By Jos Truitt • @jostruitt • 13 years ago

Vintage sexism: Bad breath edition

Vintage ad with a woman wearing a bell around her neck. The text is too small to read.This vintage Listerine ad offers a suggestion for how bad breath, which is apparently most offensive when women have it, should be dealt with. The text is too small to read in the image so here’s the first couple paragraphs:

Will it ever come to this?

Will the law ever require women who are careless about their breath to wear bells warning others of their approach? It’s not a bad idea. You can understand who if you ever came face-to-face with a case of halitosis (unpleasant breath).

This all too common offense is likely to stamp any woman, or man, as anobjectionable person to be avoided.

Ah, yet another way women can be careless about their personal hygiene. Remember, effortless perfection takes work! My bad though, I guess the calls of sexism are invalid, because the ad did manage to very briefly mention that bad breath can be a problem for men too.

Boston, MA

Jos Truitt is Executive Director of Development at Feministing. She joined the team in July 2009, became an Editor in August 2011, and Executive Director in September 2013. She writes about a range of topics including transgender issues, abortion access, and media representation. Jos first got involved with organizing when she led a walk out against the Iraq war at her high school, the Boston Arts Academy. She was introduced to the reproductive justice movement while at Hampshire College, where she organized the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program’s annual reproductive justice conference. She has worked on the National Abortion Federation’s hotline, was a Field Organizer at Choice USA, and has volunteered as a Pro-Choice Clinic Escort. Jos has written for publications including The Guardian, Bilerico, RH Reality Check, Metro Weekly, and the Columbia Journalism Review. She has spoken and trained at numerous national conferences and college campuses about trans issues, reproductive justice, blogging, feminism, and grassroots organizing. Jos completed her MFA in Printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute in Spring 2013. In her "spare time" she likes to bake and work on projects about mermaids.

Jos Truitt is an Executive Director of Feministing in charge of Development.

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