Post-Lolita and pre-Britney, this 1976 ad for Yardley lip gloss combined schoolgirl innocence with cringey sexual innuendo. The sweet Pot O’Gloss, a sheer, tinted lip balm, was rebranded as a “ripe, luscious” tasteable goo that went on with “a flick of a finger.” And in case you missed anything, it was not only “sensual,” it transformed a pigtail-wearing naïf into a knowing “sexpot.” The lip color may have been subtle, but the message was far from it. —Linda Wells
