Twentieth Century Food Advertisement: A Woman's Responsibility to Prepare Food.

Deborah Hernandez
History 349:The History of Food
May 11, 2016
 Researchers continue to debate the sort of role advertising carries on a culture.1

According to author Katherine J. Parkin, advertising shapes instead of reflecting culture.2 The

advertisement era of the twentieth century however, achieve both, making it of particular interest

to historians who generally cannot rely on advertisement for historical evidence. In historical

research, advertising serves to affirm ideas and messages of food advertisers in the effort to sell

their products. 3Also, the consistency of advertisement style and theme does not reflect changes

occurring within a society, and therefore limit research opportunities. Food advertisement in the

second half of the century did not have these obstacles to overcome because the era demonstrates

a pushback from women against the image food ads attempt to sell. The Feminine Mystique by

Betty Friedan 4contributed to women's empowerment during the second wave womens

movement in the 1960s. Friedans collection of interviews reveal suburban homemakers

unhappiness with domestic life. The book, includes supportive research in psychology media and

advertisements. Even during the womens movement, food advertisers continue to promote

products geared towards women, and food preparation, despite the fact more women were

working outside the home and traditional gender roles were being challenged. Through the

centuries, food advertisers declined to expand product appeal to a larger demographics, almost

exclusively advertising to women amidst opportunity. Ultimately the aim was to produce a loyal

customer base for generations of women to come.

1 Jackson, Lears,Fables of Abundance:A Cultural History of Advertising in America(New York:Basic

Books,1994)

2 Katherine, Parkin, Food Is Love(University of Pennsylvania Press,2006)

3 Ibid.,5

4 Betty Friedan,The Feminine Mystique(W.W Norton Co,1963)

 One thing that did change among a relatively consistent industry is the presentation of

food products. Food advertisers presented their food products by aligning their message to

defining events of the 20th century. During WWII, food advertisers suggest aiding in war time

effort through the consumption of food products. A 1942 Heinz Ketchup ad, reads Double Duty

Time... Must Be Rationed by Americas Double- Duty Women.5 The ad acknowledges the

contributions of women during war time but does so while continuing to stress the importance of

taking care of their family. Towards the end of the century the presentation of food products

focus on a woman's beauty and sexuality. This is particularly interesting as it points to the food

industrys cleverness and creativity. Food advertiser promoted the idea that consumption of their

product was an essential component of a woman's beauty and sexuaity. Much like meal

preparation, child rearing, and household duties, food advertisement continued to suggest a

womens sole responsibility to maintain her physical appearance and wield sexuality.

Twentieth century womens magazines, such as ladies Homes Journal, and Good

HouseKeeping, were heavy on ads, with food advertisers pouring 4.5 cents per dollar earned,

back into food advertisement. Along with ads, text regarded cooking, cleaning, beauty and

health made up additional content. Over the century, food companies like the Kellogg Company,

published booklets, associating eating bran with beauty benefits.The booklets include articles on

diets and eating patterns while at the same time advertising to eat more Kellogg's All-Bran

cereal. As sexuality becomes more fluid towards the end of the century, an increasing number of

ads begin to sexualize the female body. Through the suggestive placement of food and body

language food advertisers stumbled upon a new way of presenting their products and ideology

that remains a trend well into the 21st century. Ads of the 20th century are unique in that they

5 Heinz,Homemade, (Heinz,1936).
reflect cultural sentiment. In addition to womens popular magazines, advertising booklets, and

particularly food ads, appear like manuals of sorts, that reaffirm traditional gender roles, by

maintaining food preparation as a woman's responsibility. The resistance by women towards

food advertisers message, reflect an era of womens empowerment and resistance against

traditional gender role.

In order to sell products and generate profit, a product must have a unique quality of

appeal to the consumer. Whether it is the first of its kind to hit the market, or simply one of

many, presentation of the product promotes its desirability. At the turn of the century food

advertisers, begin to advertise almost exclusively to women. Research and data polls,conducted

by advertising firms, revealed women associated food preparation as a way of demonstrating

love to their family.6 By uncovering these statistical facts, food advertisers formed a campaign

exclusively towards women, under this particular framework. Food ad during the 20th century

advertised to women by suggesting the act of meal preparation rest solely on women. In doing

so, women could associate a food product with their familys health and happiness. A 1936

Heinz ads, boldly states, Homemade under which is written, No work, no worry no failures,

no waste when you serve Heinz-Style soups, -the finest money can buy, yet priced within reach of

your budget. 7 Here, the ad, suggest womens responsibility with food preparation, balancing the

checkbook as the ad assures women are feeding their family and they will be content.

