Mette C. sent in this lovely old ad for Broomsticks slacks:
Text:
Ring around Rosie. Or Carol. Or Eleanor, etc. Fun. But you can only play if you wear Broomsticks slacks. Hopsacks, twists, twills, flannels in blends of Acrilan and rayon for permanently pressed good looks. Play styles. Game colors. To help make you a winner. But if you don’t want to play our way–take off our pants and go home.
Um. In general I find ads like this, where you have a single woman (often scantily clad) surrounded by a group of men, creepy. Why is she in her underwear (or maybe a bikini)? At least she doesn’t have a look on her face that could be interpreted as scared or uncomfortable.
Also, notice the idea that women are basically interchangeable–Rosie, Carol, whoever is handy.
Given this situation, I’d really prefer there wasn’t any taking off of pants, regardless of which way they might want to play.
Also: hopsacks? Twists? Until today I’d never heard of those types of pants.
Comments 28
Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist — September 9, 2009
er... maybe she was into gang-bangs?!
Maria — September 9, 2009
i am completely, totally flummoxed as to what this has to do with pants.
Alyssa — September 9, 2009
Is it me, or is anyone else reading this as the game circle around a woman who isn't wearing Broomsticks pants (I'm assuming that would be any woman because they are men's pants?) and take her pants. If not, WTF is the game?
With the two men grabbing her arm, I can't see this in any other way than a rape ad. Sure the girl isn't screaming or struggling (or at least, not struggling that much), but this is a vintage ad. I imagine they couldn't get away with that.
Lu — September 9, 2009
I honestly don't understand what non-creepy interpretation this ad is supposed to have.
Sabriel — September 9, 2009
I saw this up on Jezebel yesterday:
http://jezebel.com/5354850/the-game-is-broomsticks
The jezzie post has a link to another, related advertisement:
http://www.adrants.com/images/dg_girl_down.jpg
rachel — September 9, 2009
Just because she seems to be "happy" doesn't necessarily mean she is...she might think she has a better chance to escape her attackers if she tries to laugh it off and avoid offending them. If she gets all firm and "uppity" in her refusal, well then they might escalate the violence as much as they need to in order to rape her. There seems to be the idea that if a girl isn't poking their eyes out and kicking them in the balls, that she's not afraid and she's not resisting. that isn't always the case. but because rape culture is as pervasive as it is, and no doubt, people were less aware then than they are now, the audience was probably intended to read this ad and assume she is a willing participant. Also a touch of "stupid slut, just look at her standing in front of those boys in her underwear!" wouldn't be an unexpected response.
When I first saw this display text combined with the picture, I thought it implied that the men were going to rape her with brooms. I'm surprised no one has posted it that explicitly already, because if I thought it, then I know I'm not the only one. Even after I read the body text, I wasn't sure that I could explain away that initial reaction by saying, "Oh, Broomsticks is just the name of the pants being advertised." Because there is such a thing as double meanings. Even if the "broomstick" is just a phallic symbol...there are more "broomsticks" present than just the pants.
Village Idiot — September 9, 2009
Thank God for LSD.
MeToo — September 9, 2009
That man's grip on her upper right arm gives me chills. That doesn't say 'playful' to me. In fact, she looks possibly intoxicated.
Mint — September 10, 2009
Apparently there is a party game where everyone stands in a circle and passes a broom around as fast as they can. If anyone drops the broomstick, they're "out." I think that in this case the broom has been replaced by the girl, but I don't know how popular the game ever was.. or if that's what this ad is really trying to reference. And uh..either way, this ad is just creepy-gross.
Bagelsan — September 10, 2009
But if you don’t want to play our way–take off our pants and go home.
I *know* I'm reading too much into this, but it sounds a bit like "if you don't want to rape this girl with the rest of the guys you're out of our 'pants wearing club' you pussy." So there's the appeal to anxious masculinity along with the rape stuff. (I also would be willing to argue that taking off the pants would be quite literally losing your "broomstick" ... a fate worse than death for a man amiright? Castration threats to sell clothes! :p)
thewhatifgirl — September 12, 2009
My completely un-sociological thought: That model is really skinny, just like modern models.
sarah — October 30, 2009
You know, I thought just the same thing.
Discussions about the thin-ness of models these days often emphasize that "back then" the standard of beauty for women was not as thin (as it is now). I do think that the emphasis on extreme, unhealthy slenderness is a new phenomenon.
And yet the model here is pretty darn skinny.
Although maybe it's supposed to be a play on words. You know... usually you play the game with a *broomstick*. But now the broomstick has been replaced by a girl who is "as skinny as a broomstick."
Any thoughts?
Bruit et silence dans les vieilles réclames | Déjà vu — August 21, 2010
[...] est au moins aussi connue sur le Web que la tigresse de Mr Leggs. Elle est reprise bien sûr par Sociological Images et par de nombreux sites féministes. Celle de Harris, elle aussi bien connue, rappelle [...]
Bruit et silence dans les vieilles réclames | Déjà Vu — November 7, 2014
[…] est au moins aussi connue sur le Web que la tigresse de Mr Leggs. Elle est reprise bien sûr par Sociological Images et par de nombreux sites féministes. Celle de Harris, elle aussi bien connue, rappelle […]
Rape Culture | The Rose Project — November 18, 2015
[…] as humans, we are not immune to them. Many advertisements sexualize violence against women (like this one, or this one, or this one), this, perhaps, is even more painful as it associates male sexuality […]
Mark Steingass — August 26, 2021
some chicks dig this...gangbangs...I know of several that have and do like that kind of sex...although iI have never participated or would want to...it's not always victimization
Concerned Student — September 17, 2021
Still don't know why this was shown to us in our IB English class. Not sure I want to know
Anonymous — June 7, 2022
Broomsticks is the brand name of the pants, and the gentlemen are obviously wearing them to look their best as they are all competing for her attention. That is the gist of the ad. You all need to lighten up! It isn’t creepy, just a little risqué. Get over yourselves!
Bee — September 29, 2022
"Broomsticks is the brand name of the pants, and the gentlemen are obviously wearing them to look their best as they are all competing for her attention. That is the gist of the ad. You all need to lighten up! It isn’t creepy, just a little risqué. Get over yourselves!"
Anon, you are so ignorant it's scary. You really think an ad like this, from a time during rampant misogyny, where women were only seen as objects and servants for men....who were told their whole goal in life was to get married, and to be pretty, smell nice, and cook and clean for their "man" who could punish her if she wasn't up to standard....you really think this is an innocent ad? Do you even know what women's lib was about??
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Anonymous — December 14, 2023
"Broomsticks is the brand name of the pants, and the gentlemen are obviously wearing them to look their best as they are all competing for her attention. That is the gist of the ad. You all need to lighten up! It isn’t creepy, just a little risqué. Get over yourselves!"
Anon, you are so ignorant it's scary. You really think an ad like this, from a time during rampant misogyny, where women were only seen as objects and servants for men....who were told their whole goal in life was to get married, and to be pretty, smell nice, and cook and clean for their "man" who could punish her if she wasn't up to standard....you really think this is an innocent ad? Do you even know what women's lib was about??