Husbands Being Jerks In Coffee Commercials: The Sexist Supercut (VIDEO)

And to think that "Mad Men" led us to believe that marriages fell apart in the '60s only due to cheating and lying. According to these commercials, it was just the coffee.

A Reddit user posted this amazing supercut of vintage coffee commercials that depict husbands being big jerks to their wives if her coffee is not to his liking. "How could such a pretty wife make such bad coffee?" grumbles one terrible husband.

Pretty amazing to see how far advertising has come since then. Of course, we're sure that some intrepid editor in 2060 will compile today's commercials and they'll look just as bad as these sexist artifacts.

WATCH:

Comments

[Waveskiboy]

07:05 AM on 09/06/2011

Try Ersatz Brother's Coffee, it's the best.....

[Leper]

06:33 PM on 09/05/2011

Aside from the sexism, these ads aren't any different than the Miller Lite adverts.

[jf12]

08:29 PM on 09/05/2011

Sometimes the excuse I make to myself for kissing scenes is "It's ok, they're married." Somehow, that doesn't work for excusing shabby treatment of each other.

[Scott Mercer]

05:56 PM on 09/05/2011

Marry a barista next time, jerkwater...

[ILoveTheUSofA]

01:25 PM on 09/05/2011

Well come on, at least the one guy has a point - why would she serve him something if she knew it would kill the petunias?

[sydneymoon]

06:16 PM on 09/05/2011

Well......

[ZenCrusader]

08:48 AM on 09/05/2011

Now that we know what good coffee is and how to prepare it, I think the over-perculated Hills Brothers coffee was probably horrible - but no way was it better at the office.

[Linda Wheeler Weigel]

05:05 PM on 09/04/2011

Wow, they were all kind of cute except for the guy who was sticking his finger in his wife's face, I don't like that!

[cheryl tobin]

02:50 PM on 09/04/2011

Yikes, I remember when women really did feel. responsible for pleasing their husbands with coffee.

[Monzeus]

11:22 AM on 09/04/2011

I can barely type I'm laughing so hard!

"Then you admit it, your coffee IS murder!"

[Bellanova]

10:54 AM on 09/04/2011

"How could such a pretty wife make such bad coffee?"

Hilarious. Well, shoulda gone for the ugly one.

Unfortunately, men are still portrayed as jerks on TV, especially in commercials and sitcoms -- as bumbling, incompetent fools who wouldn't survive without their wives' constant monitoring and interventions; and marriages -- and relationships in general -- are usually shown as a battle zone with both parties hating each other and each determined to "win" the war, no matter the cost.

It seems people who write this fare have a very jaded view of male-female relationships.

[jf12]

05:21 PM on 09/04/2011

I have a very jaundiced view, still hopeful but sick feeling.

[Bellanova]

05:31 PM on 09/04/2011

Nooo... I'm shocked, shocked to learn it.

[Bellanova]

10:47 PM on 09/04/2011

Jaundiced vs. jaded -- drats. I knew I should have consulted a thesaurus.

You're right, of course (of course! :) about the meaning of jaded, and hot beverages (tea included, in my case) tasting better in white cups, for some reason, as well as your impromptu discourse on diminishing (or was it increasing?) jadedness.

But for purposes of making our lives bearable, especially in relationships, there may not be that much of a difference between being jaded and jaundiced, and perhaps both states need to be somewhat (= strongly) guarded against.

I had no idea (of course) that white jade existed! Thank you, as usual, for continuing my education. :)

[Loki Laufeyson]

05:47 PM on 09/04/2011

Hi, Bellanova. I think in all fairness, neither sex comes off particularly well in advertisements.

At the other extreme, a local hair salon just put out a large poster of an elegantly dressed, fully made up woman sitting on a very nice couch, her partner standing behind her. She has a huge black eye. The caption: Look good in all you do. In another ad in the campaign, a stylish-looking young woman sits on a dirty mattress, smoking a cigarette in what appears to be an alley strewn with garbage, a broken bottle and what appears to be condoms.
The woman is wearing high heels, tights and a black bra with an unbuttoned vest.

The salon was unapologetic, saying that the ads were designed to strike a chord with people and they accomplished that. However, they are now going to contribute some of their profits to a women's shelter - pure coincidence apparently, nothing to do with the uproar.

I weep for humanity.

[Bellanova]

10:58 PM on 09/04/2011

Hi, Loki. All too true. Commercials exaggerate the stereotypical and often the lowest aspects of our behavior, and when that happens, both women and men come across as caricatures of themselves, or of what society perceives them to be.

