Saunojia ja aitouden ihanteita

kiukaat mainoksissa teollisen kulttuuriperinnön tuotteina

Authors

• Laura Puromies

Abstract

Sauna bathers and the ideal authenticity: Sauna stoves in advertisements as a production of industrial heritage

The industrial production of sauna stoves began during post-war reconstruction and the rural depopulation of the 1950s and 1960s. This article examines the changes in the advertising of sauna stoves during the 1950s and 2010s.The central points of this examination are the use of human figures in advertising, and the rhetoric of authenticity. Advertisements are a product of their time and represent the values and attitudes of their own era. In the imagery of advertisements for sauna stoves, the role of women has changed from passive companion to active consumer in the 21st century. At the same time the concept of authenticity has emerged as a key argument in sauna stove advertisements. Tradition and heritage may constrain the advertising of sauna stoves, but they also create the possibility of producing a stunning and valuable mental image.