Early food advertisement suggested a woman's responsibility of domestic duties as,

childrearing, cleaning, taking care of her husband and overall family care. By tieing

responsibility and family well being, to food products, food advertisers were able to advertise

6 Samantha Barbas, Just Like Home: Home Cooking And the Domestication of the American Restaurant;
Gastronomica -The Journal of food and Culture(Fall 2002) :44

7 Ibid
their products as curraids for beauty ailments and even a woman's sexual appeal8. Food

advertisers move away from the traditional family system, during the second half of the century.

The focus becomes beauty and sexuality, and a woman's responsibility to maintain. A Heinz ad in

1940 demonstrates a presentational switch from family driven ads to young married couples. The

ad claims Heinz ketchup is the shortest route to your mans heart!9 The latter half of the

century reflects a time when traditional gender roles were being challenged and sexuality became

lucid. In maintaining focus exclusively on women, food advertisers recognized the value women

held in society as consumers.Women held power in society in regard to food preparation,

sustenance and distribution. Capitalizing also on the fact that cooking traditions, recipes and

ideologies pass down generations of women, creating loyal customers for generations.

J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT) ran pioneering efforts in consumer sales research.

The first of its kind to conduct such research starting in 1911. JWT became one of the most

successful advertising agency of the twentieth century. Today JWT company is the best known

international agency through global advertising. The firm worked with Ladies Home Journal, for

50 years manipulating everything from placement, color, font size and various aspects of appeal,

to create the most successful womens magazine of twentieth century.

Amidst research and data polls taken proof that although women were being exclusively

targeted by food advertisers, studies showed men, also were purchasing groceries and cooking.

Ads that aim focus on men exist, but still portray women involved someway or another. A 1940s

Schlitz beer ad, illustrates a young homemaker, burning food on the stove as her husband hugs

her and points to the beer. The caption reads, Don't worry darling, you didn't burn the beer.

8 Katherine,Food Is Love, 20

9 Ibid; 168
10
Although the ad may solicit a male demographic, it still reaffirms gender roles as the women is

placed in the kitchen, cooking. The reluctance of food advertisers to expand their demographic

came even amidst a Virginia Slims poll in 1990 in which women indicated help from their

husbands would ease their lives. Food advertisers routinely bypassed research indicative of men

as consumers of food products as well. Industry conservatism resulted in self imposing limitation

of missed opportunities to increase profit margins. A loyal and consistent fan base, is what food

advertisers wanted to create. By appealing to a wider demographic consistency and loyalty may

dwindle as more competition among products arises and profit declines. Instead, food

advertisers, continued to focus on women, while simultaneously preparing the next generation of

women to buy their products. Ads association of beauty and food products also spoke to small

aged girl. A Golden Guernsey milk ad featured a 5 year old girl revealing what her mother says

about drinking Golden Guernsey milk. Mother says I have to drink just lots and lots of Gold

Guernsey if I want to be as cute as I am now... It helps make nice straight legs and pretty teeth.
11
Ads targeted young girls at any age, targeting insecurities. A 1950s Post Grape- Nuts cereal ad,

illustrates a mother and teenage daughter, dressed alike, and tightening their belts to reveal a

disproportionately small waist. The ad reads, Any protein cereal helps keep you the same

size, ...as long as its Post-Grape Nuts.12 Food advertisers played on womens insecurities to

align their products with a woman's beauty and sexuality, one of few shift in an otherwise

conservative industry.

10 Schlitz Beer Ad.(Schlitz Beer 1941)

11 Katherine,Food Is Love;169

12 Ibid;170
 A focus on womens beauty underlines one of two themes used by food advertisers during

the second half of the century. Food advertisers begin to shift a woman's responsibility from

traditional gender roles to more flexible ones, reflective of changes in ideology of the time. Like

ads in the first half of the century suggest a womens responsibility to prepare meals for their

family. Second half century ads place responsibility on women for maintaining and keeping

beauty. These ads target womens insecurities, often times being cruel and blunt as the century

progresses. The ads coincide with the popularity of cosmetics, war, the Great Depression

declining divorce rates. As targeting women through ads was not enough, food companies began

publishing booklets and pamphlets, with articles relating to beauty and physical upkeep all while

suggesting their food product will aid in maintaining a young and youthful appearance.

