We’ve all seen the sexist advertisements floating around in the mid 20th century. The Mad Men women, confined to the kitchen, faithful to her husband and dedicated to her children. We know all too well, ads that showcased women toiling daily with household chores while their husbands were portrayed as the bread earners.
But what if the worlds were reversed?
Photographer, Eli Rezkallah re-imagined if some of these blatantly sexist ads were given a gender reversal. In a project called ‘In A Parallel Universe,’ he makes this possible. Talking about the series, he wrote,
Last Thanksgiving, I was visiting my family in New Jersey and I overheard my uncles talk about how women are better off cooking, taking care of the kitchen, and fulfilling ‘their womanly duties.’ Although I know that not all men like my uncles think that way I was surprised to learn that some still do.”
See the misogynistic advertisement posters along with the inverted recreated ones below:
1. Which gender rules the world?
2. Really that kind of strength is possible?
3. What if they do!?
4. You’re not that useless…
5. Who is on Santa’s nice list?
6. At least there’s something left.
7. Done the dishes, honey?
8. Push harder.
9. Doormat, you say?
10. Know your place in the world- the kitchen.
Now before you start jumping to conclusions, let me give a little disclaimer. I’m a feminist, and no I do not believe in man-hating. I don’t think either of the ads portray what feminism is all about- equality.No gender deserves to be bashed, ridiculed or limited to only a certain kind of role in society.
However, this artist just tried to put forth a narrative in which we see an alternative reality. I do hope that campaigns like these help in better representation of women in these powerful mediums.