Media Research Project #1

The two images I found in Life represent the changes within family life that occurred during and after World War II. The picture during World War II shows a women and a daughter with bacon and a headline “Mm-mm Daddy’s Favorite”. Although the main concept of the ad revolves around Daddy, there is no male to be seen. This represents the hole that was left in families when the many men went off to war leaving their wives to be in charge of their children. Throughout this 1940’s magazine the women dominated the pages with ads anywhere from working women to different shoes or household items one should own. All of these details represent the lack of males in both father roles but also in life in general that occurred during the 1940’s. As the war ended and the males returned home these once female dominated pages were restored to their original males. Many of the ads became more masculine for men and for women much more feminine. The ad I took from 1954 shows a family sitting, eating ice cream with the father’s arm around his wife feeding his daughter ice cream. The dominant father figure had returned once again taking back his roles of protector (arm around the wife) and provider (ice cream being fed to his child). These females’ lives were no longer dependent on themselves but now they once again had a tough male to protect them. Their families became a unit again with a daughter, son, wife, and husband all safe and warm together. As much as the independent female seemed to evolve during the war this image of a traditional family was just as evident in the post war era. The females went back to their work at home with their children while the males once again supplied their family with all the security needed.

Armour's Star Bacon, Life, April 15th 1940, Pg 54
https://wesfiles.wesleyan.edu/home/efitzsimmons/web/images/Armour%27s%20Star%20Bacon%2C%20Life%2C%20April%2015th%201940%2C%20Pg%2054.jpg?uniq=y5ltdu
New White Ipana, Life, April 19th 1954, Pg 1
https://wesfiles.wesleyan.edu/home/efitzsimmons/web/images/New%20White%20Ipana%2C%20Life%2C%20April%2019th%201954%2C%20Pg1.jpg?uniq=y5lte0