Analysis Of Pears Soap And Fairy Soap

The nineteenth and twentieth centuries, characterized by their gradual disassociation with producerism and the ever-evolving industrialization of America, revolutionized the consumer experience. Identity creation through the acquisition of goods was a commonality among consumers. Furthermore, consumer culture, augmented by mass production, blurred class and community distinctions as goods became more varied, plentiful, and cheap. In lieu of the exoticism associated with traveling salesmen and the restriction of Victorian general shops, department and chain stores were established within towns and cities, offering an unusual yet exhilarating uniformity amongst shoppers. The evolution of pleasure based consumption from necessity-based heightened …show more content…
Pears’ Soap and Fairy Soap advertisements preserved the image of African Americans as an undesirable, dirty, and primitive race in need of white guidance. The caption, “Why doesn’t your mama wash you with fairy soap” undermines any future attempts of black advancement, bolstering myths of an innate inferiority. Moreover, it associates women with domestic chores. Both ads proclaim it incumbent upon the educated white masses to enlighten the lesser blacks to a life of civility, equating soap with a purpose broader than their own cleanliness, but rather, the purity of an entire nation. Pears’ Soap particularly emphasizes this greater purpose of the illusion of white supremacy, denigrating blacks and exalting whites. The jolly depiction of Aunt Jemima perpetuates the stereotype of African Americans as subservient, uneducated, and inherently inferior beings. The dialect she speaks in provides comedic relief at the expense of the black community, simultaneously uniting and uplifting white consumers. Advertising agencies utilized imagery, particularly character personas--despite its often derogatory nature-- to conjure emotions of warmth, nostalgia, and trust among consumers, thus bridging anonymous shopping experiences. The pancakes fall into the open arms of white consumers, thus reaffirming their targeted audience. Peiss contextualizes the racial consciousness amplified within the cosmetics industry. “Such explicit and covert attention to race and ethnicity in a business . . . intensified consciousness about ‘race’ spurred by legal segregation, heightened violence against blacks, and northern migration; and the growing acceptance of scientific racism . . .”. The Great Migration of African Americans from the deep south to the north exacerbated racial tensions, engendering increasingly demeaning propaganda meant to marginalize and further subjugate the black