After comparing advertisements that appeared in Time and Life magazines from the 1950's with that of the present, and analyzing these images of men and women, I have concluded that the men and women in these ads are not just selling products, but also define masculinity and femininity for each time respective period. In the 1950's, men and women played more traditional roles: the man went off to work each day, and woman stayed home to care for the children. Women assumed a subservient role, and the roles of men and women were clearly defined. Over the last fifty years, there has been a dramatic change towards equality of the sexes, and the roles of men and women are vague and not as clearly defined. Men have more responsibilities at home as well as at work, and women are developing careers along with raising children and taking care of the home. The ads in Time and Life magazines depict these changing identities of men and women.
             In the 1950's, men were portrayed as business-like, the financial provider of the family, and the head of the traditional two-parent family. In addition, men were freer to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, and engage in sporting activities then were women. The reason for this might be because men needed some form of relaxation or release from stress from all the hours they worked to provide for their families. For example, in a Life magazine ad for Camel cigarettes, a man has just sat down in his comfortable chair and lights up a cigarette after a long day of work.
             These ads from the 1950's show that during this decade men played the major role outside of the house. In many ads they are presented as the person in the family who worked the long day so that the family had food, shelter, and luxuries. A Pullman Train Company ad shows a picture of a male, who is dressed up in a business suit and waving good-bye to his wife and two kids as he
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