Artist recreates sexist adverts from 1950s - but reverses gender roles

Friday, 19th January 2018, 10:50 am
Updated Friday, 19th January 2018, 10:51 am

These amazing photos show sexist adverts from the 1950s recreated to show the gender roles reversed.

An artist fed up by the antiquated views of his uncles took original adverts from the Mad Men era and gave them a modern twist - with men at the receiving end.

One advert for a beer brand depicts a woman dressed in a black trouser suits and white shirt, telling her weeping husband "Don't worry, you didn't burn the beer."

Another shows a man dressed in a Christmas-themed suit unwrapping a vacuum cleaner with the slogan "Christmas morning he'll be happier with a Hoover."

Another features a man dressed in a white shirt, trousers and apron, gazing out of a kitchen window as his wife carries their toddler, with the message "Men don't leave the kitchen!"

The humorous ads were created by artist Eli Rezkallah, 31, after he was left outraged by the views of his American uncles who praised women's capacity for domestic tasks and "womanly duties."

This prompted Eli, who lives in Beirut, Lebanon, to create his series 'In a Parallel Universe.'

Eli said: "Last Thanksgiving, I was visiting my family in New Jersey and I overheard my uncles talk about how women are better off cooking, taking care of the kitchen, and fulfilling 'their womanly duties'.

"I hope that people who are stuck in stereotypical gender roles imposed by patriarchal societies would be able to visually see the cracks in the limitation that those roles carry through this project.

The photos, a take on the 1940s and 1950s, were intended to question sexism by "showing it through a humorous light to spark a conversation through role play."

Eli added: "Although I know that not all men are like my uncles and think that way, I was surprised to learn that some still do.

"It's also true that those ads were in the 50s and some people perceive them as vintage.

"It felt at that moment that their essence is still present in the folds of today's modern social fabric.

"So I went on to imagine a parallel universe, where roles are inverted and men are given a taste of their own sexist poison."

Eli recreated the adverts, some of which were illustrations, using models but with the clothing, scenery and fonts meticulously reproduced.

The artist said: "I'm extremely happy that the message was very well received online and understood by a vast audience.

"My close family and friends are proud and supportive as they share the same values as mine and strongly believe in the message behind the campaign."

Eli Rezkallah is on Instagram @elirezkallah and his website is