The popularity of cosmetics delivered the opportunity to present natural ways of attaining

beauty. Food advertisers tried to promote the idea of a natural beauty, by suggesting consumption

of their product gave this benefit. Market research showed consumers spending on luxury goods

Like cosmetics was declining because of the war. Jell-O, an inexpensive food product, advertised

itself as a natural way to remain attractive while still helping in war effort. Similarly, ads for

Postum, a once popular coffee substitute,compare women who drink Postum women who don't,

demonstrating its beauty benefits surrounding the women who consumes Postum surrounded by

men. The ad was headlined Help Yourself to Happiness,13insinuating a woman's happiness was

is not a choice but a right granted. As the century progressed, food advertisers grew less subtle in

their advertising campaigns about women and physical appearance. During the end of

Hollywood's golden age of film, Marilyn Monroe a popular Hollywood film star, whose image

was the epitome of sexuality during the 1950s. A curvaceous actress,all the rage for her sex

13 Ibid;182
appeal and demeanor. Hollywood films began to portray women in more sexualized roles..

Cultural norms were loosening beginning in the 50s and food advertisers took note, preying on

womens insecurities amidst a growing emphasis on beauty and the female form. Velveeta cheese

ads in the 50s illustrated thin, disproportionate women with big breast and small waist making

women feel insecure about their physical appearance and question of attractiveness. Ry-Krisp

advertised their crackers as a diet to lose ugly fat win admiration. The ad illustrates two

women in a kissing booth, one thin and a one not so thin women. The thin woman receives the

men's attention and onlookers suggest about the women being ignored, Someone ought to tell

her about Ry-Krisp.14 Preying on womens insecurities is the way food advertisers intended to

sell products. Beauty and early affiliation with gender roles appeared in ads targeting young

teens girls as well. Common youth ailments such as acne, were geared towards mothers to help

their daughters away from a permanent sense of inferiority. 15The ad was seen by teenage girls,

payed homage to the components for a youth filled with happiness that include friend, parties

and the ability to attract the opposite sex. Women'sresponsibilitiesgrew substantially and

continued to grow to include female sexuality.

Marketing studies conducted by food companies reveal the importance of product

placement in the appeal of products. As food advertisers noted in the second half of the century

during a sexually liberating time, the image of sex sells. Body shaming through food

advertisements is a common theme during the 50s. Food companies like Ry-krisp criticize

womens figures not fitting with food industrys illustrated image a perfect women, both

physically and sexally appealing. During the war effort, food advancements suggest being

14 Ibid;176

15 Ibid;171
overweight meant not fulfilling a woman's patriarchal duties. The ads suggests, thin women

have more energy to contribute to war time effort. Continuing to shame women who did not fit

illustrations of food advertisers womens bodies, Ry-Krisp, features an ad, with a slim women,

under the caption, She works all day, is a Nurse's Aid by night. Like many smart women, she

keeps trim and stays slim. 16The 1940s ad, not only criticize being over weight, but also

associate a woman's intelligence with their weight. These type of ads no longer suggest, but

blunty shame on a woman's physical appearance and undermine a woman's intellectual

capability. The ads remain popular, until food advertisers begin to see a decrease in sales, as food

advertisers ignore women, who reflect the common female figure of the time. Again food

advertisers place self limitations for profit gain in their failure to advertise more broadly. The

presentation of food products by body shaming, backfires, as women avoid foods particularly

high in starches like breads. 1950s homemaker, not only brought images of cooking but baking

as well. In order to successfully advertise bread products, Pillsbury, and other companies

published cookbooks that intrigue weight conscious women. Such titles include, Breakthrough

Baking : Classic Cakes That Cut the Calories.17 A market of conscience eaters was rising, and

advertisers had to present their products to appeal to these women. Food advertisers present their

food products as diet food, and present ads that include caloric value, portion control, and

benefits to a woman's waistline. The second half of the century saw an increase in the publication

of pamphlets and booklets similar to those the Kellogg's Company published earlier in the

century and further ad expansion into popular womens magazines like Ladies Home Journal.

16 Ibid; 177

17 Ibid;180
 Food advertisers realize the bond between mother and daughter and the importance of

shaping young girls habits to create the next generation of loyal customers. Attempting to fix the

ramifications from body shaming, food advertisers presented their products through the concept

of diet. During the 60s and 70s, food advertisers, became increasingly bold in presenting their

products as diet foods using sexuality and therefore sexualizing womens body through

suggestive placement and seductive posture. An ad for Wishbone salad dressing illustrates a

woman with a short skirt and long legs that resembling a wishbone. Next to the women the ad

reads, Next To nothing goes to waist with Wishbone. 18A clever play on words,by the food

industry suggesting a woman could maintain her figure and achieve sexual attractiveness through

the consumption of their product. Womens concerns over their weight grew substantially during

the 80s and contributes to the success of Weight Watchers beginning in 1963. Weight watchers

catered to the demographic of women neglected by food advertisers.

