Know Your Place

Materials:  MDO, Vintage RCA Victor TV, Mixed Media, Photo Transfer

Framed Dimensions:  50 1/2” x 40 1/2” x 4”

2020

Advertising from the 1940s to the 1960s pushed a narrow and often harmful ideal, claiming to help women achieve the beauty standards society demanded of them. These messages implied that if a woman failed to attract a man, it was her own fault—a reflection of personal failure rather than societal pressure. But even securing a partner wasn’t enough. Women were told that maintaining a relationship was their responsibility alone, essentially a full-time job centered on keeping a man happy and healthy. Success, according to these ads, meant accepting a subservient role and knowing one's "place" in a male-dominated world.

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