Gender Norms In a parallel universe | Eli Rezkallah recreated old sexist advertisements

Our grandpas and grandmas had the fabulous 50s as the starting years in their lives. From The Mickey Mouse Club to Elvis Presley concerts, our grandparents witnessed many memorable fads. Society was monumentally different back then, and so were the cultural norms. Back then, you’d see women in poodle skirts and bobby socks instead of boyfriend jeans and office skirts. In fact, the concept of a working woman was a taboo in the 50th decade of the 20th century. Well, nostalgia doesn’t wither away with ease. The patriarchal notions of the 1950s are still being preserved by some of our elders, and photographer Eli Rezkallah recently came up with the perfect way to rewire their mindsets. Resulting out of a Thanksgiving conversation with his relatives, Eli Rezkallah’s latest reshoot of some ads from the 1940s and the 1950s portrays an interesting perspective ‘In a parallel universe’. The recreated ads reverse the sexist gender roles from the earlier decades and present them from the point of view of a parallel dimension.

In Rezkallah’s revolutionary recreation, old sexist advertisements from famous brand names like Van Heusen, Chase and Sanborn Coffee, Lux Detergent, Schlitz Beer, Hardee’s, Alcoa, and Hoover are presented in a light that favours women empowerment.

We feel that Eli Rezkallah’s stance of medieval patriarchal norms that still exist in our society is a bold one. We root for the 31-year old photographer and hope his work reaches its target audience at scale.

Credits:
Photography and concept by Eli Rezkallah

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Print Advertising, Creative old ads, Eli Rezkallah latest shoot, In a parallel universe