It is rare to see majorettes and baton twirlers in advertising today; however, it was not uncommon to see them in the 1940s and 50s.
Even during the 1970s, twirlers were featured, particularly in the the Catch That Pepsi Spirit ad campaign, which featured a young baton twirling practicing hard to learn the one-turn. Why do you think companies don’t feature twirlers in ad campaigns anymore? Moreover, what does the presence of majorettes in these particular vintage products ads reveal about twirling? Why do you think cigarette and soda companies featured majorettes and twirlers so prevalently?
Twirling and Academic Research
Unlike other performance sports such as ice-skating and gymnastics, twirling has not been a popular topic for academic researchers. Nevertheless, three papers you might be interested in reading include:
Deconstructing the Winners Circle (Bolds, 2017)
“Sports Maternalism”, to Train and Take Care: Ethnographic Investigation in Baton Twirling Clubs (Ly, 2020)
Give Us a Twirl: Male Baton Twirlers’ Embodied Resistance in a Feminized Terrain (Haltom, 2019)
I’m sure there are other studies about which we are not aware. If you know of any please them our way.
Finally, check out these ads for Chesterfield cigarettes; Benson and Hedges; 7-Up; Royal Crown Cola; Canada Dry Ginger Ale; Beechnut gum and Van Heusen shirts. Which one is your favorite?
Soda Ads Featuring Majorettes, Twirlers
1945 7-Up Ad
A 7-Up ad features a young majorette in red, 1945.
Canada Dry Ginger Ale Ad, 1950s
A Canada Dry Ginger Ale ad features a majorette in white, 1950s
RC Cola, 1950s
An RC (Royal Crown) Cola ad features a majorette in an unlikely pairing of teal blue and lime green.
7-Up, 1951
A 7-Up ad features a drum majorette in blue and wearing a fur Busby hat while marching in her living room, 1951
Cigarette Ads Featuring Baton Twirlers
Benson and Hedges, 1970s
1940 Chesterfield Ad
This Chesterfield Ad featuring a majorette smoking a cigarette while wearing marching gloves is from 1940.
1939 Chesterfield Ad
Another Chesterfield Ad featuring a majorette in red, 1939
1950s Chesterfield Ad
A 1950s Chesterfield Ad featuring a majorettes in hunter green, 1950s
More Ads Featuring Baton Twirlers
Beechnut Gum, 1951
Beechnut Gum ad features a drum majorette in a red shako, 1951
Van Heusen, 1948
A Van Heusen sports shirts ad features a drum majorette in blue and white, 1948.
Kodak, 1967
Kodak ad features majorettes in boots with pom poms and military blue uniforms and shakos, 1967