Life — October 25, 1929 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a **Lucky Strike cigarette advertisement** disguised as social commentary. The headline "An Ancient Prejudice Has Been Removed" uses a giant fist labeled "American Intelligence" to symbolically crush chains, suggesting progress toward women's equality. However, the actual message is commercial: Lucky Strike claims their "toasting" process removes harmful acids from tobacco, making cigarettes safe for both men and women to smoke. The advertisement cynically conflates women's liberation with cigarette consumption, implying that smoking represents modern emancipation. The irony—lost on contemporary readers but evident today—is that this marketing deliberately targets women by framing cigarettes as symbols of freedom, while obscuring tobacco's health dangers. It's propaganda dressed as progressive messaging.