The next three cartoons here were from the May 1959 issue of
Adam.
This one is by
Charles Dennis
These next two by
Bob Tupper.
Adam, October 1958
A stripper popping out of a cake is neither a co-ed thing nor was it ever from a phony hollow cake made to fool patrons into thinking it's a real one, but we'd be here all day if we were pointing out the logistics in cartoons.
Peter Hesse
Apparently Lana Turner had six fingers. I did not know that.
Original for
Fun House by
Bill Ward
I hereby initiate
the beefcake challenge.
Those who followed my blog may have noticed a disproportionate male/female ratio, and reasonably so. The answer is because that's the way it was. Especially with humor magazines, funny animal comics, and gag cartoons from the 30s to the 70s. There are some woman creators, and I spotlight them when I come across them. Dorothy McKay, Barbara Shermund, Helen Hokinson, Marie Severin come to mind off the top of my head. This dearth is not something I'm especially proud of, but that's just the way it is with the type of thing I collect.
I still say people are people, but with more to it now-- initially I did not believe a kind of affirmative action was necessary, but over the past couple years have come around to the idea that since half the population has been kept down since the beginning of humanity, it's reasonable to be more strident in order to catch up.
Most of the cartoons I've posted have been of the wish fulfillment/exploitation variety. This is because it is the subject matter of the magazines they are in. While some have shown the male meeting their comeuppance, they are meant for titillation of the male, or within the context of reaffirming the belief of the "golddigger" archetype. I've actually held back in not showing some of the harsher cartoons. I actually have nothing against this kind of thing, I'm only against double standards.
Which brings me to the beefcake challenge. I am looking for gag cartoons that are more than forty years old that show the man in a subservient position in a cartoon solely for the purpose of a female reader's gratification. It must not be an "answer", and must be in a heterosexual publication. I am not saying this as a rhetorical gotcha, I genuinely want to know if such a thing exists. I am not all-knowing. I will post such a thing if is brought to my attention.
