Women and the Automobile: from Drivers to Passengers

This set of advertisements, separated by a decade in publication, demonstrates the way that the relationship women had with automobiles changed after the end of WWII.

"for her" Personalized Chrysler Advertisement, Esquire Magazine, Jan. 1941, p.13

In the first advertisement, published in the January 1941 issue of Esquire magazine, a well-dressed woman is sitting in the driver’s seat of a luxurious convertible. The only other traveler is her groomed poodle riding in the backseat. Underneath this picture, the main image of the advertisement, is a smaller illustration of four people riding in the same car. The woman from the lager image is still driving, and her passengers are now one other woman and two men.

In these images, the woman exercises power and ownership over the vehicle. Not only is the car her personal car, but, as explained by the advertisement’s headline—“Jeanette MacDonald Chooses Plaid for her Beautiful Chrysler Convertible” (italics not mine)—she chose its details completely in accordance with her own taste.

The accompanying text continues, “Jeanette MacDonald…loves sunshine. Therefore her personal car is a convertible.” (italics mine). The image of ownership is emphasized by the presence of the dog, another of the woman’s personal possessions, and so we know that the car belongs exclusively to her. In the smaller image, it is clear that this ownership does not depend on the absence of men, for they are pictured as her passengers.

In the following text, it reads, “Perhaps like Miss MacDonald, you like to drive a car yourself.” This demonstrates that the woman car-owner has mobility. Her ownership of the car allows her to drive wherever she feels compelled to go.

Furthermore, Chrysler is using the image of a woman’s personal relationship with her car to help sell their product. This ad was run in Esquire Men’s Magazine. The image of a woman driver is supposed to ntice men to buy the product themselves. Not only does the image illustrate the ownership women had of automobiles during WWII, but that it wasn’t read as specifically a woman’s relationship, but a driver’s relationship.

"That's what a father is for" Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Advertisement, TIME Magazine, Jan. 25, 1954, p.14

Published over a decade later, this pair of images, found in both the January 25 and February 22 issues of TIME Magazine, show how the portrayal of women’s relationships with cars changed, demonstrating a loss of ownership and direct relationship with the automobile.

In the primary image, taken from a Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance advertisement, a family is shown in their family car. The man is sitting behind the wheel, driving his sleeping wife and children, as well as their dog. In this image, the car is no longer portrayed as a personal possession but as a family possession. As an extension of the home, the family car became another domain of the patriarchy reinforced by the post-war image of the nuclear family. In fact, the text reads “That’s what a father is for,” driving the car and also driving the family.

"Picture your family here" Nash Motors Advertisement, TIME Magazine, Feb. 22, 1954, inside front cover

In a second image, a set of smaller illustrations that accompanied a different advertisement, Nash Motors demonstrates how their car can act as a second living space. There are four serial images to show the different features of the car. In the first, the father is driving while the wife and child sit together in the passenger seat. In the second, the back seat has been folded out into a bed, and all three family members are lying in their pajamas. The third image highlights the storage capabilities of the trunk, which is spacious enough to “Take it all!” along with you. Finally, the fourth image shows a man driving with his wife again in the passenger seat, where the caption reads, “Picture your family here.” This series of images show how the family car became another kind of home.

Not only is it important that in the postwar period the car was no longer advertised as a personal luxury but as a family necessity, it is also critical that women are no longer shown as exercising any power over the car. In the 13 years between the two advertisements, women lost their connection with the car, and in 1954, their only relationship to the automobile is through men. With this shift, women lose their mobility, reinforcing the image of the housewife whose domain is completely contained within the home.