Baby Boomers, including myself, will likely remember that “the old days” were simpler in some ways and troubling in others. On the plus, for me, was non-electronic entertainment. After weekend or holiday family dinners, casual entertainment such as playing cards or a board game was commonplace. It’s been a while since I’ve considered the sexism in advertising related to this pastime activity.
In 1967, game maker Milton Bradley (MB) introduced their Battleship game in a paperboard flat box with plastic game pieces. Although I have not been able to verify that their slogan was “fun for the entire family,” the meme circulating on social media reminded me that it was, indeed, the sentiment MB promoted. Based on then-current gender stereotypes, the two family members in the foreground are, presumably, father and son enjoying the game requiring strategy while the two family members in the background—the mother/wife and daughter/sister of the two players—wash the dinner dishes while looking on toward the game.
The updated game’s box in 1970 depicted the table set up in the same manner, but with a boy in the father’s position, and a girl in the position of the 1967 boy. Future editions of the box’s art continued to depict boy-girl pairs playing the war-based strategy game except for the “Retro” version, which uses the same photo in this meme but with the dishwashing family members removed.
Sexism in advertising was the norm back then—not that it has yet been fully eliminated, although the UK is actively working on it. This is highlighted by the NYT article, In a Long History of Sexist Ads and Outrage, It’s the Apology That’s New and the independent writer Rara Avis’s article on Medium, Horrifying sexism in advertising. Historical Perspective.
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Thinking back, how were you affected by the advertising that reinforced the sexist social norms of your youth? Did you question or object to what was presented, or did you take it for granted? What did you learn from it all that you can share with other readers?
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