As the second half of the century lead to social and cultural equality for women, women

like never before felt empowered and began to fight back against food advertisers portrayal of

womens bodies and consciousness of calorie count. The backlash came amidst, advertisers

phrases like, Were watching your weight and We don't forget your figure.19 The presentation

of foods caloric value, by food advertisers suggest small portions to maintain a woman's figure.

Kelloggs Special K ads popularized during the 1950s and hold up popularity up until the 70s

when the company comes under fire by a growing number of women, frustrated with food

industry advertising methods in the 80s. The Kelloggs Special K brand, respond to women's

frustration by rebranding its image to empower women about their bodies. The companys new

18 Ibid;181

19 Ibid;183
brand targets teenage girls as well, to promote healthy body image. The companys campaign is

similar to Weight Watchers, in that it promotes the same concept of empowerment.

As seen during WWII, women entered the workforce in record numbers and continue to

maintain a presence in the workforce through the remainder of the century onward. Research

presented by Ernest Dichter, an american psychologist and marketing expert, conducted research

and found American womens culture was changing.20 Over a 24 year span, and 500 major

studies conclude in the emergence of three types of women. The first was the true homemaker,

secondly the career women, and lastly, the modern women who did both. According to Ditcher,

the modern women was the women of the future, career motivated but also, concerned about

being a homemaker. Through his report, he found the emergence of a new women, whose

potential for food industry profit made her an ideal target for food advertisers. Food companies

were slow to break away from conservative values of traditional gender roles. However, this

slow appeal is first seen by the Rice Council of America in 60s and 70s.

Appealing to a new demographic, themodern women,food advertisers become more

sexually explicit with their ad content. The identity of the modern women associates cooking

and creativity together resulting in sexual happiness. Through motivational research, in 1955,

researchers uncovered men and women believed food to be gender specific.21 According to the

research, rice is a feminine food product. By uncovering this, rice companies had to present their

product to appeal to mens appetites as well. Per this example, and through the history of food

advertisement, women hold power in food preparation, food subsistence and food distribution,

finding a way to associate men with a feminine food is the challenge food advertisers face during

20 Ibid;187

21 Ibid.
this era. Food advertisers began promoting rice as a precursor to sex being explicit in text and not

the ad itself. Uncle Bens rice ads in 1960, play on words, read, Time to loosen him up a little.

With this wild culinary happening, 22The sexuality of food ads grew more and more sexual as

the century progresses. A common theme for food advertisers was women feeding men.Uncle

Bens rice has several ads that display a women feeding a man the food she just prepared for

him. An Uncle Bens Rice ad depicts a man standing behind a women, passionately grabbing her

shoulders while she feeds him Uncle Bens rice. The ad promotes the variety of rice

combinations available and reads, From now on every night could be different filled with

endless variety.23 This advertising theme was popular throughout the century.

The middle part of the twentieth century brought forth change in an otherwise

conservative food industry by way of the modern women. Advertisers targeted this new

demographic of women, whose need for convenience, and male appeasement continue to align

with the presentation of their food products.

Food advertisers during the twentieth century reaffirm gender roles and maintain a

womens duty to the act of food preparation. Food advertisements during the twentieth century

play on womens concerns and insecurities such as time, in regards to the convenience of food

products, family well being and physical and sexual appeal. By ignoring suggestive research,

food advertisers miss opportunity to appeal to a wider demographic ultimately limiting

themselves. Although it may seem this way, food advertisers realized the potential to create a

loyal customer base for generations. Food Advertisers begin to target young girls, in the hope of

developing habits early on maintain them as customers. Food advertisers created opportunity for

22 Ibid;191

23 Ibid.
related industries to market to these women resulting womens empowerment. A push back by

women , protest conservative industry ideology of traditional gender roles further create female

empowerment that leads to a rebranding by companies to promote healthy body image. Lastly

the discovery of the modern women contributed to food industries ads targeting a woman who

comes to resemble the average American woman of today. Regardless of strategies and themes

used by food advertisements suggest a womens duty for food preparation.