Monday 26 March 2012

Good Housekeeping 1950's style

My Mum who is in her 80's was chatting with a group of women friends the other day. They started talking about if life was really better in their youth like their peers often claim. They discussed the fact that women in the 40's and 50's were still very much an appendage to their husbands and that they have much more freedom in every way these days and are treated as individuals in their own right. No rose coloured glasses here!

This fits in with a blog I wanted to do on the Good Housekeeping Picture Cookery book that is one of my most treasured possessions. Dog eared and splattered with old egg yolk and flour this book was passed down to me - with a loving and proud inscription from my father (just realised how ironic that is in view of this topic...), via my Mother to me.

Just look at the adverts:

woman cooking advert  1950



Actually today's retro fashions mean that the dress would not look out of place - though perhaps not in the kitchen...

What about this happy family. Note Mum's outfit includes a pearl necklace to serve the meal and the boy's suit makes him look like an important miniature Father:

 
Family and mixer advert 1950
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7 comments:

  1. Heather26 March 2012 at 07:52

    I love these old ads! I too have a Good Housekeeping cookery book, which I bought (along with a Kenwood Chefette) with some money I had for my 21st birthday. The Kenwood finally gave up the ghost last year (age 39!) but the cookery book is still going strong. My Mum is still using her 1950's book.

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  2. Rosalind Adam28 March 2012 at 04:34

    It may be a trick of the memory but I can't remember my Mum ever serving up our supper all primly dressed and wearing pearls. Of course she never wore tracksuit trousers like I do... so much more comfortable!

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  3. susan28 March 2012 at 12:28

    On FB Jan said: I love my Kenwood too - still going strong after 33 years, although I don't make many cakes in it these days. I also have a subscription to GH magazine and try some of the recipes most months.

    Heather: This is from the 1950's book held together! Love the coconut biscuits!

    Rosalind: Yes pearls were out in our house too!

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  4. Sherry Ellis29 March 2012 at 16:35

    If we dressed up to make and eat dinner everyday, I'd have to go to the dry cleaner at least four times a week. I'm glad times have changed!

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  5. Misha Gerrick30 March 2012 at 10:10

    Yeah I've seen a couple of ads from the 50s that REALLY made me cringe. :-)

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  6. Alex J. Cavanaugh31 March 2012 at 15:48

    Don't forget the A to Z Challenge begins tomorrow! Looking forward to your posts.

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  7. Unknown26 July 2018 at 18:28

    You do realize that these ads--along with the frivolous content inside the magazines that spoke of nothing more than cleaning and cooking-- brainwashed women of that age into pursuing nothing more than a husband and kids, which then led to mass depression among these women since they had no sense of self and were misdiagnosed with hysteria and given all sorts of drugs. It's all in Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique." I highly recommend it to all.

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