“Make Your Armpit Smell Like a Charmpit!”: Consumer Culture and Advertisements of
the 1920s
Author: Carissa VanderLey
Grade Level(s): 11th grade US History
Overview/Purpose:
Students will be introduced to how consumerism became important in the 1920s and
students will analyze and interpret historical images and documents.
Learning Objective: Students will compare and contrast differing sets of ideas, values,
personalities, behaviors, and institutions by identifying likenesses and differences by
analyzing historical and current advertisements.
Time Required for Lesson: One day
Resources/References:
Print Sources:
Miller, Nathan. New World Coming: The 1920s and the Making of Modern America.
Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2003. Pages that discuss advertising 151-53 and
automobile 173-74,
See below for links for documents; most of which can be found online & printed out for
students to analyze.
Websites:
Mrs. VanderLey’s wikispace
http://mrsvanderley.wikispaces.com/EDU629
Advertisement Analysis sheet
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/document.html
Suggested Activities and Procedures:
1. Watch the video posted on my wikispace about consumerism (from Gilder
Lehrman video series) app. 2:30 minutes
2. Discuss consumerism; what is consumerism? Why do students think that there
was this change in identifying who a person was? App. 5-8 minutes
3. Compare two advertisements from different eras in groups (one from 1890s and
one from the 1940s). Discuss-for 5 minutes.
4. Continue to look at advertisements of the Ford. How have the advertisements
changed over 100 years? Discuss 5 minutes in pairs.
5. Come back to large group discussion about the advertisements.
6. Assignment-Students will be looking at advertisements that focus on
consumer culture and some of the stereotypes of advertising.
7. See ‘Assignment sheet’.
Teacher Notes and Suggestions:
It is best to have all documents printed out and ready to go for students.
Encourage class discussion with open-end questions and relate to what kids already
know about advertising, how it has changed, and discuss what the role of advertising is
(is it to inform or persuade?).
Student Materials/Instructions:
Lesson Websites:
http://mrsvanderley.wikispaces.com/EDU629
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/multimedia#3416 (need to have a login-so video is
posted on my wikispace)
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adaccess/ Students will use this website to
conduct their search for advertisements.
Extending the Lesson:
To extend this lesson, the students can look at advertisements of today and specifically
advertisements of products that they purchase. The media has changed although,
students can look at their FaceBook page or Twitter accounts to see what kinds of
advertisements come up on their accounts. What are some changes of advertisements
of today? Are there any changes?
Assessment(s): Rubrics are found below.
Content Standards:
SD Content Standards:
9-12.US.1.1. Students are able to explain the cause-effect relationships and legacy that
distinguish significant historical periods from Reconstruction to the present.
National US History Standards:
United States History Era 7:
Standard 3B
The student understands how a modern capitalist economy emerged in the 1920s.
Students will be able to examine the changes in the modern corporation, including labor
policies and the advent of mass advertising and sales techniques.
Miscellaneous Information: I have used a similar lesson plan in the Sociology class that I
teach. It focuses on how advertising agencies, popular culture and the media all prey
upon adolescents. This lesson could be used in an economic or marketing class to
discuss the rise of mass advertising.
While in groups of two (2), look at the advertisements; what are some of the differences of the
two? Look at the use of the images/pictures, the text (bold, coloring, wording). What is this
advertisement appeal? (is it factual, emotional or sexual?)
#1 Advertisement
#2 Advertisement
ADVERTISEMENT #1
Williams’ Shaving Stick Ad C W H. M. Stanley (1890)
http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/beauty-and-hygiene-ads-1890s
ADVERTISEMENT #2
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adaccess_BH0645/
One aspect of the consumer culture was that manufacturers kept introducing more useful and
enticing products for consumers to purchase. At the same time credit became available to
Americans. Take a look how the car changed from a mode of transportation to a symbol of
status and freedom for a person. Look at how the advertisements have changed. Who is the
target audience of these advertisements? What did advertisers use to persuade people to buy
these cars?
1912 Advertisement http://earthsnaturalsolutions.com/100-years-ago-today-1912-ford-caradvertisement/
http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/showroom/1908/companion.jpg
http://www.coloribus.com/adsarchive/prints/ford-fusion-key-skyline-11864205/
Assignment Sheet
Looking at the AdAccess Web Site you will need to look at a variety of advertisements. You will
need to look specifically at the different stereotypes (like gender and racial) that are portrayed
in the various advertisements. Fill out the form below and write a short response (500 words
minimum) on the existence and the persistence of the stereotypes in the advertisements you
have chosen. You should view (and print out to final report) at least three or more different
types of advertisements to get a better scope of the project.
Ad #1
What is the
name of the
company that
made this
product?
What is the
company’s
slogan or motto?
What type of
product and/or
service is being
advertised?
What are the
claims or
promises made
in the
advertisement?
Who is the target
audience of this
advertisement?
What, if any, are
some biases that
can be found in
the
advertisement?
Ad. #2
Ad. #3
Ad. #4
Essay Rubric
Criteria
4
3
2
1
The claim
I make a claim and
explain why it is
controversial.
I make a claim but don't
explain why it is
controversial.
My claim is buried,
confused and/or
unclear.
I don't say what my
argument or claim is.
Reasons in
support of the
claim
I give clear and
accurate reasons in
support of my claim.
I give reasons in support
of my claim but I may
overlook important
reasons.
I give 1 or 2 weak
reasons that don't
support my claim
and/or irrelevant or
confusing reasons.
I do not give
convincing reasons in
support of my claim.
Reasons
against the
claim
I discuss the reasons
against my claim and
explain why it is valid
anyway.
I discuss the reasons
against my claim but
leave some reasons out
and/or don't explain
why the claim still
stands.
I say that there are
reasons against the
claim but I don't
discuss them.
I do not acknowledge
or discuss the reasons
against the claim.
Organization
My writing has a
compelling opening,
an informative middle
and a satisfying
conclusion.
My writing has a
beginning, middle and
end. It marches along
but doesn't dance.
My writing is
organized but
sometimes gets off
topic.
My writing is aimless
and disorganized.
Voice and
tone
It sounds like I care
about my argument. I
show how I think and
feel about it.
My tone is OK but my
paper could have been
written by anyone. I
need to tell more about
how I think and feel.
My writing is bland or
pretentious. There is
either no hint of a real
person in it or it
sounds like I'm a fake.
My writing is too
formal or too informal.
It sounds like I don't
like the topic of the
essay.
Word choice
The words I use are
striking but natural,
varied and vivid.
I make routine word
choices.
The words I use are
often dull or
uninspired or sound
like I am trying too
hard to impress.
I use the same words
over and over and
over and over. Some
words may be
confusing to a reader.
Conventions
I use correct
grammar, spelling,
and punctuation.
I generally use correct
conventions. I have a
couple of errors I should
fix.
I have enough errors
in my essay to distract
a reader.
Numerous errors
make my paper hard
to read.
Rubric from: http://www.old-pz.gse.harvard.edu/Research/RubricsSelfPE.htm