The Role of Food-Related Content in Women's Magazines on Wartime and Postwar America

A large house built with War Bonds fill the page of a General Electric advertisement in a 1943 edition of House and Garden Magazine. Large text in the upper right-hand corner reads, “Look… The Smiths are Buying A New Home!” The general concept of the advertisement is that by purchasing war bonds, you and your family can plan for a remodeled home and save up, all the while simultaneously benefiting the war effort. Flip to a 1942 article by American Cookery, and you will see menus for “wartime weddings” that call for switching sliced chicken for homemade finger sandwiches and large decorative wedding cakes for mints, all the while celebrating the most important day of a woman’s life. Though these advertisements may seem strange, they reflect on one of the most quickly-changing and unique times in American consumerism—1941 through 1945. Quickly transitioning from witnessing the war, to being in the middle of it, Americans were forced to completely alter their lives and motivations to fit the idea of “wartime America”.  Additionally, two years later, as the war was coming to an end, Americans again had to prepare for a changing nation, one that would see the largest booms of consumerism of its time. Although the transition into and out of war might seem like one that most sharply affects that of military spending and foreign policy, I argue that the most change was experienced on the homefront, where cultural and societal shifts reflected devotion towards one’s country and willingness to help fellow man.

In attempting to track the changing emotion of an entire nation and that of those who stayed home, media serves as a rare and authentic look into the interworking of the time.  When specifically drawing from the changes that appeared within America around wartime, food noticeably makes it way to one of the main sources on concern. Whether it be addressing food shortages, planting victory gardens, advertising products new and old, or simply preparing meals for the family, the topic and emphasis on food is invaluable to understanding wartime society. Equally as important, food-related content also worked to shape the postwar society, one that encouraged a better home and a better country.

During the early to mid 1940s, food-related content was most commonly targeted to white middle-class women; those who were deemed economically and socially able to contribute to the homefront effort and beyond. Perhaps as a unifying measure, women’s magazines worked to shape middle-class white female society in multiple ways in order to efficiently progress the nation during war and manipulate the postwar society. Throughout the time period of 1941 to 1945, food-related content in women’s magazines kept consumerism alive during the wartime and post-war periods through differing methods. By both promoting wartime effort, attempting to shape postwar America and yet distracting readers throughout the entire time period, women’s magazines were able to continue to promote the acquisition of goods and services while also mirroring the war-focused culture of the country at the time.

As America entered World War II, women’s magazines began energetically focusing content on the war effort, almost glamorizing life on the homefront. Instead of slowing distribution and being bogged down by the lack of food supplies and materials, many magazines instead shifted the focus to the ideal postwar women, therefore shaping societal culture altogether. Nancy Walker, in her book Shaping Our Mother’s World: America Women’s Magazines,alludes to this transition. She writes, “While preserving food amid shortages and rationing is easier to justify as a contribution to the war effort than is the use of cosmetics, these advertisements share a translation of national defense into domestic terms...The middle-class American woman is portrayed as working for the national interest, even though she is performing traditionally feminine tasks.”[1]By speaking of simple tasks that seemingly amounted to nothing, these magazines were in the midst of a full-scale cultural campaign to change the societal norms and goals. 

A magazine that worked to truly embrace wartime society yet still promote consumerism was House and Garden. Even facing paper shortages of their own and having to produce half of each magazine on low-quality stock paper, House and Gardenfully incorporated wartime into almost every feature and advertisement, many times placing war bond advertisements right on the cover.[2]They also committed entire issues to war efforts. The first of these was the October 1942 edition. The magazine was filled with tips and tricks for the wartime women. Interestingly, many of the articles focused on social gatherings and preparing meals for others. Of course, while the “goal” of these meetings were all specifically to promote some kind of war effort, it still called for the production of food and décor for the social gatherings, which more often than not led to some kind of purchase. Women could do the same work alone at home but creating the idea of a party-like setting gave reason for the purchase of goods. A great example of this is an article found in the October 1942 magazine focused on preparations for a war-work party. This was explained and illustrated as a party for women to make posters to buy war bonds, can food, write letters, and make care packages. Despite the determined focus of the event, the article went into extreme care regarding the décor and snacks for the party, almost placing more emphasis on the preparation than on the activities themselves. By combining the need for help on the homefront and the social order of preparing for guests, House and Gardenwas able to shift the focus of wartime work from duty to fun and promote the need to produce food and good times for others.

