As much as I love watching old commercials, there’s more than a few that make you want to hide under the table. This week’s spotlight: misogyny, which seems to be a staple of many old commercials. What’s really interesting (I guess disturbing is the better word) is the complete lack of subtlety in these ads.
1. Folgers Coffee
Harvey is mad–and with good reason–his wife can’t make a decent cup of coffee! He can barely hold back his disgust as he tells her (the wife doesn’t have a name of course, she’s just “Honey”) that the girls at the office (hint hint) make better coffee with their hot plates. Can this marriage be saved.? Yes, thanks to a girlfriend telling her about Folgers. Whew!
2. Buick Riviera
This one starts off innocently enough. A man and a woman flirt by driving their cars along the road together to some very mod sixties music. Car looks nice and fun to drive too. Then at the very end, when all seems safe, a voice over tells you–no, I don’t want to spoil it, just be sure to watch it until the end.
3. Pepsi
The video and sound quality on this one are absolutely terrible (probably because Pepsi doesn’t want the original out there). Ladies, grab your notebook–this commercial will tell you everything you need to know about how to be happy in life.
4. Geritol
You know the old story: Man come homes from work, the house is a mess, so what else can he do but pull a gun on his wife?
5. Goodyear Tire
I never realized why good tires are so important–it’s because you never know when a woman is going to be driving. Apparently, you ladies have a thing for lots of confusing signs and off-road maneuvering while horror movie music plays in the background. The tagline: “When a woman is at the wheel, [these tires] mean more than mileage.”
