Snow Bird's advertisement in the July 20, 1962 issue of Life magazine sheds light upon the socially prescribed gender roles of the early sixties. In keeping with the domestic affairs of the previous decade, this ad suggests that women are rather delicate and certainly not up to the task of using the "husky" Snow Bird to "devour...deep drifts and snow banks." The language used is significant, and, like many advertisements during this time period, it insists that the item being promoted exudes masculinity. Not only does the "powerful," "blasting," "devour[ing]" Snow Bird promise to enhance one's masculinity, but it also maintains that it transforms the unpleasant "chore" of clearing snow into an enjoyable "sport." Juxtaposed with this heightened sense of masculinity is an image of a woman bending over ever so slightly to lightly pull a lever. No "blast[ing]" or "snow-birding" is required of her. She is merely there to start the engine - the fact that even she can handle the task is proof to the viewer that the Snow Bird "starts easily." Crucial to the ad is the fact that the woman, dressed in everyday wear, remains fixed within that one frame. On the other hand, the man, clad in heavy-duty snow gear, is central to the other three pictures. This advertisement provides insight into what it meant to be a man and woman during the early sixties.
In contrast with the 1962 Snow Bird ad, this 1978 Simplicity advertisement suggests that much has changed in America and in the way that Americans think about gender in particular. Not only does a woman take center stage in all three images, but also there are no men in sight. Whereas the woman was only allowed to start the snow blower in 1962, we see that a woman can now partake in the action once reserved exclusively for men. She no longer sits back as a predominantly passive individual, but rather she takes control and completes the job from start to finish. She "clears," even "busts through foot-high drifts," and, with the "snowbuster...weigh[ing] less than 45 LBS," she can return the machine to its proper place in the garage. Unlike the woman in the first ad who is dressed in a way that is appropriate for her designated role of lifting the lever only, the woman in the Simplicity ad proves that she is ready for the task at hand by wearing a heavy coat, durable winter boots, gloves, and a hat. While this advertisement puts forth a different depiction of what life is like for women in America, it also indicates that women are still cast in a somewhat similar light as before. Though the woman is now endowed with more power and freedom, it is still assumed that she can only handle "light work." The ad reads, "New Simplicity Snowbuster makes light work of heavy snow...The Snowbuster 220 is so lightweight, almost anyone can handle it." The cropping of the images is also significant. Whereas in the first ad, the pictures are cropped in a way that shows massive amounts of snow catapulted high into the air (again, adding to the idea of action, sport, and machismo), the images featured by Simplicity are tightly cropped, thereby drawing less attention to power and more to the woman herself and the ease with which she can complete the task at hand. "Snow-birding" plays no role in 1978, and, consequently clearing snow becomes a chore, albeit a "light" one. Thus, while a transition away from the passive home keeper is evident by the late seventies, it is clear that there are still a number of barriers that continue to prevent women from realizing a position of strength, unfettered by the restraints of patriarchy.
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