Food and drink advertisements of the time also enforced the commercialization of the wartime effort by overemphasizing the rewards of hard work. A 1943 Coca-Cola advertisement depicts two women enjoying a coke after a long day of war-related work. After explaining all that the women had done, the advertisement reads, “then, when a few minutes of relaxation are in order, they drink ice-cold Coca-Cola and enjoy a perfect refreshment while contemplating the results of their work.”[3]The advertisement creates a work and reward correlation in consumers’ minds, that after partaking in wartime activities, one could purchase a treat as a reward, tactfully also encouraging the sale of the creator’s items. Another example of this can be seen in Gourmet Magazine. The advertisement is for Rheingold Extra Dry Lager Beer, and depicts a woman posing for War Bond Posters. The text of the advertisement is though the woman’s point of view and reads, “It’s nice work if you can get it—this posing for War Bond Posters. You’ll get a kick out of helping the good work along. But like all posing, its tiring work. And you’re mighty glad to sit down afterward and relax with a cold, sparkling glass of Rheingold- the dry beer.”[4]Again, the concept of work and reward is used to sell items, seemingly overruling the idea to only purchase what is needed for the sake of America. Both of these advertisements work to sell a product that is not absolutely mandatory, which is especially important during wartime where consumers were asked to only purchase was necessary. They were successful by incorporating the wartime effort and framing their products as a sort of reward for women’s work. Addionally, the again seemingly glamorizing the benefits of helping the war effort from the homefront all the while still promoting the sale of items. 

Content around canning and preserving food was also absolutely imperative in order to both promote wartime work and effort and encourage consumerism. Not only was this regarded as highly-important by the US government at the time, but also socially seen as a woman doing their part to help fight the war. American Cookery, a food-focused women’s magazine addressed canning in their advertisements, as seen from a Hellmann’s Mayonnaise advertisement. Instead of advertising the mayonnaise itself, the focus of the advertisement was on the jars. It explains that the jars that once held the mayonnaise could be used for canning, and even offers preserving seals that could be mailed to consumers.[5]The concept that a company forwent advertising their actual product to promote canning and advertise specifically to those who partook in the activity shows the power of promoting the wartime effort in these magazines. It also represents the strategic advertising mechanism that revolved around canning. Since women were encouraged to cut back and buy only what they felt their family really needed, consumer items faced a potential decrease in sales. By advertising the products use for canning, Hellman’s transformed a simple can of mayonnaise into a multi-faceted product that fit in the wartime America society encouraged. 

Gourmet Magazine artfully discussed canning in early 1942 without directly referring war. In an article describing how to can and preserve summer fruits, the author writes, “Like the frugal squirrel who cannily buries his acorns to save them against a lean season, we can be assured of prime fruit at any time of the year, if we but preserve for the future.”[6]By not directly mentioning war, one can understand the simile of a frugal squirrel to the wartime woman, saving food for her family in times where food availability was at times unknown. By indirectly referencing the fear of not providing for one’s family, the magazine was able to promote the canning of food in a creative way. Additionally, by not directly referencing war, the magazine served as a distraction to women while also enforcing wartime culture. The concept of women’s magazines distracting women from the outside world is by no means new. Jeremey Aynsley and Francesca Berry allude to this in their research entitled, “Publishing the Modern Home”,arguing that women’s magazines greatest role was that of distraction. They wrote, “even more fundamentally than this, magazines made the home visible in text and in image on a national and international scale previously not possible and as such, the home was made to function as an object of mass distraction and mass consumption.”[7]By promoting high levels of attention towards one’s home, the acts around promoting the homefront effort were a distraction that prayed on women’s consumerism. By framing advertisements like those about canning and other wartime efforts in a way that does not even mention why canning is needing, it distracted women from the point of their work and simultaneously made women feel more comfortable and less anxious about war, which arguably could have led to more women wanting to purchase the magazine itself.

Another interesting topic that arguably distracted readers from the wartime era was coverage of weddings and brides. The entire concept of wartime marriages is inconsistent with what societal values were held at the time. The idea was to spend only what was necessary and fare the war until it was over, and consumerism could go back to a normal level. One could argue that marriage could wait until after the war, forgoing large parties and fancy foods. However, this was not the case. Marriage was seen as both an act of excitement and distraction, and a sense of keeping things “normal” in the midst of war. Magazines covered weddings heavily during this time. However, they opted for a new framing strategy of the event; war time weddings. Wartime weddings and the coverage of them depict an accurate example of both the force of distraction in the homefront and the use of consumerism at a time when it was discouraged. As mentioned previously, a prime example of articles depicting wartime weddings can be found within a 1942 edition of American Cookery. An article illustrates a number of “Wartime Wedding Menus”. Basically, the entire spread featured ideas for a seemingly perfect wedding while still following the principles of wartime America. One must ask, why is this needed? In a time where the media and government were telling women to cut down on all extravagant items, only buy the bare necessities, and spend time helping the war effort, wedding planning does not seem to fit that model. It seems more likely that businesses realized that in a time of decreased consumerism, weddings could still act as a source of economic power, so they took advantage of that avenue. 

