Controversial vintage ads are like a time capsule of cringeworthy moments, showing us what once passed as normal. From “cheeky” sexism to questionable product claims, these ads are now more “yikes” than iconic. However, at the same time, they give us a fun way to see how much things have changed. Let’s have a look, shall we?
Magic Mineral
“Fireproof, rot-proof, and practically indestructible” sure, asbestos might have been all that, but it was also extremely toxic! But people didn’t seem to mind back in the 1930s.
Once thought to be a “miracle mineral” asbestos use in products can be traced all of the way back to ancient Egypt, and it continued for centuries.
It is estimated that just a few decades ago up to 5,000 consumer products contained asbestos. Its fire-resistant and non-conductive qualities made it extremely popular. Crazy, right?
The Best Things in Life
The 1950s definitely were something else. Using a caricature of a child inside a plastic bag to promote your cellophane brand? Sure, why not?
Apparently, at the time Du Pont Cellophane didn’t see anything wrong with it, nor did they consider the potential safety hazard that is a child inside a plastic bag.
There is no way that an ad like that would be published nowadays. It’s crazy how just in a matter of decades people’s perspectives on some topics can change so much.
Pure Pleasure
And if putting newborn babies inside plastic bags wasn’t enough, here’s another vintage ad that suggests you should give your child soda! Great idea, right?
Man, the 1950s sure were a different time. Apparently people didn’t see anything wrong with newborn babies drinking soda, because the drink was “just as pure as them”.
Knowing what we know now about drinking soda we are glad most parents keep these types of drinks away from their kids as much as they can.
Where She Belongs
We have no words. This outrageous 1974 ad for Weyenberg Massagic shoes was featured in Playboy magazine in 1974.
Apparently, no one saw anything wrong with it because the ad was later reprinted in the “No Comment” section of Ms. magazine, can you believe it?
The ad is so sexist and disrespectful towards women that we can’t believe nobody saw anything wrong with it. We are glad most people would consider it unacceptable today.
As Fat as Pigs
That sure is one scary ad! Grove’s Tasteless Chill Tonic was a popular malaria treatment introduced in the late 19th century. It combined quinine, used to treat malaria, with sweeteners to mask the bitterness.
It became widely successful because it provided an effective remedy for chills and fever without the unpleasant taste of pure quinine, making it more tolerable for children and adults.
Grove’s tonic was heavily marketed across the U.S., especially in malaria-prone regions. It became a household name. Apparently, a side “benefit” to it was that it made kids gain weight.
A Girl Around the House
When we look at cringe-worthy vintage ads like this one, we are happily reminded of how far the world has come in it comes to progressing towards gender equality.
The mere fact that this ad for “Mr Leggs” men’s slacks was made public, highlights the overt sexism of the 1960s. The image is so shocking that it was controversial even then.
The whole point of the ad was showing how this man’s ‘Mr. Leggs’ slacks make him “superior” to his woman, distasteful doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Even a Woman Can Open It
This ad has become one of the most popular symbols of the casual sexism that took place in the United States during the 1950s.
The ad shows a woman wearing red lipstick and looking at the reader while holding a Del Monte ketchup bottle with the appearance of being about to open it.
The text reads: “You mean a woman can open it?” It clearly couldn’t be more explicitly sexist if it tried. It’s crazy to think no one batted an eye about this back in the day.
Scary Krinkles
“A Terrifying Way to Start Your Day: Post’s Sugar Krinkles” wasn’t Post’s actual slogan, of course, but it might as well have been… just look at that scary clown!
We don’t know what the Post’s cereal executives were thinking when they approved this awful ad, but we don’t think they were paying attention.
That clown doesn’t look kid-friendly at all! We wouldn’t be surprised if he was the inspiration behind Stephen King’s famous killer clown from the novel “It.”
Simple Driving
It seems that there was a clear tendency to make woman seem dumb on many vintage ads. And this 1960s ad for the new Mini Cooper model was no exception.
Here we can see a young woman looking helpless and frankly incompetent while holding a car’s wheel. This ad kept feeding the stereotype that women can’t drive.
It’s sad to think how these types of ads have shaped the minds of entire generations and that some people believe in those awful stereotypes even today.
Beneficial to Young and Old
“Cultivate the Rainiver Beer habit, it brings the glow of health and gives a new lease on life. Beneficial to young and old.” We wish we were joking but that is not the case.
