“Visual artist, Eli Rezkallah, created a striking series of photographs called In A Parallel Universe. In the series, Rezkallah explores the absurdity of sexist vintage ads by reversing gender roles.

The new images are created from mid-20th century ads by brands like; Hardee’s, Chase & Sanborn Coffee, and Lux liquid detergent.

Rezkallah told Emma Day of Emirates Woman,

“ Last Thanksgiving, I was visiting my family in New Jersey, and I overheard my uncles talk about how women are better off cooking, taking care of the kitchen, and fulfilling ‘their womanly duties.’”

“Although I know that not all men like my uncles think that way, I was surprised to learn that some still do.”

“I went on to imagine a parallel universe, where roles are inverted, and men are given a taste of their own sexist poison.”

Rezkallah said that even though the original ads were old, he still felt the essence behind them was alive and well in modern times.

How has his family responded to the series?

“My close family and friends are proud and supportive as they share the same values as mine and strongly believe in the message behind the campaign.”

What does he think about these gender norms being turned on their head?

“I hope that people who are stuck in stereotypical gender roles imposed by patriarchal societies would be able to visually see the cracks in the limitation that those roles carry through this project.”

Do you think he’s getting an important message across with his unique images? Sometimes we can’t see how ridiculous something is until we view it through a new lens.