“The White Man’s Burden” – Pears’ Soap
Here is the first of many Pears’ Soap ads that would’ve been fine if the goal was simply to promote cleanliness and proper hygiene, but the emphasis on teaching the virtues of cleanliness being “The White Man’s Burden” is incredibly racist. It’s also hard to miss the implication of “lightening” not just the “burden” but also the “color.”
Like a savior, the white man in a pristine white uniform, coming from the “cultured of all nations” and bringing “the ideal toilet soap,” will be “brightening the dark corners of the earth.”
This ad from the early 1900s elevated the white race to superior and almost divine heights while managing to put down all other races of color to a disparagingly low level.