Artist gives vintage ads a feminist makeover

Whether attempting to sell clothing, coffee, or food, vintage ads from the mid-20th century were often riddled with sexism, forcing women into traditional gender roles. Now, however, a Lebanon-based artist has changed these out-of-date ads.

The photographer, founder and creative director of Plastik Magazine as well as Plastik Studios, Eli Rezkallah, imagines what sexist ads created during the Mad Men era would look like if they had their gender roles reversed.

The vintage adverts, promoting brands like Hoover and Van Heusen, depict women as subservient and downtrodden while men are intelligent and domineering. In his In a Parallel Universe photo series Eli took these advertisements, and recreated them entirely, reversing the gender roles in it.

He says on his website that he was inspired to create this art series after overhearing a sexist conversation among family members during the holiday.

“Last Thanksgiving, 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 think that way, I was surprised to learn that some still do, so I went on to imagine a parallel universe, where roles are inverted and men are given a taste of their own sexist poison.”

Eli told Huffington Post his goal with the series was to highlight the absurdity of gender inequality. “Although those ads were made in the ’50s and some people perceive them as vintage, the moment I heard my uncles’ conversation, it felt that their essence is still present in the folds of today’s modern social fabric,” he said.

Have a look at other images below.