Mary M., of Cooking with the Junior League, took a moment out of her busy Dodgers-watching schedule to send me a link to some posters for products aimed at African American women. They were displayed at the Negro Industrial Fair in NYC in 1939 and contain some fascinating ideas about femininity, beauty, and attracting a man.
Given that a woman’s best chance at economic stability was often through marriage, this one probably wasn’t all that off-base:
Of course, it takes an enormous amount of time, energy, and money to be sure your beauty is “constant.” But it’s necessary, because beauty is the true way to get a husband:
Notice the message in that one: you might be incredibly skilled in some areas of traditional femininity (say, cooking), but it’s not enough if you can’t combine it with beauty. And you can get charm and beauty through purchasing the right products:
See also our post on Chris Rock’s documentary “Good Hair“and a woman gets fired for having an Afro.
Comments 10
Fernando — October 11, 2009
Wow these posters are really stylish, given their date.
Neoclassical Cat — October 11, 2009
"A woman's wealth is her constant beauty."
How telling. A man's wealth has to do with his skills, his job, &c, while a woman's wealth is one thing and one thing only: her constantly being desirable to men. Beauty can't pay the bills or feed anyone, but it can attract a man, who can do those things for you. Can't have the lady being the breadwinner, now can we?
Very potent posters.
Anonymous — October 11, 2009
Interesting that the third one references Egypt and has the Islamic crescent moon (nods to the target audience?), but the woman pictured looks white.
Sarah — October 12, 2009
Funny...my first thought, before I read the text, was that these were posters done by schoolchildren. I didn't know glitter was available in 1939! In any case, it's interesting that while in this context the products are reviled because they promote the beauty myth and the idea that a woman's worth is in her looks, but that the purveyors/creators of these products are often celebrated in another context--Black History Month--because they were examples of successful African American inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs.
Karen — October 15, 2009
Actually it's not just America either. Even though the origin of these posters are the United States, there are other countries where the standard is the same for Black women.
Veronica Gallegos — February 5, 2010
In other words, America is not the only country that does this type of things. Even though it did originate in the United States. There are many others countries in the world at this moment where they do the same for the Afro American women. Thats is all i have to say. So stand for what you believe in.