Back in the late 19th century and early 20th century, beer was promoted as a healthy drink that envigorated people and made them feel good.
As this vintage Rainier ad says, beer was perceived as a tonic that was “better than medicine” and both children and adults were encouraged to drink it on the regular. Yikes.
Easy on the Throat
This vintage ad would have probably ruined our childhoods and tainted our innocence forever if it had been around when we were kids.
I mean, Santa Claus? Smoking? What were the executives of Lucky Strike thinking? The worst part is that they probably thought this was a brilliant idea back in the 1960s.
But we get it; if you wanted to make sure that people would buy your cigarettes during the holiday season, there is no better sponsor than Santa Claus himself, right?
Energy
“For young or old, candy provides quick energy. Buy some next time you shop!” Its crazy to think that this was actually a successful marketing strategy half a century ago.
Nowadays, most parents are so concerned with providing their kids with a healthy and balanced diet that an ad like this would never work on them, quite the opposite, actually.
But did you know that the idea the sugar makes kids hyperactive is actually a myth? Many studies have shown that there is no direct correlation between the two things.
Safety Razor
What is it with these vintage ads and putting kids in dangerous situations? We know it’s only a cartoon, but just looking at this ad makes us very nervous.
Look, we get it. The point of this early 1900s Gillette ad was to point out that the brand’s razors were so safe you could hand them to a child, but still.
We can’t help but wonder how many people let their toddlers hold their shaving razors. We just hope people weren’t so gullible to believe this was actually true
The Harder She Works, The Cuter She Looks
We don’t think an ad could encapsulate better the spirit and mentality of most people in the late 1930s in the way this one does.
Apparently, the best way Kellogg’s found to promote their PEP Vitamins back in the day was to showcase the product as a working housewife’s best friend.
We are not even sure what those “vitamins” contained back in the day, but we highly doubt it would be something that could be found in pharmacies today.
Thumb Guard
Here’s another ad that we can’t believe was published at some point! Thumb guards were first introduced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Concerns about thumb-sucking were growing stronger, so devices like thumb guards were invented to address the problem. Hard to believe, right?
Thumb guards were advertised in the early 20th century. Ads appeared in parenting magazines, dental journals, and even catalogs, promoting them as essential for preventing future dental issues.
A Man’s World
Yeah, nothing screams “vintage sexism” like this Van Heusen ties ad. A woman with makeup, prepared hair, and earrings on her knees serving breakfast to her husband. Yikes.
But we sure have some questions. For starters, why was that man having breakfast in bed fully dressed? Did he go back to bed after he put on a suit and tie?
Why did nobody catch a mistake like that? At the same time, we can expect much from someone who came up with such an awful idea for an ad…
Toothache Drops
Speaking of controversial medicines… did you know that back in the late 1880s cocaine was actually advertised as a cure for many conditions?
Cocaine was advertised as a miracle medicine, prescribed for everything from headaches to fatigue. Even Sigmund Freud promoted it. Crazy, right?
It was seen as a cure-all, making people feel invincible. However, by the early 20th century, the dangers of cocaine became clear, with side effects like addiction and health risks.
For Pep and Vigor
In the 1920s, it was very common for brands to advertise the vitaminic content of their products, and it seems that donuts were no exception.
However, we find it very hard to believe that these donuts contained a minimum of 25 units of vitamin B1. What do you think?
These claims ended in 1924 when the Supreme Court ruled that the Food and Drugs Act condemns every statement, design, or device on a product’s label that may mislead or deceive.
So Pure You Can Eat It
In the 1930s, Vaseline went bold with their “So Pure You Can Eat It” ad, claiming their product was so safe you could spread it on toast (though, probably don’t!).
The idea? To show just how gentle and trustworthy it was for your skin. At a time when people were worried about chemicals, Vaseline reassured everyone that their jelly was as harmless as a snack!
The ad cleverly used humor and purity to win over families looking for a safe, reliable product. Vaseline: good for your skin, but maybe not your sandwich!
Where Will You Be?
“Where will you be when diarrhea strikes?” Imodium’s classic line might have made people chuckle, but we find it a bit tasteless. No one wants to face that emergency unprepared!
We get it, Imodium plays the role of a superhero in those awkward moments, saving you from a public bathroom dash. But isn’t this ad a bit too much? Too graphic?
It’s both a warning and a wink—because, let’s face it, bathroom disasters happen. But we just think that a vintage ad like this one wouldn’t cut it today.
