Post World War II, women became respected in America because of their role during the war. They basically ran the country while the men were out fighting. They worked in manufacturing weapons, cars, ammunition, and everything else. They were respected because before the war, they were looked as fragile and weak, yet, they held the country up. A new opportunity opened up for women in America thanks to the war. The YouTube video called, “Oldsmobile what women want,” illustrates women as a target by manufacturers because now they received the ability to purchase goods for the family. The video, or ad shows what women would like in a new car and advertises the oldsmobile as the best choice for them. In the video, you can see the lady feeling the seat and the little emblem as well as testing out the “fancy” seatbelt.
Another YouTube I looked up to compare to this one is one called, “What Do Women Want In A Car?” This ad is quite different from the old ad because today it seems women want safety more than the fabric on a car. However, this isn’t to say that women don’t desire a good looking car nowadays. There are definately many ads that try to provoke women to buy beautiful cars with shiny colors and a limited edition Gucci leather seats. This video shows a new car with many safety features that supposedly women want today. You can see the safety gadgets such as a sensor to open the door, a button to start a car, a talking onboard navigation system to keep the hands on the steering wheel, an alarm to caution you when you get off track, and many more. I guess women prefer cars that have all this because of the kids and nowadays, there are way too many crazy drivers out there that can run into you at any second.
The characteristics only changed from a physical attraction to a reliability attraction because of technology and what it has to offer to the modern world. Although many of the stuff in a car now are irrelevant and have no use, one thing is similar then and now: people prefer the best car because it makes their car better than the neighbors’. It has always been about purchasing the car that looks and feels the best.
May 12, 2008 at 5:46 pm
I really thought that it was interesting to watch both of the videos that you posted, and your interpretation of them. I would have to agree that cars today are marketed for both their safety features and their beauty.
Personally i think that many middle aged women are more interested in safety than appearance, because many of them have children and significant others to be concerned about too. The reason i think that they didn’t use this approach is because they didn’t have as many features and the technology just wasn’t there.