated” standards.
They say you can tell plenty about a culture through their ads. So, when I saw an article on sexist and vintage ads I just had to click through them! What’s shocking to me is that no one has ever pointed out women never found them offensive at the time. Whether some of these ads were meant to be jokes or not, they’re still floating around. Since our views can change, I thought it’d be fun to voice my own thoughts as a submissive about the nature of the ads highlighted by the article. Again, I’m not sure entirely what’s here, but there’s plenty of apparently sexist ads hanging around just waiting discovery. This should be fun!
Okay, so this ad is pretty funny to me for multiple reasons. First off, what woman can’t relate to the one meal they manage to burn consistently? Consider the fact a woman’s role was supposedly to “stay in the kitchen,” would she really burn dinner that often? Second, why is the sexist husband always drinking beer? Am I the only submissive that associates dominate men with stronger alcoholic drinks? While I don’t drink often, I do occasionally have a beer with my Master. The thing is though, I don’t feel feminine drinking a beer. I guess I don’t feel feminine drinking alcohol at all. Lastly to go along with that thought, the beer isn’t on ice. As a submissive, this bothers me immensely! What good 50’s housewife fails to serve cold beer to her worn out husband? Okay, moving on.
Yeah, apparently this is an Ivory Soap ad. What happened to these kind of ads from them? I personally love how the ad starts off, as I’m thinking how appealing that bath could really be. Ads that manage to make my mind wander to the sexual are great, but this one just turned weird. As a submissive, I have to admit, there’s no difference in weather when it comes to the housecleaning. Male or female, you’re always going to get sweaty and need that bath. I guess that’s why they make Ivory Soap, you know… to make the bath have that special “vintage sexism” feel. Also, did they really call bars of soap cakes?
So dominate men can drink something other than beer in vintage ads! For those who were like me and had no clue as to why this ad even exists, it’s for Captain Morgan’s Rum. Today, as a submissive at least, I find some of the Captain Morgan ads now even have this same sexist feel to them. This ad differs in the way it actually suggests humorously I might add, to getting a girl home for the night. As a submissive, I’d laugh if any guy tried the approach on me. While there’s a certain charm to a funny guy, this would be a bit ridiculous. I have to admit though, as a submissive woman a guy bold enough to do such a thing is probably already gotten my attention. Maybe that’s why Captain Morgan hasn’t changed their ads much, women still want a guy that takes charge once in a while at least.
After getting over this guy’s creepy facial expression, I don’t really see too much harm in this ad. I get it, feminists hate the idea of being sentenced to the kitchen. Consider though, they’re at least in the kitchen together! Husbands do often find their wife’s effort to make a nice meal sexy. I’m hardly one to hinder this natural affection and gratitude no matter how distracting my Master is occupying a space in our small kitchen. That brings up a point, how many of us haven’t heard the expression, “a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Isn’t this the same sexist mentality only taught to us differently? As a submissive, I tend to think so.
Coffee, this is an ad for coffee. Today what makes this ad so shocking is the fact the wife is getting spanked. After the latest BDSM craze though, are we really that sensitive to the idea? As a submissive I’ve heard feminists and others say spanking is the equivalent to beating a woman. This couldn’t be more untrue, and I actually take offense to that extreme argument. What’s shocking to me, and I mean really shocking, is that this ad was acceptable in its own time period. Today we take offense, but back then, well, it was just another ad. Why are we growing more sensitive to such topics instead of embracing actual conversations?
Palmolive is a brand that I actively seek out for their vintage advertisements today. The company is still around, usually known for their dish soap. Their vintage ads though are the stuff of sexist legend! Personally, this ad is one of my favorites. I’m aware soap could once be considered a beauty product, but really? The bluntness of this ad is a bit overwhelming. What’s interesting though is this ad perfectly captures the argument I hear between Masters today. Many Masters debate whether they prefer an opinionated and clever submissive, or one who is simply nice to look at. The argument has apparently gone on for a long time, and doesn’t show signs of stopping.
Someone desperately needs to explain this ad to me. From what I can tell, it’s a Mickey’s Malt Liquor brand. The product seems to come in jar like bottles, so perhaps that’s the play on words? I don’t know, maybe I don’t drink enough to understand. Anyway, I love the feminists pointing out how this ad objectifies women. This ad looks no different from the ones today. I know there’s a huge argument even today, but as a submissive I’m taught to embrace my body. What’s wrong with showing off a little? What I really admire is the fact that this woman while thin, appears… humanly possible. Perhaps this ad shows we’re going backwards.
My submissive side laughs at this ad. My mind is so torn over it! On one hand I enjoy the expression, but on the other is the fact she’s next to a shoe. Do I really want to be kept in a closet? Sitting submissively at my Master’s feet is not a problem, and so I guess I fail to see the overall flaw in this “sexist” ad. What I detest more is the fact women have been stereotyped for their love of shoes in general. This does not apply to me! For once, a stereotype that doesn’t actually fit my personality! No one mentions that issue though, not when a woman might be kept at her husband’s feet. Does she even look unhappy? Ugh, I’m sure this ad makes those with a foot fetish happy though if nothing else.
This ad actually highlights the value of a submissive. The sexism here stems from the idea a woman belongs in the kitchen. In reality though, upon reading a bit more of the ad, I find men might actually take more offense to this. While I never knew Hardee’s was popular enough to advertise like this, I also didn’t know they directly targeted single men. As a submissive I find the idea of a man needing to eat out just to have a decent meal sad. Also, does anyone else find it strange Hardee’s advertises their food with the words “sloppy” and “hastily prepared,” as if it’s a good thing? I find this ad more intriguing than anything else, an interesting look into an ad meant to appeal just to men. Oh, it also makes me wonder what kind of women went to Hardee’s back then if they catered specifically to single men.
This last ad is a bit much, even for a submissive like me! I love how the words “She Doesn’t Care” are written so boldly in a feminine font. For the longest time, I couldn’t even tell what this ad was for! Well, it’s an ad for Conoco Motor Oil. Yeah, because I’m supposed to get that from this ad! As a submissive I have difficulty commenting on motor oil, as it doesn’t pertain to my sex life. Still, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to highlight such a sexually charged ad! I can certainly see a submissive woman volunteering for this supposed job. She does seem happy to be sprayed with “water” doesn’t she?
Vintage ads are always going to be both fun and startling reminders of our past. Before we view certain slogans as sexist or damaging to women though, it’s important to understand the different personalities and lifestyles we share as a society. Many of the ads here represent companies that are still around today. The backlash of these vintage ads if released in today’s society though would almost certainly mean the end. Why have we grown so sensitive to such ideas? As a female I take great pride in my ability to be upfront and honest in how I see women’s roles. There’s a comfort in addressing “female” issues. If we stopped taking so much offense, we might discover behind these ads was a man who saw the humor and ridiculousness too!
Phaedras Submission 