Remember when the cold war propaganda depicted all Russian women as ugly?

[uawchild]

And people actually bought into it... lol

Hey, here's a news article from 2014 showing very ugly mannish Russian women police officers:

"Russian Policewomen to Be Disciplined for Wearing Short Skirts"
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russian-policewomen-to-be-disciplined-for-wearing-short-skirts/502379.html


The ministry imposed a ban against all uniform modifications in response to the growing number of shortened skirts worn by women.

Yeah, yeah, its from the Moscow Times -- but HOLD ON Russia haters -- the Moscow Times is an independent paper! lol Pardon the levity, but this image juxtaposed to the cold war propaganda just has me giddy. lol

"In the aftermath of the Ukrainian crisis, The Moscow Times was criticized by a number of journalists like Izvestia columnist Israel Shamir, who in December 2014 called it a "militant anti-Putin paper, a digest of the Western press with extreme bias in covering events in Russia".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moscow_Times

OK, serious comment added... Thought Question: What propaganda, well, lets call it spin, do you think we are being fed today that is just as false?

[maxsolomon]

1. I don't remember that propaganda

I remember The Spy Who Loved Me, From Russia With Love, and I guess the Wendy's "Communist Swimwear" commercial.

[uawchild]

5. Here ya go, TV Tropes even covers it...

Repulsive Russian
A stereotypical image depicting women from Eastern Europe (Slavic/Russian/Belarussian,...) as ugly.

Eastern Europe is subject to a lot of generalizations in foreign eyes. Basically everyone from Slavic, Eastern European, Belarussian or Russian countries are pigeonhold as the same people. When they are young and attractive they are Sensual Slavs. They may be an Ice Queen who is emotionally reserved and needs to thawed in order to show her beauty and happiness underneath the stern facade, but generally this stereotype shows them as sympathetic exotic erotic beauties with a heart of gold. Far worse is the opposite stereotype, depicting them as ugly, even with two variations:

As with most stereotypes about people it's difficult to find out where these images came from, though the Wicked Witch from Slavic Mythology Baba Yaga is an example from within the culture itself, down to her headscarf. What is certain for a fact is that the ugly Eastern European woman stereotype became more prevalent after The Russian Revolution came in effect. Soviet propaganda always showed a lot of muscle strong women working in the fields alongside the men as their comrade-in-arms. As fashion was considered bourgeois in Soviet Society the industry in this field was fairly limited, resulting in domination of purely functional, often very ugly and shabby clothes designs. This also fit propaganda purposes, as it showed that everybody was equal. In the West, where the Red Scare was strong, these strong Russian women were seen as a threat or something laughably repulsive. Most Western women were still expected to be housewives and even those who did work for a living were not particularly encouraged when doing so. Apart from that the muscular Russian women looked like bitchy manwives in most Western males eyes. Western Red Scare propaganda also did a lot to hammer this image in people's minds and became more and more prevalent at the height of Cold War. Especially in the USA TV sitcoms, films and stand-up comedians liked to crack jokes about hideous Russian women.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/discussion.php?id=4kub4718j5o7fk6wm6c3lj5g

[Romulox]

2. A classic commercial from my youth:

[backscatter712]

45. I had just thought of that commercial.

"Is next, Svimvear!"

[hifiguy]

3. Yep.

They never mentioned the Valentina Lisitsas that were behind the Iron Curtain:



She can play the piano a little bit, too:

[Throd]

4. No. I don't remember that.

Keep tryin'.

[uawchild]

9. reposted with edits just because you are a doubter..

Repulsive Russian
A stereotypical image depicting women from Eastern Europe (Slavic/Russian/Belarussian,...) as ugly.

Eastern Europe is subject to a lot of generalizations in foreign eyes. Basically everyone from Slavic, Eastern European, Belarussian or Russian countries are pigeonhold as the same people.
...
This also fit propaganda purposes, as it showed that everybody was equal. In the West, where the Red Scare was strong, these strong Russian women were seen as a threat or something laughably repulsive. Most Western women were still expected to be housewives and even those who did work for a living were not particularly encouraged when doing so. Apart from that the muscular Russian women looked like bitchy manwives in most Western males eyes. Western Red Scare propaganda also did a lot to hammer this image in people's minds and became more and more prevalent at the height of Cold War. Especially in the USA TV sitcoms, films and stand-up comedians liked to crack jokes about hideous Russian women.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/discussion.php?id=4kub4718j5o7fk6wm6c3lj5g

[madokie]

6. Sure the propaganda is

and yes the Russian women are awesome

Just think the world we could have if not for a few assholes. I think if a few thousand world wide were taken out we'd all not miss them but our world would definitely turn for the much better

I'm sick of assholes

[AngryAmish]

7. East German Katerina Witt was uniformly described as repulsive

[hifiguy]

10. Well, Katarina was sometimes referred to

as an exception, even by the figure skating commentators. And she is German, after all.

Though in the '88 Olympics I recall Peggy Fleming - a stunning beauty herself - comment re La Witt "My God, just look at her - she'd have more endorsements than you could count if she lived in the West."

I was a hopeless Katarina fanboy.

[AngryAmish]

13. Cash money

[hifiguy]

16. She is a rich woman these days.

Worth $9 million according to http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-athletes/olympians/katarina-witt-net-worth/

And I am sure Hef forked over a dumptruck full of cash to her for that pictorial.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

21. Channeling Jerry Seinfeld-

'she's got man hands'
If you've seen the episode you might find this funny........

[doc03]

8. I remember those days when all Russian women wore babushkas and

looked like Ernest Borgnine in drag. Then Anna Kornakova showed up when the cold war ended. They must have criminals turning themselves in over there.

