1970 Valium Ad: "Women dominate his universe pyschic tension may rule his life"

I thought this 1970 Valium ad was particularly interesting because it is included in the 'women's issues' section of the website, although it is encouraging the dispensing of Valium to men. A quick look at the advertisement, however, highlights clearly why this ad is listed under the 'women's issues' section of the website--and it is because the women in this advertisement are literally causing the man's psychoneurotic symptoms. Like many of the advertisements on the website, this one appears to be directed at doctors and features a 'sociometrically dispersed' depiction of his relationships and illustrates that he is being dominated by women. The women in the ad certainly visually dominate the man -- they are much larger than he is and they form a circle around him that prevents him from socializing with other men. The ad states, "In this individual, domination by women has led to psychic tension."

I think this an interesting example of the kind of relationship Tone mentions between drug companies and therapists. Valium is seen as a potential "partner" to the "psychotherapeutic skills" of the doctor. This advertisement builds on the relationship established between medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies and is interesting because it is targeting a disorder that has already been sold--and trying to sell it in a new way.

Gender ideology has always been an important part of treating diseases of the mind (and the body) -- from dude ranches, to the rest cure, to "mother's little helper," medicine as a discipline has frequently reified existing gender norms. In this example, the overbearing mother is a cause of malaise--a common theme in mid-20th century medicine. Overbearing mothers have been blamed for homosexuality in the past (which I would argue is echoed int his advertisement because the man's wife looks like a drag queen) and for emotional crazymaking. In any event, relationships between men and their mothers run an acute risk of being unhealthy within this discourse. This is visually represented by the fact that the man's mother hovers over all the over figures in the "sociometric" depiction of his social life.