I was looking through some old vintage advertisements (some ridiculous stuff way back when!), and I came across several diet-related ones that I thought would be funny to post here. It's amazing how different things are now compared to decades past. Also makes me wonder what will, in just 50-60 years from now, shock and confuse people about how we think and do things today, lol.











Tapeworms for dieting(!?)...






And, this one is just bad because of a cringeworthy void of foresight:




Anyways, there are tons more out there, but I don't want to drown a post with them....not sure what the length limits are or if I'm even able to post images yet. (I guess we'll see when I post this, lol.) You can easily find many others with a simple Google search if your curiosity is piqued like mine was. They were also mixed in with many different types of other vintage ads, and may I just state for the record...I am so thankful to be a woman in a more modern-minded society. Everything may not be perfect for ladies nowadays, but it is a far cry from how little we were thought of in the generations before us. I think too many of us tend to forget that from time to time. I mean, just...wow.

Sanitized Tapeworms ????

I absolutely love this, thanks so much for posting it!

I recently watched the Killing Us Softly doculecture, about sexuality and stereotypes in advertising and it was so eye opening.

Never thought to look for weight loss ones, though!

I don't know what's worse: the sanitized tapeworms or the free-for-chubbies catalogue. Funny how some of them resemble current quackary, too! Thanks for posting this. Very fun!

I love these and thank you for posting them!

The one that slays me is the one with the gal who lost 40 pounds. In the fine text there's something about "Obesity...is not only dangerous but extremely annoying to people of refined taste." Hah, really!? Am I going to make some socialite faint dead away from looking at my fat ***? If so, then I might have some fun with this before I skinny up.

And don't you love how they made the redhead in the "AYDS" candy ad look like such a hiddy ol' schlub? NO one looks attractive when lit from below. I can't fault her for her hairstyle or her uggo shirt, though; the 70s were a vile decade for fashion.

Notice how many of the ads also talk about confidentiality, plainly wrapped packages, order by mail. It's always been a subject of shame and embarrassment, hasn't it? That makes me a bit sad.

At least we've gotten less naive. I don't think many people would fall for "Lose weight with our cigarettes/candy/sugar/soap/sanitized tapeworms!" any more, and some of those would actually be illegal to advertise that way.

I'll take the ice cream cones after lunch and then "wash away the fat" later, please!

Those are great! I love the perspiration-garments to target fat loss... and the sugar ad (endorsed by the sugar company, of course) trying to promote under-eating through sugar consumption.

Love these...thanks for posting!

Thank you for posting this! My mind is reeling over the tapeworms. Ick!!

This made me think of that one I Love Lucy episode, where Lucy sits in that weird sauna thing (only her head was sticking out) to lose weight, lol!

Awesome.

These are totally AWESOME!!! Thank you so, so much for posting them all in one place for us to see. My mom always had those Ayds around when I was a kid, my sis and I used to sneak them! hahahaha Man, I'm old!

Thanks again, Ophelia!

"Obesity...is not only dangerous but extremely annoying to people of refined taste." Hah, really!? Am I going to make some socialite faint dead away from looking at my fat ***? If so, then I might have some fun with this before I skinny up. "


I have a mental picture that just won't quit!

And here I thought the use of tapeworms for weight loss was only an urban legend. Fascinating to see factual evidence that people really did this.

Looking at the clothing line for "chubbies" has also unearthed a memory from my very early childhood, in the "Madmen" years. My small Upstate city had a boutique clothing store called Catherine's Stout Shoppe. How very quaint that now sounds. The store is still there but at some point they lost the "Stout Shoppe" part.

I also remember the term "half sizes" as a euphemism for "plus size."

ETA: I just Googled "Catherine's Stout Shop" & got an interesting article on the Web about plus-size women's clothing stores: http://www.answers.com/topic/catheri...es-corporation