I’m pretty fascinated by Virginia Slims’ advertising campaign of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s: “You’ve come a long way, baby.” I’ve seen enough episodes of Mad Men to realize that any feminist leanings of the ad agencies (or cigarette companies) was probably a farce, but I can get down with their message. Utilizing flappers, suffragettes and independent, Afro-wearing ladies as inspiration is just fine in my book, and if the cigarette in question is “tailored for the feminine hand” — well, yeah, that’s a little weird, but I’ll go with it.

Now the television commercials: that’s another level of amazing. The first is from Japan, the second a relic from 1967. It’s so strange to conceive of a time when cigarette ads were on tv!

“Smoking cigarettes gives me that wonderful liberating feeling that can only be compared with voting and breathing after I let out the corset strings. Am I right, suffragettes? Where are my uber-feminine purse fit Virginnie Slims, anyway?”

All snideness aside, this is a pretty amazing commercial from the days before tobacco was banned from television. Sterling Cooper, I salute you.

Also, I must add: “Tailored for the feminine hand.” Nice.

[Via Bobster855 on Flickr (my new favorite)]