These ads appeared eighty years ago this month in the May 1944 issue of Radio Mirror.Preview to encourage women to do their patriotic duty and get a job.

The ad below, sponsored by Pharma- Craft Corporation, makers of Fresh Underarm Deodorant Cream, advised women that the more of them hit the workforce, the faster the war would be over.  If they didn’t do their part, it could be a month longer or a year longer than it otherwise would be.

The ad at left, published by the makers of Kleenex, gives some more practical advice for the woman who thinks she knows only housework.  It reminds her that if she’s ever cooked or served meals, there were plenty of essential jobs waiting for her in hotels and restaurants.  If she liked shopping, then she would probably be a good salesperson, since it was just like shopping–in reverse.  Similarly, if she knew how to do washing or ironing, there were laundries in need of employees.  Finally, if she was good with books, she could enlist in one of the armed services, freeing up a man to fight.

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