72 Ads From The Past That Would Be Banned Today

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“Is it always illegal to kill a woman?” – Pitney Bowes

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Yes, it is. Just like it’s always illegal to kill a man even when he asks such foolish questions.

Pitney Bowes, the craftsmen of commerce, came up with the easy-to-use postage meters to help reduce complexities in shipping, but this ad with its lengthy text shows a woman’s inability and reluctance to use a simple machine.

The admen could’ve easily just listed down the advantages of using a postage meter. Instead, they needed to create redheaded Ms. Morrisey who resists a modern and efficient machine with all sorts of excuses such as, “I have no mechanical aptitude. Machines mix me up.” This representation of a dumb and stubborn redhead was unnecessary and sexist.

Then it ends the ad with Ms. Morrisey admitting that the postage meter was indeed a very efficient machine, and with tasks done early, she can go to the girls’ room in time to hear all the dirt—again painting a poor picture that women only gossiped in the workplace.