The ads you describe are just indefensible. There is an HP story featuring equally questionable photos:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/02/heather-morris-photo-shoot_n_946721.html?ir=Entertainment

"A bruised-up Barbie" is hip, apparently.

[tek kwene]

10:40 AM on 09/04/2011

I know a few women who, if their husband would have talk to them like that even back then, they would have just smiled and made him a new cup -- and added some extra flavoring to it.

[cheryl tobin]

03:00 PM on 09/04/2011

I guess you could call arsenic some extra flavoring.

[Ossit]

02:25 PM on 09/05/2011

Gives new meaning to the term arsenic and old lace.

[PeeWeesHerman]

11:28 PM on 09/03/2011

Imagine the nerve of these "jerks"...working 50-60 hours a week supporting the family and wanting a drinkable cup of coffee from their non-working wives...the audacity!

[PC Contrarian]

12:04 AM on 09/04/2011

Weren't men such jerks back then!

Today we don't demand good coffee from our wives;
we don't demand anything, and look how much more women respect us today compared to then,

[abhorson]

12:30 PM on 09/04/2011

God I'm worse today than these guys 60 years ago... but, she does make great coffee (finally !!)

[jf12]

05:16 PM on 09/04/2011

And I know you know it, but it's worth saying to those who don't, there is a negative correlation, notably remarked since time immemorial. In general, the trend is that the more men try to please their wives, the less respect their wives have for them. It is sad.

[Freedom Rush]

03:06 AM on 09/04/2011

you are so dang funny. if peeps don't know humor when they read it, then you-know-what them. now go on and tell me how serious your comments are...go on Mr. Mad Man. let it flow. i got the popcorn aaaaallll ready. LOL

[PeeWeesHerman]

09:28 PM on 09/03/2011

there was a commercial made in the 50s...it only ran once because it was considered controversial,but it showed an obvious crime scene and panned up to a mans dangling legs...the cop opened up the suicide note in front of the wife and read.." it was because of your coffee"

[signgrrl]

06:47 PM on 09/04/2011

must have been a Lutheran . . . .

[Ossit]

02:31 PM on 09/05/2011

Now that's what I call population control!

[Ossit]

07:35 PM on 09/03/2011

I said: I had one guy demand I get him his beer. I asked him what was wrong with his legs. He waited two hours and finally realized if he didn't get his own beer, he'd die of thirst. His dirty look made me chuckle.

signgirl asked how long did that relationship last

It lasted six months. The guy started thinking he owned me, got possessive, I dumped him, he threatened my life, had his friends harass me by phone, Police refused to do anything "until something happened" he decided to come over but never made it past the apartment bulding's inner door after I pointed a loaded .38 at him and told him he better leave me alone. That was about 24 years ago about the time I met a guy I still have an on/off relationship with. It's on when he's civil, it's off when he's a jerk.

[signgrrl]

09:54 AM on 09/04/2011

you deserve(d) better guys.

[PeeWeesHerman]

03:01 PM on 09/05/2011

people usually get exactly what they deserve....

[sydneymoon]

06:36 PM on 09/03/2011

So did the 'Mad Men' write these tv ads?

[signgrrl]

09:54 AM on 09/04/2011

i would be surprised if they didn't

[Ossit]

02:34 PM on 09/05/2011

With their special Hot Pink Crayola crayon.

[PeeWeesHerman]

05:48 PM on 09/03/2011

This was when men were MEN....the natural order of life has been corrupted.....nowadays most men watch Dancing with the Stars and sip appletinis....not me....I still open doors for broads and I expect certain things in return.....

[signgrrl]

06:10 PM on 09/03/2011

i'm sure you do.

[Ossit]

06:46 PM on 09/03/2011

Broads? You're still calling us broads? If opening doors is all you do, well you must have some desperate "broads" willing to accomodate, because they certainly wouldn't get much respect. What do you say as you're opening the door, "After you "broad"?

[Bellanova]

10:58 AM on 09/04/2011

"After you "broad"

LMAO!

Irresistible, isn't he? Those are the magic words that make them all melt right into his arms.

[ILoveTheUSofA]

01:41 PM on 09/05/2011

Well they still call it "Broadway," don't they? And isn't there a "Broad Street" in almost every town? If it's such an impolite word, why haven't they ever changed the names? Why don't they make them "Ladyway" and "Lady Street?" I guess maybe it's not so impolite, after all.