Nate
Ah, vintage ads—those little time capsules of cultural norms and marketing strategies that make us cringe and chuckle in equal measure. There’s something morbidly fascinating about the way these old-school ads reflect the bygone eras’ ideas of what’s acceptable.
Let’s examine some of the most inappropriate vintage ads, which have aged like milk left out in the sun.
1. “An Eerily Accurate Ad From 1996 I Found In An Advertising Book”
2. “This Has Aged Like Milk Because Google Is A Search Engine With Weather, News Feeds, Links To Sponsors, Ads, And Distractions”
3. “Photography Ad In My Dad’s Old Yearbook”
4. “An Ad From The 1950s Gives Tips On How To Dispose Of Batteries”
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6. “Mad Magazine From 2002. Covid Flashbacks”
7. “This Ad From Esso. Now We Have A Global Warming”
8. A Sexist Vintage Ad Advertising Men’s Slacks Called Mr. Legs. “He Didn’t Have To Shoot To Floor Her. One Look At His Pants, And She Was Happy To Have Him Walk All Over Her”
9. “Vintage Chlorinol Bleaching Advertisement. Very Racist, And Unacceptable”
10. The Addis Wedding Set, “Every Bride’s Coming Home Outfit” 1980s
11. People Inventing Plastic Bags Were Trying To Claim Consumers By Advertising The “Cute” Use Of Plastic Bags For Delivering Children, Which Are Now Known To Be Suffocants
12. “Betty White Became A Hugely Famous, Beloved And Iconic Actress”
13. “Iranian Advertising Before The Islamic Revolution, 1979”
14. “Lola (1970) Would Never Be Made Today For Many Reasons”
15. “Imagine Seeing An Ad Like This Today”
16. “Creepy Advertisement For Love’s Baby Soft (1975)”
17. “This 1994 Advertisement For Lighter Skis”
18. “He Used To Duck Me, Now He Dates Me” Nadinola Bleaching Cream, Ebony Magazine, May 1963
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20. “Promoting Sugar As A Healthy Thing In 1971”
21. “Advertisement For United Airlines (About 15 Years Ago)”
22. “An Electric Spanker For Unruly Children”
23. Union Carbide Advertisement From 1962 “Science Helps Us Build A New India”
24. “1950s Cigarette Ad Claiming No Throat Irritation Comes From Camel Cigarettes. Now It’s Proven That It Causes Throat And Lung Cancer”
25. “An Ad From An American Magazine, 1939. Lead Was Banned In Most European Countries By The 1940s, But Not Until 1978 In The US Because Of Lobbying”
26. “Ironized Yeast Ad For Weight Gain In The 1930s”
27. “Successful Marriages Start In The Kitchen”
28. “This Ad In 1936”
29. In The Top Right Corner, It Says “The Largest And Safest Steamer In The World,” Only For It To Hit An Iceberg Later. Clearly, It Wasn’t Safe
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31. “I Suffered From Menstrual Cramps.” – When Men “Suffered” As Much As Women (1968, Femicin Ad)
32. “Ad On The Back Of An Old Comic. Nowadays, This Would Not Go Well”
33. “Well, She Was Very Wrong”
34. “Twin Towers World Trade Center Brochure Circa 1975”
35. USHA Sewing Machine Ad From The 1970s: “Train Her To Be An Ideal Housewife. Buy Her An USHA Sewing Machine”
36. “Vintage Cigarette Print Ad Touting It Is Popular Among Doctors, Which Is Supposedly A Good Thing And Somehow Probably Helps Health”
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38. “This Oil-Disposal Tip”
39. “Lorillard’s Chewing Tobacco, 1893”
40. “Creepy Old Lysol Advertisement”
41. “Secret Anti-Perspirant Ad In 1965. It Implies That Women’s Body Odor Is A Result Of Emotions”
42. “6 Kids At 22? The Astonishing Mrs. Highfield For Rinso’s Soap. Australia, 1953”
43. “They’ll Be Wild About You In Van Heusen Venturous Print Sport Shirts” (1951)
44. “Probably The Most Sexist Vintage Ad On The Internet”
45. “An Ad For Drummond Sweaters From 1959. Oh, How Advertising Has Changed”
46. “This Ad From Time Magazine In 1997 Promotes Plastic. Meanwhile, People Are Trying To Replace Plastic Because It’s Harmful To The Environment”
47. “Wash Away Fat And Years Of Age With La-Mar Reducing Soap. Woman’s Companion, 1923”
48. “Are You Making Your Children Pay For Your Weight Problem?” – Sugar Information, Inc. Ad (1966)
49. “This 1968 Frigidaire Ad Is Special”
50. “The Message Is Perfectly Simple: Just Stop Being Fat”
h/t: Reddit