Looking at Mr. Right

The ad above is from 1948 for the Hart Schaffner & Marx men's clothing company. HSM was officially established in 1887 by the Hart brothers and their cousin Joseph Schaffner. They were the first to create an ad campaign for men's clothing. HSM has always been on the forefront of new changes. In 1936 it introduced the zipper in men's pants, and in 1953 it introduced the first Dacron polyester wool suit.

Looking at the ad above, one observes the mounting tension between the three women inside the train looking out the window at the man dressed with the HSM clothes. The brunette smiles nervously, while keeping an eye on the man. She is commenting to her blond friend, who in turn looks at the man with interest. What is so interesting about him for the women? If you observe the man, he stands straight up with confidence, wearing a brown coat. Brown is a color that signifies strength, reliability and security, which are traits women look for in men.

In 1948, many women kept American industry vibrant and alive by working in the factories while the men returned from the aftermath of World War II. During the 1940's the American woman became more independent. Yet, as the ad demonstrates, despite finding this new inner strength, she still looked for these same traits in her man. The ad which was created for men suggests that in order to essentially be a man, you have to wear HSM clothes. Advertising aside, the important factor here is the emphasis on masculine qualities which still seem as prevalent today as they were in 1948. Just yesterday, BBC news reported that according to a survey by The Skipton Building Society, women in the UK resented their male partners or husbands who earned less than they. The earning imbalance created arguments and separations. The women lose respect for the man because they no longer see him as self-confident or reliable enough. It's not that they need to depend on him, but they do need to see his natural traits flourish rather than dampen. The man in the HSM ad clearly has all these characteristics and that's why he is so attractive for the women in the train.