In 1953 Alcoa Aluminum[1] produced an advertisement promoting their HyTop twist-off bottle cap. The advertisement, often erroneously attributed to Del Monte Foods,[2] featured a picture of a woman with the tagline "You mean a woman can open it?"[1] The advertisement has been subject to criticism in later reviews and is viewed as a symbol of casual sexism that was prevalent in the United States during the 1950s.[3]
The advertisement features a woman wearing red lipstick and looking at the reader while holding a Del Monte ketchup bottle with the appearance of being about to open it. The tagline directly below it is, "You mean a woman can open it?" with the word woman underlined. The first sentence of the article it accompanied stated, "Easily—without a knife blade, a bottle opener, or even a husband!"[4]
The advertisement has been described as an example of targeted advertising towards women,[5] is viewed as a symbol of social stereotypes during the 1950s.[6] Scholarly interpretation states that it implies that a woman is dependent upon her husband to do things for her.[4] In one such commentary, the New York Daily News stated that the woman in the advertisement is "clearly stunned and possibly delighted" at being able to open the bottle easily.[2] In addition, the advertisement has been used as a symbol of retro advertising, with a book bearing the same title as the tagline being published in 2000 by Adams Media detailing retro advertisements.[7] The Independent claimed that it enforced the stereotype of a woman as an unintelligent housewife.[8]
