Shopping for Change: Consumer Activism and the Possibilities of Purchasing Power

Abstract

Printed on p. 147 of the edited volume Shop- ping for Change: Consumer Activism and the Possibilities of Purchasing Power is a reproduc- tion of a 1944 wartime poster. At its center is the stylized portrait of a well-kept, smiling woman. White gloves cover her delicate hands. A thin purse rests under one arm, and three packages—presumably just purchased—balance neatly in the other. She is surrounded by the images of six equally sanguine men—saluting soldiers, a waving businessman, and a farmer and clerk who lift their hats in respect. Across the poster, in large letters, are the words, ‘‘Thank you Mrs. Consumer—Keep it up!’’