'The bad breath of consumer society'

My research focusses on the criticism on advertising in the Netherlands in the years 1955-1979. During this period, the phenomenon of advertising became the subject of an often heated debate, which touched on themes such as the rise of the consumer/consumerism society, the influence of the media, the division of roles between men and women, and environmental pollution. In this research project, I analyse the arguments, positions and interaction of the various parties involved in the debate. The debate about advertising and society is part of the broader debate about the 'modernization' of the Netherlands. The approach chosen for this research makes it possible, among other things, to enrich the current historiography of the rise of the modern consumer society in the Netherlands with a new angle.