Rules for Beautiful Dummies

Women could never win in the ’30s to ’60s. Beyond just being expected to be impossibly beautiful and perfect in every sense, they weren’t supposed to be clever or quick on their wits. Woe unto the naturally intelligent female who could contribute her wits and knowledge to different situations! It was best if she dumbed it down and just applied some lipstick in those days.

Image advertising was a popular marketing strategy some sixty years ago, and the text-driven ads further drove the objectification agenda. Men were depicted as breadwinners, and women were described as “homemakers” or desperate spinsters who were perpetually looking for husbands.