While women in 2022 continue their quest for equality, things haven't always been easy.
In fact, pop culture has only very recently evolved to be more mindful of things like sexist ads, or perpetuating toxic gender roles.
Artist Eli Rezkallah was inspired to create a series called "In a Parallel Universe," in which he recreates sexist ads from the Mad Men era by placing men in the traditional female roles.
The result is both amazingly pleasing to the eye and thought provoking for those of us who don't necessarily like to adhere to domestic expectations.
The photos also make us appreciate how far we really have come since the 1950s when ads like these, and the message they sent, were completely acceptable.
Photos: SWNS / Sarah Ward
Eli says that he was initially inspired to create the series when he was visiting family in New Jersey from his home in Beirut, Lebanon.
He tells SWNS:
Last Thanksgiving, I was visiting my family in New Jersey and I overheard my uncles talk about how women are better off cooking, taking care of the kitchen, and fulfilling “their womanly duties.”
He continues:
I hope that people who are stuck in stereotypical gender roles imposed by patriarchal societies would be able to visually see the cracks in the limitation that those roles carry through this project.
Eli took inspiration from 1940s and 1950s advertisements that would be considered sexist by today's standards.
Eli explains:
So I went on to imagine a parallel universe, where roles are inverted and men are given a taste of their own sexist poison.
You have to admit, putting men in the roles that are usually reserved for women is both funny and profound.
Of course, plenty of people, men included, do not agree with the way women have been portrayed in these old advertisements.
Eli admits:
I know that not all men like my uncles think that way. I was surprised to learn that some still do, it’s also true that those ads were in the ’50s and some people perceive them as vintage it felt at that moment that their essence is still present in the folds of today’s modern social fabric.
This ad in particular shows how powerless women have been in the past in their homemaking capacities.
Clearly, no person of any age or gender likes to be spanked in this fashion.
Eli says, “My close family and friends are proud and supportive as they share the same values as mine and strongly believe in the message behind the campaign.”
Be sure to SHARE Eli's work with your loved ones!
