Sexist 1960 Marketing Film: "American Women: Partners in Research"

"It's no use arguing logically with your wife." This film is purportedly about market research in consumer products, but it's really one long, oppressive collection of gender-role stereotypes. It starts with a campy sequence of head shots of housewives expressing their preferences, though for what, we don't know. Then our manly host Chet Huntley appears and over scenes of women shopping and drinking coffee in a kitchen says, "These women are doing research." Chet then tells us all about how companies like Corning are using the opinions of women to design household products, in a tone similar to one an animal behaviorist might use when presenting his paper on the social behavior of some rare species of jungle fauna. He does this while stroking a large phallic-looking rocket nose cone on his desk, and he is careful to specify that all the designers and engineers are MEN. He also mentions that although they are all great designers, all their hard work could come to naught because "women have minds of their own." Then we get to see the step-by-step process Corning uses to design a new coffee percolator. This includes lots of fun scenes of industrial machinery exposing Corningware dishes to various kinds of abuse. The only women employees shown are one woman whose job it is to test the coffee pot to see if it makes coffee that meets the standards of the Coffee Institute, and, of course, the "girls" in the test kitchen. All these women probably got home economics degrees from Iowa State College. In the end, the percolator is put to the ultimate test by being offered for sale in a department store. Husbands are informed that due to the sophisticated mind-control, er, I mean, "market research" techniques by Corning, their wives will demand the coffee pot despite all logic. This film is a must-see for a "ladies night" of MSTing--you hardly know where to start with it. Though no one instance of sexism is particularly jaw-dropping, it has a cumulative effect that just doesn't quit.

Producer: Holland-Wegman Productions
Sponsor: Corning Glass Works

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• 1960
• Sexism
• Sexist
• Advertising
• Ads
• Commercial
• Women
• Consumerism
• Hats
• Coffee klatches
• Marketing research
• License plates
• Coffee percolators
• Appliances
• Corning Glass Co.
• Laboratories
• Testing
• Product testing
• Housewares
• Kitchens
• Shopping
• Gender roles
• Product design

[StarchildMagic]

Sheesh, people are so quick to cry "sexism" without looking at the culture at the time the film was made. This was a big step forward for women at the time. A more positive way to look at this is, "Companies are starting to care what women really think about their products, instead of deciding for them or making assumptions."

[alliezgirl]

I've never seen anyone who can talk so much with such a minimum of mouth movement. He can crank out whole paragraphs without moving his lips at all!! :O)!

[IMSA12]

My father is the stylin' guy against the blinds at 3:45, and what's there on thedesk is close to the final version of the percolator.

I would apologize for my boasting, but who do you know has their work included in the collection at MOMA?

[IMSA12]

My father, Jerry Wright, is the designer of this coffee pot, and all also of the cookware that was being tested, and what appears at the 11:30 mark. The percolator that Corning eventually produced looked much smoother and sleek than what they show in this movie- what is shown here is preproduction. @idoljunky is right and not- thousands were used for years, recall or not.

If you cook on a flat top stove, dad invented that concept too. The Counter That Cooks is his doing. I think it was 1964.

[cunnelatio]

"It's no use arguing logically with your wife."

still holds true today

[SpudMills]

There's nothing sexist about this film or the research they were doing. If you consider that nosecone to be phallic looking, I guess you haven't seen many penises.

BTW, we prefer a percolator to modern drip coffee makers. You can still buy them new from most kitchen appliance manufacturers. Much better flavor and brewing experience.

[liwowoli]

I love the quality control section, from 5:45 to 7:55. The machinery is so clunky and dirty. And that twirling pot-cage section from 7:27 to 7:33 is like something I'd expect to see in an ASPCA video.

[goldiloks82]

@StarchildMagic I couldn't agree with you more. People always say sexist...its NOT sexist at all.

[imajika2]

That guy blinks a lot.

[tomservo56954]

@StarchildMagic You make a valid point, StarChild...but what shaggylocks is saying is even when women are consulted, it still was being treated with a large helping of condescension, as this film does. And at the time, these feelings were considered such a cultural norm, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the co-anchor of the top-rated evening news program expressing them.

[tomservo56954]

@Idoljunky32 Actually, Corning had to take those percolators off the market, because over time the handles would fall off--which can be annoying when filled with hot coffee.

[tzkelley]

@vOddy75 Taken in context, that's not sexist.