Thursday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1951. A man, apparently just arrived home from work, has his eyes covered by his wife. His comfy chair is ready for him, with his pipe, slippers and a book within easy reach. On the table next to his chair sits a bottle of Schlitz and a full pilsner glass. Behind the beer sits three hat boxes from “Bonnie Hats.” The idea apparently is all of the comforts waiting for him will make the purchase of the hats less of a problem for her. It’s a very sexist ad, reinforcing gender stereotypes, but at the time the ad ran, these were likely considered quite normal, with few questioning them.
If that ad had run in 1981, “the blow” would have been a double entendre 🙂
It’s 1951,maybe the hats were for him!