Gallery

This is the March 1955 issue of Better Homes & Gardens. March was chosen for this project because it can show viewers the advertisements that were being distributed at the beginning of the chosen year. (Image: Better Homes & Garden archives)

This advertisement is located in the March 1955 issue. It’s an advertisement created by Hot Point for an automatic washer. In this add, we see messages about ease of use and saving time, big selling points for advertising agencies in the 1950s which appealed to housewives in term of saving time on household chores. (Image: Better Homes & Gardens)

This is the second advertisement referenced in the paper. It’s sponsored by the American Gas Association and it’s advertising a dryer. It’s accompanied by an article about how to balance the responsibilities of having two children. Again, we see messages about ease of use, something that applied to female consumers. (Image: Better Homes & Gardens)

This is the cover of the November 1955 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. November was the second month chosen for this project because it would showcase advertisements from the end of the year. (Image: Better Homes & Gardens archives)

This is the third advertisement referenced in the paper. It is for a real and miniature/toy version of Revere Ware pots and pans. We see the housewife stereotype pretty clearly in this ad with the two females of this family playing with and using cookware. This is also a reflection of the American consumer culture where having more of the same kind of product equates to being well perceived by society (Image: Better Homes & Gardens)

This is the final advertisement referenced in the paper. This is an advertisement for steel appliances but structured in a comic strip like way. It tells a story of a couple remodeling their kitchen, but we see very clearly the roles and expectations for the ideal American man and woman. (Image: Better Homes & Gardens)