These competitors and ads used marketing tactics that not only helped sell the product but also reinforced societal and gender expectations. Advertisements marketed these products not just as hairstyling tools but also as essential for maintaining a woman’s appearance, aligning with ideas of femininity.

Kindness 20

Competitors like the Kindness 20 used similar marketing terms and tactics. The Kindness 20 catalogue advertisement emphasized speed, ease of use, and safety. Using phrases like heating up in “less than 10 minutes” and requiring “no water or lotion.”Making it seem like an efficient solution for achieving salon-quality hair at home. This reinforced the societal idea that women should be able to manage their hair quickly and effortlessly (Eaton’s 1969, 317).



 

The Clairol 2-Minute Hair Setter

The Clairol 2-Minute Hair Setter also focused on speed and ease of use as its selling points. The packaging showed step-by-step instructions, which reinforced the idea that the product was easy to use. Also emphasizing safety by saying that the rollers were “not too hot to the touch.” The packaging shows a voluminous, curled hairstyle, which reinforces the beauty standards of the time (Esty n.d).

Rayette Cinderella Electric Hair-Setter

In addition to these competitors, the Rayette Cinderella Electric Hair-Setter ad shows various hairstyles, and text that suggests how quickly women could change their hairstyle between daily activities, emphasizing speed and ease of use. This ad also emphasises speed and convenience marketing showing how quickly you can change your hairstyle (Retro Adverto 2012).

These marketing strategies focus on selling people the convenience, speed, and ease of use. While reinforcing societal gender roles, positioning women’s appearance as a reflection of their value and suggesting that maintaining beauty required constant effort.