Delving back into the culture of wartime America, Victory Gardens were likely the largest symbol of the promotion of wartime culture and effort. Virtually all women’s magazines produced content revolving around victory gardens, whether it was directly or indirectly. That said, House and Gardendefinitely led the way on content, “covering the victory garden from every conceivable angle.”[8]Looking back time in time to before World War II, House and Garden Magazinefeatured a two-page spread in each magazine, full of advertisements selling seeds. In 1940, the seeds listed produced flowers and plants, depicting scenes of beautiful, simple landscapes to enjoy in one’s backyard.[9]Virtually none of the seeds listed served any purpose other than for visual appeal. However, by 1943, those same pages were instead filled with advertisements for seeds that grew vegetables and fruits.[10]The focus of the monthly feature had shifted entirely to appeal to women working on their own victory gardens and producing food for wartime America. The magazine also constantly wrote about the best plants for victory gardens by month, and constantly included advertisements for fertilizers promising to enhance victory gardens. Advertisements for seeds in 1940 featured items that really served no purpose in wartime America, where the focus was on function instead of aesthetic. As a result, House and Gardenshifted advertisements to something women at the time were wanting and would be more inclined to buy. The shift from plants to food was one that both encouraged the government’s view of the homefront but also encouraged consumerism. In a more indirect approach to promoting victory gardens, a 1942 article in Gourmet Magazineentitled “Vegetables for Victory” discusses multiple ways to prepare and preserve vegetables in victory gardens without ever actually using the term “victory garden” or referring to war. This again implies a universal use of women’s magazines—to distract readers from the outside world. Instead, the article simply refers to food shortages in supermarkets and offers a solution, plant your own.[11]While not even writing about the war and the work needed, the magazine was able to still promote wartime effort and encourage the purchase of items. 

While content regarding wartime activity served a very important purpose, perhaps more interesting is the content aimed at postwar America. While advertisements encouraged consumerism at a time when it was actually discouraged, at the first sight of the war’s end, advertisers became even more inclined to sell their products. This meant the employment of different strategies to remain in line with the perception of war and society at the time. This new wave of advertisements created broader implications of the values that the nation would take after the war was over and worked to create a society that benefited them most.

Walker writes about magazines’, “tendency to look to the past and the future at the same time,” referring to advertisements of products that were not even yet available.[12]Beginning in 1942 in House and Garden, an advertisement for Quiet May Oil Heating Equipment seemingly starts the trend. The advertisement lets readers know that while the factory shut down normal operations for war work, they had full intentions to continue producing products when the war is over.[13]With no plans on when or what they would produce postwar, and no consumer goods actively available, the company continued to advertise to readers in hopes that business after the war would return to normal and maintain relativity, prompting a future boom of consumerism.  Likewise, other companies who also were not able to produce goods would instead send consumers booklets of future products. A 1943 Widdicomb Modern Originals advertisement for Dirilyte Silverware explained that while the company had stopped production to produce war goods, they promised readers their products would be available after the war. The images of the advertisement depicted large, detailed photos of dainty silverware, what they hoped to produce after the war was over. The advertisement went even further to include a card that readers could tear out and send to the company for a booklet of future items to be sent to their house. From there, they could pick out exactly what they wanted and pay for it. The silverware would be sent when production restarted.[14]Even in not having the supplies nor production ability to create their products, the company continued to advertise to the post-war woman, writing that the smartest of post-war homes will have Dirilyte Silverware. This expansion of consumerism without the actual goods available is a truly unique method of advertising and consumerism throughout history, and one that had not been seen before this time. By 1944, this technique had gained popularity, as companies began producing small amounts of their original products. Alvin Sterling produced an advertisement in the August 1944 issue of House and Gardenboth offering limited designs and supplies of their silverware but also, like Dirilyte, offering booklets for readers to order and wait.[15]Advertisements like these targeted the future, appealing to the luxury items that women could have postwar, that they had not been able to obtain for so many years. The advertisements encouraged consumerism and created an ideological future that begged for a consumer boom. 

