SELLING: Betty Grows Up

When General Mills first wanted a face to go with its famed Betty Crocker trademark in 1936, the biggest U.S. flourmaker thought it knew just what kind of woman she should be. The picture by the late Artist Neysa McMein was a dark-haired, bright-eyed young housewife, whose face was framed in a frilly white collar. From 1936 to 1955 General Mills spent an estimated $50 million advertising Betty’s face on cake, cooky and biscuit mixes around the U.S. At times, General Mills experimented with Betty, shifting her hairdo, changing her collar. Last week General Mills announced that Betty Crocker was getting a complete face lifting.

A General Mills survey had showed that 91% of all U.S. women knew Betty Crocker, but that to many she did not look enough like a housewife. She looked like “a career girl,” was “smug and spoiled,” “not motherly.” General Mills hired Artist Hilda Taylor to paint an older Betty Crocker, with a cheerier, slightly lined face, and motherly smile. A second survey showed that housewives found the new Betty “a fine person,” “human, generous, sincere,” “a good mother and a good neighbor.” Said General Mills: “Betty Crocker has grown up to the times.”