The Benefits of TV
This is a bit shocking. Not only did this ad tell people that watching TV would make their kids smarter but also but also suggested it would improve their behavior.
The advice in the ad is pretty wild, too! It explains how you can use TV as leverage over your kids, once you get them addicted to it. Oh, and it’s great for addressing “rainy-day riots”.
Look, we get it, back in the day TV was actually considered a learning tool, but seeing how so many kids are “addicted” to screens nowadays, this ad creeps out.
Men Who Enjoy Life
Oh, yeah, the 1950s! That crazy time when smoking was not only considered a healthy habit but also encouraged to do around family, including young children!
According to this 1956 graphic ad from the Cigar Institute Of America smoking cigars made men better husbands and good parents.
The ad explained that smoking made day-to-day activities go “smoother” for both the smoker and the people in their lives. Knowing how bad smoking is for you, we highly doubt that.
In Her Face
Every person, everywhere on this planet knows that blowing smoke into someone’s face is an insult, but apparently the people working on this 1969 ad believed otherwise.
We don’t even know where to start when it comes to explaining how damaging this ad is. Smoking and sexism together! What an awful combination.
Thinking a woman would be so dumb as to fall for a man just because his cigarette smoke had a fruity smell? Yeah, that was the thought process of 1960s ad men apparently.
Doctors Know Best?
We’ve seen this in other ads already, but for many decades, cigarettes were disguised as “healthy.” Admen went as far as to resort to doctors for endorsement.
Including images of physicians in their ads was a common technique used by the tobacco industry to reassure a worried public that smoking was harmless.
In this particular ad, the none-too-subtle message was that if the doctor, with all of his expertise, chose to smoke Camel cigarettes, then the products were “safe” to consume.
It’s Fun to Have
Hand-held hair dryers were a game changer back in the late 1970s. This playful but strange ad suggested that even if you had no hair, the product was just too cool not to have.
With its retro flip-top design, it screamed “fashion-forward” even when it wasn’t plugged in! You could flip it, hold it like a pro, and feel like a hair salon superstar.
Still, we don’t think we would have chosen a bald woman to advertise this kind of product, but apparently, people found it funny. What do you think?
Middle-Age Skin
This is just so, so sad. The woman in the ad must be 25 years old, tops. Still, the ad claims she looks old and should blame herself for losing the love of “her man.”
We would like to believe that people, especially women, aren’t that concerned with aging nowadays, but sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the truth.
However, ads are more subtle now. Today, nobody would use the term “middle-age skin,” especially in such a negative way. But it seems Palmolive didn’t see the problem back in the 1920s.
The Other Woman
Yup, that’s right, ladies. Who cares about cavities or gum infections? The main reason you should use toothpaste is to keep your man around!
At least that was the message that Chlorodent sent across in this 1950s vintage ad. It encouraged women to keep their breath fresh so their men wouldn’t leave them.
And not only that! Instead of placing any blame on the potential cheating husband, the ad took it out on the potential “other woman.” Just wow.
Youngest Customers in the Business
Does it sound absurd to think of running an ad campaign encouraging mothers to give sugary soda to their babies? Well, it sure does to us!
It seems laughable now, but there was a time when advertisers aimed to convince parents that sugary drinks were ideal for infants and children, and 7Up was no exception.
This ad stated, “This little boy is 11 months old, and he’s far from our youngest customer. 7Up is so pure and wholesome, you can even feel good about giving it to babies.” Insane.
Electric Corsets
Yes, believe it or not, this ad is real. In the late 1880s, the quirky trend of ‘Electropathy’ took off, claiming electricity could cure almost anything.
Enter Mr. C.B. Harness, a true believer who promoted electric corsets and belts from his Medical Battery Company in London, bragging they could treat ailments from rheumatism to insomnia.
These “miracle” devices, which would probably be forbidden nowadays, promised continuouselectric healing, and the ads even included testimonies of satisfied clients. Crazy, right?
Illegal
This horrific 1947 ad for a postage meter is told from the perspective of a boss discussing his “redhead” employee. The ad suggests there are situations where one might consider murder.
The story involves a typist, “redhead Morissey,” who decorates her typing machine with a pink bow, grows fond of it and uses the extra time it saves her to gossip.
This annoys her boss so much that he humorously contemplates taking her life. Summed up, the ad relies on dark and sexist humor to portray office frustrations. Shocking, right?