Going beyond simple kitchen products, magazines incorporated advertisement techniques targeting the postwar society in terms of large-scale appliances and remodeling’s of entire houses. As mentioned previously, a General Electric advertisement in 1943 reads, “Look… The Smiths are Building a New Home” next to a photo with a house covered in war bonds.[16]The idea presented by the text in the advertisement was to plan to remodel one’s entire home, buy the cost of the remodel in war bonds, and cash them in when the war is over to get started. Not only did this serve as a motive for readers to buy war bonds and contribute to the war effort, but also plays off of the enticement of the future—with beautiful new homes and no stress of war. Beyond just advertisements, articles also depicted postwar life and what kitchens of the future would be like. American Cookerypublished an article in 1943 entitled, “Here’s Your Kitchen of Tomorrow” with sketches of modern appliances and futuristic details.[17]From the beginning, the article makes clear that these plans and ideas are for postwar America. It ushered in the concept of postwar America being a new time period, with many changes and new beginnings. This content set the tone for the future of the country and what those in the midst of war on the homefront could look forward to, and prepared families to purchase all that they wanted after war. 

Finally, some articles outright spoke about what the postwar country would look like and how women could influence it. A 1945 House and Gardenarticle called, “Food of Peace” urged readers to continue victory gardens after war, for the sake of ending hunger across the nation and even the world[18]. The article explained that the surplus of food created by victory gardens would help feed the nation after war. This perspective gives the idea that as America finished the war, new societal and moral laws would emerge, giving way for a potentially better world for future generations. Another article from House and Gardendeals with victory gardens and the future of them. Titled, “What’s Next with Victory Gardens”, the author argues that women should continue planting victory gardens, but switch food for plants and flowers. The author targets the idea that planting gardens will create a more beautiful American landscape. The article reads, “there is still town after town, city after city where ugliness prevails, where the cleaning up of unsightly areas and the introduction of green growing things would bring about a much-needed transformation.”[19]The magazine was able to take an activity that they have already covered so much and use to help shape a better postwar world, shaping what future society will value. Of course, these gardens would also require the purchase of tools and seeds to actually create the image depicted in the article. During war, the idea of creating community gardens for the sake of beauty would have been seen as wasteful and going against the fundamental theory of wartime scarcity. However, after the war would a time of free purchasing power, the article implies, where people could finally purchase whatever they wanted. The universal beautification of the county encouraged the consumerism of funding it and actually making it happen. 

Throughout the course of the few years discussed, its apparent that with the major events happening, there would also be major shifts in society as well. When looking to this transitional time, it is both telling and interesting to look to food-related content in women’s magazines to gain better insight on the time itself and a population that has not been constantly focused on. Through promoting wartime effort, shaping postwar America and at the same time distracting and entertaining readers, women’s magazines both shaped and benefitted an impressive faction of the country and promoted consumerism at all costs.

[1]Nancy A. Walker. Shaping Our Mothers World: American Womens Magazines. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2001.

[2]Kathleen Endres  and Therese L. Lueck. Womens Periodicals in the United States: Consumer Magazines. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995.

[3]Coca-Cola Co. Vogue, Jul 01, 1943. 6, https://search-proquest.com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/docview/879224871?accountid=12154(accessed October 12, 2018)

[4]Rheingold Extra Dry Lager Beer. "My Beer Is Rheingold the Dry Beer." Advertisement. Gourmet, April 1943, 1.

[5]Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise. "Thrift Note!" Advertisement. American Cookery, July 1942, 44.

[6]"It's Worth the Effort." Gourmet, June 1942, 9.

[7]Jeremy Aynsley and Francesca Berry. 2005. “Introduction: Publishing the Modern Home: Magazines and the Domestic Interior 1870-1965.” Journal of Design History 18 (1): 1–5. [8]Kathleen  Endres" class="redactor-autoparser-object">http://libezp.lib.lsu.edu/logi... and Therese L. Lueck. Womens Periodicals in the United States: Consumer Magazines. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995.

[9]Azaleamum. "The New Garden Sensation." Advertisement. House and Garden, February 1940, 1.

[10]Burnett Bros. Inc. "Fruits For Victory." Advertisement. House and Garden, January 1943, 71.

[11]"Vegetables for Victory." Gourmet, July 1942, 9.

[12]Nancy Walker. Shaping Our Mothers World: American Womens Magazines. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2001.

[13]Quiet May Heating Equipment. Advertisement. House and Garden, September 1942, 35.

[14]Widdicomb Modern Originals. "Dirilyte." Advertisement. House and Garden, February 1943, 60.

[15]Alvin Sterling. "There Is Something Intimate About Alvin Sterling." Advertisement. House and Garden, August 1944, 65.

[16]General Electric. "Look... The Smiths Are Building a New Home." Advertisement. House and Garden, February 1943, 1-2.

[17]"Here's Your Kitchen Of Tomorrow." American Cookery, September 1943, 32-33.

[18]"Food of Peace." House and Garden, May 1945, 53.

[19]H. W. Hochbaum. "What's Next In Victory Gardens?" House and Garden, January 1945, 36.