Vintage Ad: Tracy stainless steel sinks

Found at Community Livejournal.

The reason I tagged this as a 'racist ad' is because in the time in which it ran, African American women were nearly always portrayed in advertising as maids -- never as dignified homemakers, teachers, nurses or any of the other female roles that were unofficially reserved for white women.

Comments

[Dave]

I can see why you tagged it as racist. It jumped out at me as being so when I first saw it. We sure have come a long way since 1941.

[Cassie_wallace]

This is absolutely racist - yikes. I'm surprised this was okay in 1941 - but then again, I never lived in that time! (Thank goodness.)

[Mark Doors]

Of course, it's only racist because we know the cultural context, there is nothing inherently wrong with the picture. It's just that today for the sake of avoiding these stereotypes the stainless steel sink ad would have a white maid and an African-American family bidding her goodbye :) I wonder what two generations from now people will find quirky or downright objectionable about today's culture...

[Jad]

I have this exact sink in my apartment, the cabinet appears to be the same too. I moved in a few weeks ago and was curious about it so I goggled it. It definitely appears to live up to it's lifetime billing. It's in great shape.

As for the ad being racist, at the time it obviously wasn't viewed that way. No one would do something like this today for obvious reasons so I don't see it as a big deal. It's in the past.

[Women's Steel Toe Boots]

Makes me think of that wonderfully powerful movie "The Help". So moving.