Magazine Advertising in Life During World War II: Patriotism Through Service, Thrift, and Utility

Magazine Advertising in Life during World War II: Patriotism through Service, Thrift, and Utility is a descriptive analysis that examines how the cultural values of service, thrift, and utility were framed in advertisements in Life magazine from 1942 to 1945.These cultural values were used by advertisers to create citizen consumers who practiced frugal consumption of advertised products and services to demonstrate their patriotism and fulfill their perceived civic duties. Patriotism through service, thrift, and utility was not limited to citizen consumers, but was also used in the advertisements to highlight the contributions of manufacturers to the total war effort. The advertisements were able to support the war and reinforce the American way of life and its consumer culture by framing service, thrift, and utility in relation to patriotism and consumption. Recommended for scholars of media studies, cultural studies, communication, advertising, history, and women’s studies.