At the beginning of the 20th century, advertisements were just beginning to capture the imagination and attention of early consumers. One of the key tactics used during this time period was to transfer the stress and social limitations felt by consumers into the ads they displayed. Advertisers knew that consumers would position themselves within the advertisement and feel as if the advertisement spoke directly to them if it displayed a culturally perceived conception of the “ideal life.” They chose to focus on elements of wealth, style, gender, appearance, and new technological advances in modern life, incorporating these idealized views into their advertisements alongside their products. In this article, I will argue that advertisers have taken full advantage of consumers by preying on their fears and stresses of everyday life when it comes to issues of class, appearance, gender, and the unfamiliar and fast-paced lifestyle of the modern world. twentieth century functioned not only as a way to sustain life. Gone are the days when people worked just to put food on the table and clothes on their families' backs. Now, men worked hard so they could purchase items that showed what they were worth. A spoon was no longer just a spoon. It had to have the allure of elegance and richness, so when your guests sat down for a dinner or Sunday meal they knew that you had truly made it in the world just by the mere appearance of that luxurious spoon. The ads played on consumers' fears that others would think they were "low class" by highlighting their products as indicators of wealth. According to the advertisers, “consumers voted every day on the market for style, beauty, “extravagance” and the episode put... in the middle of the paper... uncertainty about this new lifestyle. The ads served as special confidants, revealing secrets about what defined a person or gently telling someone if they smelled or were cleaning the kitchen incorrectly. Advertising took advantage of people in the early 20th century by continually bringing these insecurities to the forefront of their campaigns. They never really wanted to “cure” these disorders or help with consumers' fears and stress; instead they wanted people to hear them every day so that people needed the product and the advertiser as much as the advertiser needed the consumer. Works Cited Baker, Jody. “Re: Hegemony.” Audio blog commentary. Media and consumer culture 1126. 16 February 2010. Web.Marchand, Roland. Advertising the American Dream: Making Way for Modernity, 1920-1940. Berkeley: University of California, 1986. Print.