Selling Romance - "Don't Let Them Call You Skinny"

At the turn of every year, when resolutions are made (and not always kept) weight loss is often a common goal. But what about weight gain? This advertisement for "Wate-On" from Charlton's Teen Confessions #30 (October 1964) purports to do just that -- aid in the putting on of weight and give true believers a shapely body.

Vintage diet aid advertisement wate-on tonic

Available in four forms, "Wate-On" promised that it would not only help add shape to trouble spots such as the bustline, arms and hips; it would also help fight fatigue and "nervous tension." According to this food blog, our product in question was concocted of the following ingredients:

  • Hydrogenated Stabilized Soybean Oil
  • Water
  • Sugar
  • Propylene Glycol
  • Polyoxyethylene 20 Sorbitan Monolaurate
  • Sorbitan Monostearate
  • Xanthan Gum

Though today it seems that most people are in search of weight loss and not weight gain, it is obvious that the quest for beauty transcends time!