[hifiguy]

11. Yep. She totally nuked the stereotype once and for all.

I wonder why that happened?

[FuzzyRabbit]

32. I remember also during the 1950s and 60s.

Occasionally there would be a photo in the newspaper or Time or Newsweek of Russian women sweeping city streets with straw brooms. They always did indeed look like Ernest Borgnine in drag.

Now I realize it was cold war propaganda; purposely chosen photos to make Russia look bad. The popular press was not telling the truth. Imagine that!

Thank God those days of government inspired propaganda are gone. These days the press would never lie in order to encourage us to go to war.

[Chitown Kev]

35. Not always...

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1518&bih=677&q=russian+women+1950%27s&oq=russian+women+1950%27s&gs_l=img.3...2020.12869.0.13239.22.18.1.3.0.0.327.2760.0j1j9j1.11.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..12.10.2186.qOdPivKc0lo

But a lot...

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

12. Anyone know of the "Russian Invasion?"

https://www.google.com/search?q=top+womens+russian+tennis+players&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS642US642&hl=en-US&prmd=isvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAWoVChMIypDonpWMyQIVQyweCh2S3A7h#imgrc=_

[Tipperary]

14. Google female Russian tennis players.

These are some gorgeous women.

[tritsofme]

15. Strange angle to push your Putin apologia.

I don't remember this at all, in fact I always remember Russian women depicted as very sexy if not overly sexualized in Western popular culture....much like the picture from the OP.

Now...plenty of untoward fun may have been had at the expense of East Germans...but like I said strange angle for you to push your pro-Putin propaganda.

[beevul]

17. They can handcuff me any time!

Yowza!

[Skittles]

18. no, I do not remember that

this is sexist bullshit

[FLPanhandle]

19. I grew up in the 60's and 70's

I don't remember this at all.

[egduj]

20. Absolutely, I remember that.

And I admit I believed it.

[Chitown Kev]

22. I remember that as the stereotype

Raisa Gorbachev actually was the beginning of that stereotype changing a bit...prior to that, he wives of Soviet Premiers were...well, you know.

[moondust]

23. Not really.

Stout, sturdy utilitarians maybe but I don't remember ugly. I doubt the government store sold stylish dresses and makeup like that.

[Chitown Kev]

25. The main reason for the stereotype

was the number of men lost in WWII in the Eastern bloc and especially in Russia.

It started to change even a little before Mrs. Gorbachev, in fact, I might trace back the beginning of the change to Olga Korbut and Nadia Comenici (and that, in turn, became a bit of a stereotype).

[geek tragedy]

24. I remember this ad

https://m.

[NanceGreggs]

27. Honest to God ...

The first thing I thought of when I saw the title of this OP earlier today was "Next - Svimvear!"

I couldn't, however, remember what the product was in the commercial - so much for TV marketing strategy.

[geek tragedy]

29. I thought it was Nike. nt

[NanceGreggs]

30. Ah, GOOD guess!!!

I just couldn't think of what the product was at all!

And if there was a multiple choice on what it was, and one of those choices was Wendy's, my immediate reaction would have been, "No, no, definitely not."

[ornotna]

26. One look at Ludmilla Tourischeva

in the 72 Olympics quickly dispelled that nonsense for me.

[Aristus]

28. When I worked at the homeless clinic, my assistant was a young Russian girl.

Girl; okay, she was 22 or so. I'm 47, so she was pretty much a child to me.

Anyway, she was a perfect, exquisite little doll-like woman with a thousand-watt smile. She could turn any stereotype on its head. As could her husband, a handsome young Russian lad. The stereotype in his case is the legendary, rock-hard, tough, stoic macho Russian man.

I mean, he was a neat kid, but he was the biggest hypochondriac you ever saw. He got a little cold once, so my assistant brought him in to get looked over. He was convinced he was going to die! It was hilarious!

I'm working at our mainstream clinic now, and one of the assistants upstairs is Russian. She's a little closer to my age, so I don't mind saying she is monstrously hot! She could give the Russian cops above a run for their money. And that sexy Russian accent!...

[Recursion]

31. I remember the opposite: hypersexualized honeypots

Think all of those Bond movies.

[Chitown Kev]

34. Well...the right answer is "both"

[Fumesucker]

33. Not quite true, the beautiful Russian women were all evil spies

[theboss]

36. Elton John had that video about the hot Russian broad with a dude's name

That was weird.

Also, Vanessa Angel was a hot Russian chick in Spies Like Us.

So....there was that.

[NuclearDem]

37. ...

"Western media is all lying propaganda because look, boobies!"

[Hekate]

40. Yeah, I know. Look at the spike heels -- somevun is havink little joke.

[Fumesucker]

38. The reality, even in Soviet uniforms there were plenty of attractive Russian women

This is a group of bomber pilots know as the Nachthexen or Night Witches, for their nocturnal bombing raids against German troops.

[uawchild]

43. yeah, people are people world wide. n/t

[Hekate]

39. Let's deconstruct that photo, starting with the spike heels....

Those are unwalkable, for any woman who needs to be on her feet all day. You know, like walking a beat.

Okay for desk work -- or standing on a street corner waiting to be noticed.

The skirts. What uniformed cop wears miniskirts? Or any kind of skirt at all in this day and age?

Pull the other one, comrade, it's got bells on.

[treestar]

41. Cops in high heels?

And it's all sexist BS, any grouping will have women of all ranges, and it's funny they are being judged on their looks but not the men.

[davidn3600]

46. They do it in North Korea

[Javaman]

42. cold war propaganda:...

soviet women were steroid using hairy muscle bound swimmers.

post cold war propaganda:

hot young models

[davidn3600]

44. I thought the stereotype was that Russian women were all spies and couldnt be trusted

"Honey traps."