Advertising: Quality Street and This Girl Can

The Quality Street (1956) and This Girl Can (2016) campaigns provide a stark contrast in how media representations of women have evolved over sixty years, shifting from subservience to empowerment.

The 1956 Quality Street advert reflects a post-war consumerist culture where luxuries were becoming accessible following the end of rationing. The advert presents a patriarchal narrative, featuring a centrally framed male "hero" who is in control of the product and the "choice" between two women. Women are depicted through traditional stereotypes, shown with subservient body language and implied to be romantically led by the man to gain access to the "prize" of chocolate. The visual language includes aspirational Regency-era characters, Major Quality and Miss Sweetly, who reinforce historical gender roles through formal uniforms and feminine dress codes.

In contrast, the 2016 This Girl Can campaign, developed by Sport England, seeks to dismantle the "fear of judgement" that prevents women from participating in sport. Unlike the glossy, hand-drawn 1950s imagery, this campaign uses "real" women instead of celebrities to ensure the protagonist feels familiar and relatable. A mid-shot of a woman sweating in unfashionable clothing directly challenges historical notions that breaking a sweat is "un-ladylike". The mantra "Sweating like a pig, feeling like a fox" reclaims derogatory language to portray exercise as a source of confidence.

While Quality Street relies on the "male gaze" and female dependence, This Girl Can promotes independence and agency. The modern campaign uses the all-encompassing term "girl" to foster a sense of social cohesion and a "united front". Both products use media language to target specific demographics—middle-aged adults in the 1950s and inactive women aged 14–40 in 2016—yet their messages regarding female identity are fundamentally opposed