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Representation of Woman                                                                                          Taylee Hunter
Advertisement 1
Woman's place in the home- wife and mother

The role of women in the 1950 was repressive and constrictive in many ways. Society placed high importance and many expectations on behavior at home as well as in public. Women were supposed to fulfill certain roles, such as a caring mother, a diligent homemaker, and an obedient wife.  The perfect mother was supposed to stay home and nurture so society would accept them. A diligent housewife had dinner on the table precisely at the moment her husband arrived from work. A wife was a "good" wife only if she carried out her man's every order and agreed with him on everything.

Woman don't make important decisions

In society men were seen as more dominant and their opinions mattered the most. This was due to the lack of education a woman received, as society wanted most woman too stay at home and take care of their young and their household. In the 1950's, the fact that a woman was even attending a college was uncanny and paranormal. Most women married after high school and fell into their traditional roles right away. Women did not join the conversations, they just stood near the men. Men feared intelligent women because of their tendency to "think" for themselves and disagree with their man. Woman were only seen to be knowledgeable about child care and their appearances.

Woman are dependent on men for acceptance and protection

This stereotype deals with the mass consumption of beauty products, for fear that if a woman was not beautiful enough for her husband he could simply get rid of her for a wife that would please him.  The husband was the leader and the supplier of the home, and his wife supported him, and the children looked up to him. The man is expected to be the strong one of the relationship. The man overlooks all financial purchases made by the female. The man also takes care of all disciplinary actions.                

Woman as sexual objects, and inferior to men

In this advert the audience can identify that the woman is adjusting her appearance by using make-up. Most woman were only recognized by others if society found their appearance up to standards and what men liked. In this advert the woman and man could possibly be husband and wife, she may be applying make-up to impress her husband and ensure that her looks are up to his standards and make him proud to show his wife off. Woman were seen as sexual objects in society in the 1950's and their looks helped them find a husbands to provide financial stability. In this advert the woman is seen to be naked, this is a example of woman being seen as a sexual objects and wanting to be desired by men .


Advertisement 2
Woman are dependent on men for acceptance and protection

In the 1950's it was possible to discover how to be an ideal housewife, the woman for whom the maintenance of the house and the well-being of the family were fundamental priorities. Revlon states that the make-up product is a 'blush-on' this would have been easy and quick for woman to apply. This would have been the ideal product for housewife's, as before their husbands would arrive back home from work they could apply it and still look attractive even after all their household chores were done. It was an ideal product as woman were seen as sexual objects and used their beauty to their best advantage. Using this product would have indicated that the wife could multitask and still look flawless and keep that perfect expectation of life that society was influenced by.

This advert states 'come alive ' indicating that the product gives woman a natural glow, and this would show to others that housewives are capable of looking after their families and all household chores and still take care of their appearances . Their husbands would be glad to show off their wives. if they are using this product as there neighbor's and friends would see her attractiveness and the fact that she does not look tired and can handle the roles of being a good housewife.

Vogue magazine implies that woman were seen as sexual objects. Their husbands were the ones with the intelligence, they would stand alongside their husbands but would not engage in conversations with others without the permission of her husband. Their husbands would have the voice in the household and the woman deals with the emotionally aspects. This was seen as the norm of the 1950s society dealing with the two genders. There was a stigma that woman only needed to have beauty and not intelligence to fit into society, those who did go on too study male dominant subjects were frowned upon and were seen to be challenging male dominion opinions.


Advertisement 3

Woman's place in the home- wife and mother

Women were expected to be caring mothers, diligent spouses, obedient partners, and good wives. They were expected to carry out their man's every order and agree with him on everything. A good wife always knew her place. Prepare the children by washing their hands and faces, comb their hair, changed their clothes if needed. Wives were intended to touch up their makeup, maybe put a bow in their hair,  and always so to be happy and interested. Wives house chores consisted of clearing away clutter in the house, and run a dust cloth over the table. These were essentials to be seen as a good housewife in society.

Although women were expected to identify primarily as wives and mothers and to eschew work outside of the home, women continued to make up a significant proportion of the postwar labor force. Moreover, the 1950s witnessed significant changes in patterns of sexual behavior, which would ultimately lead to the sexual revolution of the 1960s.

Gender roles in the 1950s were intimately connected to the Cold War. The term nuclear family emerged to describe and encourage the stability of the family as the essential building block of a strong and healthy society. In this view, a woman played a crucial role in waging the Cold War, by keeping the family unit strong and intact. She could do this best, it was thought, by remaining at home to take care of her husband and children, and refusing to pursue a career.


Advertisements often times showed smiling women with their arms loaded with cooked food, or a women cleaning house and looking happy and content with looking after their children. These were dedicated housewives whose only goal in life was to meet the pleasures of their husband and children. Society believed women should fit this role and it should be the goal for women in the 1950s.

peer assessed by Rick
use more key terminology such as mis-en-scene and theories such as stuart halls and hooks.
www; Gave dates and explained reasons to answers given.










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