Guilt Tripping, Consumerism and the American Cowboy

The advertisement for the Chevrolet in the 1953 Forbes magazine usefully illustrates, particularly when compared to the war bond ad in the 1943 Fortune, the evolution of Americanism to one of staunch consumerism and a sort of collective individualism. The WWII advertisement stresses the importance of purchasing War Bonds to support “the guys who come back with one arm or one leg or no eyes”, justifying American involvement as being a “messy job” but one that needs to be done. Americans are encouraged to sacrifice some of their comfort and embrace minimal levels of inconvenience. This is easily contrasted with the Chevrolet ad depicting the perfect nuclear family: mother, father, son and daughter taking a family trip across the great Western expanse of America. The family passes two (for lack of a better term) cowboys greatly embodying the Marlboro Man mystique, almost as if to show that what America used to be during the times of the oil and gold rushes is no longer topical; times have changed and now a regular family of four can afford a car and simply “passes through”. Not just a car, but one with increased fuel efficiency,[1] the underlying idea being one can have more disposable income available to buy more luxury goods. Everything about the Chevrolet ad is domestic and idyllic while the war bond advertisement is shocking and somewhat divisive, especially notable in its minimalist appearance, compared with many other ads of the time that employed various color schemes and images.

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[1] A tell-tale sign of capitalism taking hold as car manufacturers struggled to try to make their products specially appealing because so many Americans could afford them.

Chevrolet's New Gasoline Economy, Forbes Magazine, July 15, 1953, page 3

Scared, Kid? Fortune Magazine, July 1943, page 149