“If your husband ever finds out you’re not store-testing for fresher coffee…” – Chase & Sanborn Coffee Company
Most of us enjoy a cup of good coffee, but this ad will leave a bitter taste in your mouth. We’re sure coffee freshness is not as grave and serious a matter as domestic abuse. This ad by Chase & Sanborn implies that men can and will punish their wives if they bought flat, stale coffee instead of the fresh one the company packed and sold in sealed, pressurized cans.
This ad reinforces the idea that the husband is the dominant figure in the household who can discipline his wife like he would a misbehaving child—although excessive corporal punishment is now also forbidden. The ad also implies that inflicting injury on the woman you promised to cherish is acceptable whenever she defies your wishes—even if it’s just as trivial as a cup of coffee.
Violence against women remains a problem even in modern society, and this ad publicized how it is normal for a husband to hurt and humiliate his spouse. Perhaps it is because of ads like this that women continue to be the victims of domestic violence even today.