13 Magazine Ads That Make No Sense Today
Here's a list of outdated and bizarre magazine ads that reflect how far society, science, and marketing ethics have evolved.
- Alyana Aguja
- 4 min read
This list explores 13 vintage magazine ads that are baffling by modern standards. From doctor-approved cigarettes to radioactive beauty creams, these ads reflect outdated medical beliefs, toxic gender roles, and unsafe consumer products. Looking back at these real examples offers a surreal glimpse into the marketing history we now view with disbelief or discomfort.
1. Doctor-Recommended Cigarettes (Camel, 1946)
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Camel ran a campaign claiming, “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.” This ad featured a doctor with a stethoscope endorsing cigarettes as a soothing, healthy option. It capitalized on public trust in medical professionals, even though the dangers of smoking were becoming known. Today, the idea of doctors promoting tobacco is laughable and alarming.
2. Lysol as a Feminine Hygiene Product (Lysol, 1920s–1930s)
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Lysol was bizarrely advertised as a vaginal douche for women to “keep their husbands happy.”
These ads preyed on women’s insecurities, implying they could lose their husbands if they didn’t use Lysol for intimate cleanliness. The same harsh disinfectant we now use for cleaning toilets was marketed for internal use, a concept both dangerous and baffling today.
3. Babies and Soda (7-Up, 1950s)
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The beverage 7-Up once promoted itself as a great mixer for baby formula. One ad shows a baby drinking from a bottle with the headline “7-Up is so pure, so wholesome.” Today, giving soda to infants is considered irresponsible, but back then, sugar and branding beat out health science.
4. Tape Worm Diet Pills (Early 1900s)
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Some early 20th-century ads promoted ingesting tapeworms to stay slim. These products were marketed to women as an easy way to lose weight without diet or exercise. It’s shocking to imagine anyone encouraging parasitic infection as a beauty solution, yet it was once seen as clever.
5. Cocaine Toothache Drops (Lloyd Manufacturing Co., late 1800s)
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This ad proudly promotes cocaine as a cure for tooth pain, even for children. The product was sold over the counter and claimed to provide “instant relief.” With modern awareness of drug addiction, it’s hard to believe this was once not only legal but enthusiastically advertised.
6. Mercury-Based Medicine (Calomel, early 1900s)
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Calomel ads encouraged using mercury compounds to treat everything from constipation to teething. These ads often featured trusting mothers giving their children the toxic substance. With mercury now known as highly poisonous, these ads show how deadly misinformation used to be mainstream.
7. Smoking for Weight Loss (Lucky Strike, 1920s)
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Lucky Strike told women to “Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet” to maintain their figure. It equated smoking with self-control and attractiveness. Promoting nicotine as a diet aid feels wildly irresponsible today.
8. Babies in Plastic Bags (DuPont, 1950s)
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An ad for DuPont’s Cellophane showed a baby wrapped tightly in clear plastic. The tagline praised the clarity and beauty of the material. What we now see as a suffocation hazard was once used to sell packaging by exploiting the “adorable baby” trope.
9. Hard Liquor for Babies’ Teething (Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup, late 1800s)
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This widely sold syrup contained morphine and was advertised for soothing teething pain in infants. Mothers were reassured that the product was gentle and effective. It was eventually pulled after causing countless infant deaths, but the original ads now seem chillingly casual.
10. Men Controlling Women’s Weight (AYDS Candy, 1970s)
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The AYDS diet candy ads often featured men making passive-aggressive comments about women’s figures. In one, a man says he loves his wife but misses “her waistline.” It’s a cringeworthy mix of body shaming, outdated gender roles, and marketing wrapped in caramel.
11. Soap as a Cure for Depression (Lifebuoy Soap, 1930s)
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Lifebuoy Soap once claimed to cure “halitosis and despair.” The ad suggested your mood and mental health were tied directly to personal hygiene. While mental illness is now treated seriously, these ads made it all about smelling fresh.
12. “Blow in Her Face” Perfume Ad (Tipalet, 1960s)
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Tipalet cigarettes advertised that “Blow in her face and she’ll follow you anywhere.” The image showed a man exhaling smoke into a woman’s face as she swooned. It combined sexism with secondhand smoke into a message that’s as inappropriate as it is absurd.
13. Radioactive Beauty Products (Tho-Radia, 1930s)
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Tho-Radia was a French cosmetic brand that used radium and thorium in its creams and powders. The ads claimed glowing skin through literal radiation. Today, these products would be hazardous waste, but they were once luxury items promising radiance through radioactivity.