This weird TV spot for Fantastik lipstick from 1964 is a masterclass in how to reinforce the notion that women should be just pretty things for men to gawk at.
In the commercial, we see a man and a woman sitting in an elegant restaurant. The man ignores his date to ogle a woman across the room as she seductively applies lipstick. The woman, in turn, stares back at the man, licking her lips in a suggestive manner, emphasizing her role as a sexual object. The man's dinner date, feeling ignored, also applies lipstick in a seductive manner to distract him from the other woman, fulfilling her womanly duty to compete for male attention.
The voiceover promotes the lipstick's unique features: creamy, longer, stronger, and long-lasting.
What could it mean?
