Van Heusen’s 1951 Ad, “Show her it’s a man’s world”

ARGHH, stereotypes. Don’t you just hate it when people limit your accomplishments and abilities? This was the case for advertising during the 20th century. “Show her it’s a man’s world,” a phrase from Van Heusen’s 1951 ad published in Collier magazine, is a prime example. These types of advertisements reinforce society’s narrow perceptions of stereotypical gender roles by marginalizing women, exploiting gender roles for promotional use, and reinforcing traditional notions of masculinity.

“Show her it’s a man’s world” is a 1951 advertisement by Van Heusen published in Collier Magazine which was based in New York City. You can see the image of a woman kneeling while presenting a tray of what appears to be breakfast for who appears to be her husband. Her hair and makeup are perfectly done, as she wears a pink robe. The way she is positioned kneeling gives us the coded-iconic message of femininity being derogatory by bending down for the husband, placing her in the lower section of the illustration. Barthes presents us with his theory that “seemingly innocent objects and images carry a literal – denotative – meaning, and a non-literal – connotative – meaning” (Blair Roland Barthes Overview and analysis). The way we see the wife positioned in a certain way, placed in a certain environment, and wearing certain attire, we infer the meaning of her role in said space is under the husband’s power and control. Almost as if he’s taking advantage of her, it gives a sense of exploitation of character. Contrary to the coded iconic, we also see the non-coded iconic message, which is the ties being advertised. The connotative aspect is the wife, making us understand she is female, she likes to dress up for her husband, and she is the one serving her husband not the other way around because this is what she was made for, why she was married, how degrading. By illustrating the breakfast pan, the denotative message is the wife serving her husband some breakfast in bed. Yet, her husband is positioned in a way as if he expects this from her daily, as a part of her job of being a wife. His expression doesn’t help either, as he looks down at her with a smug look and perfectly fluffed pillows behind him.

The structure of this Van Heusen ad positions various images of ties across the page in a zig-zag layout. This makes the reader look at every detail from the headline that reads, “Show her it’s a man’s world” to the largely printed brand name in red. And let’s not forget about the body copy clearly stating these ties are “For men only!–power-packed patterns that tell her it’s a man’s world
 and make her so happy it is.” These details not only give way to the avid sexism present but also the linguistic message that builds upon the societal basis of traditional masculinity being what puts a woman in her place. This perception downplays the endless roles women could have and any possible aspirations besides being a housewife. With the first three words of the body copy being “For men only!” it demonstrates the direct marginalization of women in the 1950s. The target audience is inferred to be single and married men looking to assert dominance over the ladies. They would identify with this ad because men at the time were all about showing power either with money or good attire, as NFSA states, “The men went into the world to make a living and were either sought-after, eligible bachelors or they were the family breadwinner and head of the household” (Bondfield Exploring gender roles in Vintage Advertising: NFSA). The designers of this advertisement try to ‘fix’ the meaning of entitlement by justifying that the tie makes a man look so good, they deserve to have the privilege over those who can’t wear a Van Heusen.

So much has changed over time, and as a society, we grow and learn from one another and our past. Today’s global audience would have seen this advertisement as derogative, sexist, and directly offensive. The impact advertisements like these had on society behind the act of trying to promote or sell a product was primarily a tactic of establishing a hierarchy among the genders. By using stereotypes, it represses oppression from those at the bottom. And for far too long, it stayed that way. Naturalization can be observed through the repetitive use of signs; for example, during the 20th century, we’ve seen women be the ones to do the cooking and cleaning for the men. They became the signifier that signified lower class in the hierarchical pyramid. Referencing Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding model of communication, my reading of the ad is oppositional, as I do not agree with the way the author has illustrated the wife and husband to promote the product of a tie. I understand that the author is trying to increase sales but it should not be by degrading women in the process.

Has the media always held a chokehold on societal biases? Yes, ever since other people of higher power could control what we see and hear, the truth was never really the truth. And with stereotypes, people’s assumptions of others created bridges of power and strength. Such ads like the one discussion narrowed society’s perspectives on gender roles especially towards women by derogating them, exploiting their roles, and using masculinity against them.

Works Cited

Admin, and Admin. “Van Heusen Ties Show Her It’s a Man’s World 1951 | Mad Men Art | Vintage Ad Art Collection.” Mad Men Art: The 1891-1970 Vintage Advertisement Art Collection, 21 May 2021, www.madmenart.com/sex-appeal/van-heusen-ties-show-her-its-a-mans-world. 

Bondfield, Mel. “Exploring Gender Roles in Vintage Advertising.” National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nfsa.gov.au%2Flatest%2Fexploring-gender-roles-vintage-advertising&psig=AOvVaw2KY8l-6B0M_ow3Qw5DXgd5&ust=1729462703177000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CAcQr5oMahcKEwig-PfhvJuJAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBA.

Jewish Women’s Archive. “Show Her It’s a Man’s World.” https://jwa.org/media/show-her-its-mans-world. 

Jacobs, Harrison, and Jim Edwards. “26 Sexist Ads of the ‘Mad Men’ Era That Companies Wish We’d Forget.” Business Insider, 24 Aug. 2016, www.businessinsider.com/26-sexist-ads-of-the-mad-men-era-2015-4.

“Roland Barthes Overview and Analysis.” The Art Story, 19 Dec. 2021, www.theartstory.org/influencer/barthes-roland/#:~:text=Put%20simply%2C%20Barthes%20argued%20that,society%20is%20built%20and%20maintained.United Way for Southeastern Michigan. “Day 3: Bias and Stereotypes: No More Shortcuts – United Way for Southeastern Michigan.” United Way for Southeastern Michigan, 9 Dec. 2021, unitedwaysem.org/equity_challenge/day-3-bias-and-stereotypes-no-more-shortcuts/#:~:text=Stereotypes%20work%20to%20reinforce%20power,people%20that%20result%20in%20dehumanization.

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