Virginia Slims Ad

Virginia Slims is a cigarette brand created by Philip Morris in 1968 and marketed solely to women. Its early advertising efforts capitalized on civil rights movements in the 1960s with the tagline "You've Come a Long Way, Baby," which has endured until now. This 1995 advertisement depicts a man wearing an apron and making a meal in the kitchen as a woman hugs him, cigarette in hand; the text says, "Equality comes with no apron strings attached," challenging the conventional responsibilities of domesticated women. These advertisements frequently diverted attention away from the influence that Big Tobacco had over both sexes, putting women against society rather than the tobacco business.

This advertising is significant in design history because it helped shape the "new woman" image in the twentieth century. Through innovative design and targeted messaging, it portrayed smoking Virginia Slims as a symbol of power, independence, and freedom. This method is comparable to current advertising, in which media continues to target specific audiences with messages that frequently represent progressive goals while serving commercial objectives.