15 Vintage Ads That Are Just Plain Creepy Today
Vintage advertising can be fascinating to look back on, but some of it feels downright disturbing by today’s standards. Whether it is the messaging, imagery, or cultural tone, a few old ads raise more eyebrows now than they ever did back then.
- Tricia Quitales
- 6 min read
Decades ago, advertisements were created without the kind of ethical oversight or social awareness common today. Many featured exaggerated gender roles, unhealthy lifestyle promotions, or unsettling imagery disguised as humor. What once passed as clever marketing now often feels eerie or uncomfortable. Revisiting these vintage ads highlights how far advertising norms have come and how society continues to evolve in its understanding of sensitivity and responsibility.
1. Cigarettes for Babies
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Some old cigarette ads actually featured babies holding or pointing to cigarette packs with cheerful slogans. They suggested that smoking was a sophisticated, family-friendly habit. The imagery of infants endorsing tobacco now feels deeply unsettling. It reflects a time when public health awareness was shockingly low. Today, this kind of ad would be immediately banned.
2. “Blow in Her Face and She’ll Follow You”
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A cigarette ad once promoted the idea that blowing smoke in a woman’s face would make her more interested in a man. The concept was presented as romantic and persuasive. From a modern viewpoint, it reads more like an act of disrespect and invasion of space. The gender dynamics are clearly manipulative. What once passed as flirtation now feels aggressively outdated.
3. Household Product Ads Featuring Slapped Wives
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Some vintage cleaning and kitchen ads showed men slapping or yelling at women for not using the “right” product. These scenarios were played for humor or as a warning. It normalized domestic violence and reinforced dangerous gender roles. Looking at them now is both shocking and disturbing. It is hard to imagine this being considered acceptable advertising.
4. Doctors Recommending Cigarettes
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In the mid-20th century, cigarette companies featured doctors in white coats endorsing specific brands. The authority of medical professionals was used to assure consumers that smoking was safe. The ads often included lines like “more doctors smoke this brand.” Knowing what we now know about tobacco, the message feels not just misleading but deeply unethical. It reveals how easily trust was manipulated.
5. Babies Drinking Soda
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Soda companies once ran ads suggesting it was smart to introduce soda to infants. They claimed it would make them more social or alert. Images of babies holding glass soda bottles now look incredibly inappropriate. The ads ignored basic nutritional science. Encouraging this behavior seems absurd by today’s standards.
6. “You Mean a Woman Can Open It?”
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A canned food brand once used this line to market an easy-to-open jar, with a stunned woman in the image. The message clearly suggested that women were too weak or clumsy to open jars. Intended to be humorous, it instead came off as demeaning. It reduced women to helpless caricatures. Now, it serves as an uncomfortable reminder of everyday sexism.
7. Santa Claus Selling Cigarettes
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Old ads often featured Santa Claus happily smoking or promoting a cigarette brand. These images aimed to link Christmas cheer with tobacco products. It was common to see Santa holding a pack of cigarettes as if it were a gift. The combination of childhood innocence and adult vice is jarring. Today’s standards would never allow such messaging.
8. “If Your Husband Ever Finds Out…”
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One soap advertisement warned women that if their husbands found out they were not using a certain brand, they would be in trouble. The ad used fear and guilt as a sales tactic. It implied a woman’s worth was tied entirely to household performance. These scare-based techniques now feel degrading and abusive. Fear-driven messaging rarely earns respect today.
9. Ads Sexualizing Teenagers
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Some vintage ads used teenage girls in ways that clearly crossed the line into inappropriate territory. Products were marketed with suggestive phrases or visuals that would not be tolerated today. These ads blurred the line between youthful energy and adult fantasy. They reveal a troubling lack of boundaries in past marketing. Modern standards rightly protect minors from such portrayals.
10. Beer Ads Featuring Passed-Out Women
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Certain alcohol ads from the 60s and 70s showed women in vulnerable or unconscious positions with suggestive text. These images were meant to be cheeky but came across as exploitative. The underlying implication of non-consensual behavior is deeply problematic. What might have once been considered edgy humor is now widely condemned. Responsible advertising has no room for this narrative.
11. Racially Insensitive Mascots
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Brands often used cartoonish and exaggerated depictions of people of color to sell food or cleaning products. These mascots were portrayed in ways that reinforced harmful stereotypes. While they were mainstream at the time, they now evoke rightful discomfort and criticism. Many of these characters have since been retired or redesigned. The change reflects growing awareness of cultural respect.
12. Women as Objects for Kitchen Appliances
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Appliance ads frequently showed women literally portrayed as parts of the kitchen, such as being inside ovens or drawn as dishwashers. The concept was meant to reinforce the idea that a woman’s place was in the home. These images stripped away individuality and reduced women to functions. Today, such ads feel robotic and eerily dehumanizing. They highlight the narrow roles women were forced into.
13. “Keep Her Where She Belongs”
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One vacuum ad used this headline with a photo of a smiling woman cleaning the carpet. The implication was that a good wife belonged on the floor, doing chores. The tone was both controlling and dismissive. This kind of messaging now reads as extremely oppressive. Language like that has no place in modern marketing.
14. Ads Using Fear of Skin Color
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Beauty brands once ran campaigns warning women to avoid tanning or sun exposure or risk becoming “unattractive.” These ads implied lighter skin was always preferable. They reinforced narrow beauty standards based on racial bias. The messages were subtle yet damaging. Present-day beauty campaigns have largely moved away from this harmful approach.
15. Baby Weight Loss Plans
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Believe it or not, some old ads promoted diet pills or supplements for postpartum women just days after childbirth. They praised women who “bounced back” quickly and shamed those who did not. These ads put unhealthy pressure on mothers at their most vulnerable. The tone was invasive and emotionally damaging. Body image marketing has come a long way since.