Side-by-side here is a real advertisement from the 1940s, left, and then a work by Eli Rezkallah, right, where the gender roles are reversed. The idea that women belong in the kitchen may be more than 70 years old, but sexist ads such as these still affect how we see gender roles today – or so photographer Eli Rezkallah believes. Eli Razkallah produced by Plastik Studios 2018
These works are part of 31-year-old Lebanese artist Eli Razkallah's 'In A Parallel Universe' series. The series features eight photographs from the notoriously sexist 'Mad Men' era of adveritsing, juxtaposed with works where the gender roles are reversed. Eli Razkallah produced by Plastik Studios 2018
This ad for Mr Leggs trousers shows a man stamping on the head of a woman who has been turned into a rug. In Rezkallah’s version, a woman grinds her stiletto into the head of a sad-looking man above the words, “It’s nice to have a boy around the house”. Photography Eli Rezkallah, produced by Plastik Studios 2018
“The work that I do doesn’t exist on its own. It only exists next to the original work,” Rezkallah explains of his work. “It’s not reverse sexism. It’s two parallel universes that you can see clearly next to each other … for me, feminism is about equality and I strongly believe in that.” Photography Eli Rezkallah, produced by Plastik Studios 2018
By placing men in the role of housewives, seen as helpless or incompetent even in their own domestic spheres, Rezkallah highlights the overt sexism on show in these ads. Photography Eli Rezkallah, produced by Plastik Studios 2018
‘Why is it shocking for a man and not shocking for a woman to be in that position?’ Rezkallah asks critics of his work who claim it is 'reverse sexism'. Photography Eli Rezkallah, produced by Plastik Studios 2018
Some of the disturbing ads set in the domestic sphere make light of violence against women. Photography Eli Rezkallah, produced by Plastik Studios 2018
