Recipe Cards

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This advertisement for Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound starts off by asking the reader if she feels unfulfilled by not having children, if she looks older than she is, and other questions that women may have been able to relate to. It is stated that a variety of physical and mental struggles could be cured with this one compound. Undoubtedly, this would have seemed appealing to countless women. Today, we are more likely to think that a compound that cures backaches as well as depression is simply too good to be true, but at the time, many women would have been grateful to have something that cured all of their struggles. In the 1920s, many women carried the heavy burden of caring for the home, their children, and their husbands, all the while feeling pressured to look attractive and put together. Undeniably, this would have been exhausting. This advertisement tugs at women's heart strings by asking questions about their lives that would have hit home. For instance, having children was considered an important part of being a “fulfilled” woman at the time, so saying that improved health would help them achieve motherhood would have appealed to many women. 

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This section of Health Hints also focuses on the vegetable compound, but there are also reviews sent in from women who have used the product. This supports the so-called reliability of the product, as Pinkham’s company made the decision to use their customers to sell their products. This could be considered a smart business decision because women might put more trust in a product if other women with similar struggles can attest to its powerful healing effects. By sprinkling in these customer reviews throughout the book, the company created a sense of community among the female readers from across North America who would have felt they were finally being seen, heard, and understood. There was definitely comfort in knowing that there were so many women who felt the same way and they wanted to help each other out. Customers even mention in their letters that they wanted their statements to be used to help other women. While providing health advice, the book also helped consumers feel as though they were part of a close knit community of women who were all leaning on each other for support, which was and still is essential to bodily and mental health.

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