Wednesday 15 December 2010

Women Who Fascinate

Advertisers have always tried to trade on women's body image ... here's an advert from the Strand, 1903 ... click to, erm, expand:

1 comment:

  1. This is an egregious example of a well known style of advertising which seeks to convince you that you have a problem and then sell you the remedy. Another way of putting it is that it trades on fear.

    A modern example is the "What your best friend won't tell you" style of advertising and, of course, retailers of padded bras and surgeons providing breast implants are following the track beaten by such advertising as that shown here.

    I note that the contact is given as the "Lady Manager". Was there really such a person or is this intended to reassure the nervous respondent that her request will be dealt with by a sympathetic member of her own sex and not a contemptuous male clerk?

    The fact that bosoms are so openly talked about does show how things have moved on from more puritanical times.

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