A 1925 Palmolive
soap ad attempted to sell its product in the context of American life during
the 1920s. First, we should note that the target audience is white
and female as is indicated by the visual image of a young Caucasian woman
in the ad. Caucasians represented the majority of the population
and constituted the group with the greatest buying power. A caption
under the picture "The prettiest girl in her set" suggests that Darwin's
theory of evolution, which had been popular in the United States since
the 1870s, is still current. According to the theory there is a natural
selection of those individual organisms that are best equipped to survive.
In 1920 only 8.4 million women worked outside of their homes. The
"job" that necessarily preoccupied most women's thought was the trapping
of men in marriage and their subsequent maintenance. This required
beauty which, of course, required Palmolive.
The focal centerpiece
of the ad contain a framed picture of a young, beautiful, fair skinned,
rosey cheeked girl who gazes dreamily at her reflection in the mirror.
Her graceful hands draw attention to the flawless complexion of her face.
The dark background of the picture showcases the luminous quality of the
skin while the woman's modeslty revealing gown adds a sense of femininity
and decorum. Butterflies flutter in the close proximity to the picture,
drawn by its natural beauty and sweetness. The girl, you see, is
in the flower of her youth. In the lower left hand corner of the
page we see Cleopatra , a historical personality associated (however incorrectly)
with great beauty and on the right hand side we see a bar of Palmolive.
Cleopatra lived in the land of palms and olives from which Palmolive derives
its name. The formula is revealed: Cleopatra +palms+olives= Middle
Eastern beauty; your face+palms+olives in Palmolive soap= American beauty.
The text message
is rather exaggerated from the perspective of 2003. The reader is
told that she is "never too young" to begin using Palmolive and that, if
used diligently, "wrinkles won't be (a) problem." It promises to
banish blemishes, clogged and enlarged pores and disfigurement. It
guarantees skin of fine texture and color. It even assures the user
of good mental health." It points out that "Happiness is more necessary
to a woman" and "what woman could be happy who is unattractive."
In other words, use Palmolive because it will make you attractive and your
attractiveness will lead to a healthy self-image. All this from a
bar of soap.