It’s a little screwy, it’s a lot of sexy-
it’s vintage and retro pinup ads!
Old ads always
look quirky and ridiculous. Pop-culture moves
so quickly something from 5 years ago doesn’t
even make sense! I’m taking you back to some
distinct visual times, to take a look at the
quirky and sexy art of vintage and retro ads.
George Petty - The Master of What The
Fuck?!
I don’t know who was
the perv, who decided to pair up George
Petty with Ridgid (a heavy-duty tools
and plumbing utility manufacturer). I
also don’t know why this series of pinup
girls have ballet slippers on. But
goddamnit! This is one of those
classics. Petty made a ridiculous,
sexist, stereotypical connection between
women and heavy duty machinery, and that
always makes for a delightful
lighthearted pinup.
Lingerie - Try to Sell THAT to a Woman of
the 21st Century!
Out of all the
vintage ads, the lingerie ads are the
quirkiest. You got your model in the
bra, which is fine, but then weird stuff
starts happening, which makes me think,
how strange it must have been to get
into a woman’s head, back then.
The end of the 60’s would herald something
more similar to the lingerie ads of today,
but you gotta love the new groovy psychedelic
design on the bra and undies.
Gil Elvgren - The American Dream
Gil Elvgren created wholesome, flawless
pinups and that’s what he did with his ads,
as well. Elvgren created the image of the
American dream, where everything is shiny and
pretty, and life is made perfect with the
product in question.
Cigarettes for the Classy or Active
Woman
Cigarettes were
advertised to the higher middle classes.
There were, basically, two types of
women in a cigarette ad: The trendy
woman, who parties in lush gowns and
diamonds and the adventurous active
woman, who indulges in extreme sports
and world travel.
Coca Cola - Something for
Everybody
Coca Cola has a long
history of advertising. While mainly
targeting families, Coke was always
smart enough to niche down their ads.
Women, as always, a popular tool of the
advertising trade, took on different
guises for different markets, throughout
the years.
Coppertone - A 1960’s
Classic
Just the word
Coppertone conjures up the 1960’s,
orange-skinned girls in a Sandra Dee
hair-style (not to mention Sandra Dee
herself). These bikinis, mind you, don’t
point to a blatant sexiness. The
Coppertone girls are good, wholesome,
next-door girls, aimed at teenage girls
and young women, looking to attract a
husband.
In the 1970’s, however, Coppertone moved to a
more sexy line, but always reminding us of
Joyce
Ballantyne’s original, sweet, little
Coppertone girl, keeping it family
friendly…
LavAzza - Winking at Pinups and Stirring
up Controversy
Two years ago,
LavAzza, An italian Coffee brand stirred
up controversy in Sweden, with this
retro-esque pinup ad. Apparently this ad
is “...an example of advertising where
women are used as attention-grabbing
image of a sexual nature, without having
a connection to the product advertised.
This is insulting to women in general
and the ad thus breask the ICC
guidelines of advertising.“
I don’t dispute that, but I’d like to point
out that this buxom blond is a pilot, not a
stewardess.
Making sure ads are unsafe for work,
Tags: Sexy Art, George Petty, psychedelic design, Joyce Ballantyne, Coppertone girl, Coppertone girls, 1970’s, Sandra Dee hair-style,
the American dream, 1960’s, cigarette ad, Coca Cola, Vintage and Retro Pinup Ads,
women and heavy duty
machinery, Woman of the 21st Century,
Gil Elvgren, 60's, lingerie ads, vintage ads
