U.S. War Bond Advertisement - Will you do without an evening gown today for a wedding dress tomorrow?

Many vintage advertisements of the 1900s targeted women by preying on marital security (Andrew Heisel). During World War II, advertisements even linked marriage and war themes together (Andrew Heisel).

To grab one's attention, like the advertisement shown here, the largest-sized text for these type of ads typically featured  a question or statement relating to marital themes rather than the product itself. There would be an image or illustration consisting of one or multiple people. These depictions usually played into an emotional state, whether it be positive or negative. The smaller-sized text, which was longer in content length, would provide informational details regarding a product tied into a narrative linked to marriage.

The example shown here suggests the female reader should purchase war bonds for World War 2 rather than spend money on a new evening gown. According to the ad, a woman's soldier wouldn't see the evening gown “until it's years out of style if America should lose the war.” The idea was the sooner soldiers came home, the sooner and more likely a woman would be able to marry. This advertisement and others like it reinforce the common concept of the time that a woman's need for a husband was supposed to be one of the highest importance.