You Won’t Believe That These Shocking Vintage Ads Actually Ran Back In The Day

Published on March 14, 2023
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As time goes on, our values and ideals change collectively as a society. It’s never as evident as when you look back at older media, whether it’s a TV show, an older film, or the advertisements that used to run. If something seems “cringey” to you now, it means that we’ve made some progress as a society. A lot of this vintage ads didn’t stand the test of time and would absolutely never be able to be run today. Many of these would cause quite the controversy today, often because of their misogynistic messaging. Take a look at the ads that used to be printed and prepare to be shocked.

Alcoa Aluminum – 1965

This ad touts the simplicity of opening up Alcoa Aluminum Caps. The problem is that when they said “you mean a woman can open it?” it implies that “even” the “weaker” members of society would be open to successfully open these bottle caps, which is really silly. However, that was the rhetoric in 1965.

Alcoa Aluminum 1965

Alcoa Aluminum 1965

McDonald’s – 1965

This ad isn’t actually sexist, but shows another major way how times have changed. In the ad, you can see that an “All-American” meal that included a hamburger, french fries, and a milkshake all cost just 52 cents. You could then add a drink for between 10 cent and 15 cents, meaning an entire meal would cost you less than $1.

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McDonald's - 1965

McDonald’s – 1965