Recipes to cook up the
Perfect Housewife
Born to serve. Live to please. Wife for life. To serve man is not a cook book recipe…it’s a pleasure! Who needs to have an opinion when you’ve got your man? Slippers, cold beer, newspaper. Which would you like me to fetch you first, dear?
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‘The Housewife’ is a label that has been spoke about for over 50 years. Originally given to stay at home wifes in the mid 20th century this role was considered to be the pinnacle of success. 2
. . . e f i w e s u o H e eet th
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Ingredients:
Always put everyone else first. Never complain Never show strain Work hard and support your husband always
Tip!
Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.
The role of the housewife was very full on in the mid 20’s never mind the children and the household duties being a satellite of planet husband was a full time job in itself. She’s dusted, wiped noses, and bandaged knees. The laundry folded and the dinner ready on the stove. Shes ready all preped and primmed for her husbands arrival. 1
s e c n a i l p p A e s u o H In the 1950s ads encouraged the retro housewife to have a personal relationship with her appliances, which were often given miraculous qualities. To the housewife, the home was a less spick and span prison cell than an on going project that provided her with a deep sense of purpose and identity.
Tip!
Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring Day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it. 4
The perfect A Ingredients:
ppearance.
Always have freshly applied makeup Greet your husband with a smile Be preparing food always for your husbands arrival The deeply etched gender roles that gave structure and order to the running of the household also governed the retro housewife’s appearance. Able to erase all of her hubby’s work day woes with one g-rated come-hither greeting at the door.
Tip! Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon on your hair and be fresh looking.
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. . s e i t Du Hip magazines started running articles on the joys of housework, lending it such qualities as therapeutic, self – esteem building even thrilling. The average house wife of the 1950’s era would hover around her bread-winning man and their children, making their meals and cleaning up after them as if that was what she’d been put on earth to do. r and e d r o e c a e p f o e e is a plac m o h r u o y ! e r u p s nd spirit. a Ti our Goal: Try to make y d o b in lf e s Y renew him n a c d n a b s u h r you traquillity where 651 6
Stereotypes of women being the weaker sex became stronger and more known when certain advertisements came out doubting womens strength & Intelligence The advertisement shows a female asking the question ‘You mean a woman can open it?’ This only ads to the perception of the house wife era. 7
Be happy to see him , Greet him with warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please!
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Other advertisements and magazines pushed the idea that the wife should love what she does that being this housewife is the greatest job . They did this through everyday product advertising. This specific advertisement focuses on body image even though the message underlining is about working hard , working hard has no correlation to a womens or anyones looks. The focus of womens body image was at the for front of advertising just as much then as it is today. 9
The Good Wife Womens magazines and books of the 1950s & 1960s offered endless streams of advice on “how to be a good wife” there were tips outlined.
Ingredients: Don’t have a lot of preconceived ideas of what you want out of life. Accept him at Face value - don’t try to change him. Revere your husband and honor his right to rule you and your children. Don’t stand in the way of his decisions of his law. 10
Tip! Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
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Women love housework! In the heyday of the housewife, the only man doing any tidying up around the home was the completely fictitious Mr. Clean. In the 1950s cleaning products much more human effort to make them work. As a result , The housewife ended up burning three times the calories that her modern counterparts do. In the 50’s women were seen to enjoy housework so much to the extent that being bought a hoover for Christmas should somehow enthuse them.
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Have dinner ready. Plan ahead even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for this return. This way of letting him known that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.
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Tip!
Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.
Women started to dress more glamorous as a reflection of what was in the media at the time. The media willed women into believing that a more provocative sexual dress code would give them empowerment and self confidence. When in actual fact the whole idea behind it was for the males benefit. The advertising world was and still is at large ruled by men. 14
Tip!
Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first remember - his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
This advertisement shows how women became sexualised through advertising. The advert showing the lady in only her underwear with the slogan “ The lift that never lets you down� Glorify your figure. The bra is enhancing the lady’s breasts she is also looking into the mirror in flirtatious manner. The use of red lipstick reinforces the sexuality within the advert this specific choice has been made as anthropologists believe that red lips increase sex appeal. 15
Objectification..
This advertisement is a perfect example of objectification. The 50’s Ad uses a womens legs to sell the product. This style of advertising uses objectification in a way where it treats the model ultimately like an object or commodity without regard to their personality or dignity. The ad also uses illustrated roses as a symbolic reference to a lady’s private area. This connotes a reference to a lady’s virginity. Tip! Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
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Modern day Housewife
In this modern day advertisement with a housewife inspired theme. The advert has taken a more sinister tone its more sexualised and objectifying. This devalues the models worth and presents her as sexualised symbol of a housewife. Even though the model is seen as an sexual object she still must full fill there stereotypical housewife duties. Tip!
Don’t greet him with complaints and problems. 17
Tip!
Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low , soothing and pleasant voice.
The portrayal of women in advertising is still to serve the man even his sexual desires. The model in the advertisement displays many conventions of seduction. Such as - red lipstick , pursed lips, underwear , suspenders and body language. This is a signifier that a strong stereotype is always underlined throughout society over the past 60 years. As time has passed women’s portrayal has become more and more sexualised the stereotype still remains.
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A good wife always knows her place!