A stressed-out husband turns to his perfect-seeming wife for advice on coping with the pressures of conforming to societal norms in this public information film from the 1950s. But at the end, the question of how she really keeps her cool remains.
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Produced in 1957 by J B Roerig and Company, ‘The Relaxed Wife’ is a short film comprised of brief, comedic episodes using minimalist sets, offset with a narration spoken in rhyme. A classic example of commercial live-action shorts, it was part of a longer production that aimed to promote the benefits of Atarax, a tranquilliser marketed by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.
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‘The Relaxed Wife’ follows the struggle of an uptight, middle-aged husband to reduce his stress through the practice of relaxation exercises. Depicted as content and easy-going, his ‘relaxed’ wife uses her wisdom to comfort and calm him through the process.
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Both characters work to perpetuate the ‘ideal’, heteronormative image of the nuclear family and suburban living promoted in post-war American society. Following World War Two, American society was encouraged to return to what was known as “the American Way of Life”. This concept valued home and family life above all, while reinstating the need for traditional gender roles to be adhered to. The depiction of the husband and wife works to cement these ideas.
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The wife, pristine and well put-together, epitomises the popular image of the 1950s white, middle-class housewife, devoted to the care of her home and family. In the film she is seen fussing over her husband, while calming her children to ensure a peaceful environment in which he can relax.
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Similarly, the husband represents the classic notion of the male ‘breadwinner’ and head of the household, tasked with providing for his family, yet burdened with the strain of it all. The pressures of everyday life are represented by a procession of signs that state “Think”, “Smile”, “Work” and “Plan Ahead”. These suggest the expectations placed on him by society.
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The pressures of everyday life are highlighted as pivotal in leading to stress and “nervous tension”. The toll of everyday living and the existence of anxiety as a response cannot be ignored. When reading to her husband, the wife describes the mind in this context as a “pressure cooker”. As such, it is important to learn how to reduce the pressure through understanding how relaxation exercises work.
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Encouraged by his wife to read a book titled ‘How to Relax’, the husband begins to learn the meaning of “nervous tension”. In one exercise he is asked to imagine a mosquito buzzing around his hand. Echoing his voice, the narration guides him through the feelings associated with this sensation, likening it to stress. It states: “Hear it buzz? Are you set to squash it? Eager to whack it to kingdom come? Is your hand quivering, your teeth clenched?” Then he is told to imagine the mosquito disappears, the buzzing stops, and he can relax. The exercise encourages him to see how practising relaxation works for both the body and mind.
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In the film, the narrator explains that the Greeks referred to this feeling – the mental and physical state of bliss – as ataraxia, the “opposite of anxiety, fatigue and blues”. When these exercises are practised effectively, it is believed that the individual can reach this blissful state.
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But this is not always the case. It is revealed that in the most “stubborn of cases”, where relaxation exercises fail, an “ataraxic” medication is the best solution. Towards the end of the film viewers learn of the tranquilliser Atarax, depicted as a “calming medication” rooted in both philosophy and science. Tranquillisers promised to restore a sense of physical and emotional equilibrium during a turbulent period of history that witnessed great social change, resulting in individual upheaval in the everyday life of its citizens. In extreme cases, where relaxation and stress reduction did not work, pharmaceutical companies promoted the use of tranquillisers as prescription medication.
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At first, the film’s title seems misleading, as the wife is already ‘relaxed’. Instead, she is guiding her husband through the process, suggesting she has experienced similar struggles with nervous tension. Indeed, the film highlights stress as being something that can be experienced by men and women. But for women it comes from the pressures of the domestic sphere and family life, and for men it is from the strain of good behaviour and conformity within the public sphere. And it makes you wonder, is she ‘relaxed’ because of her control through exercises, or has she become dependent on the latest drug? Nevertheless, ‘The Relaxed Wife’ is an example of a broader discourse that supported conformity to the gender roles of mainstream, patriarchal culture.
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Ephemeral films of this era played an important role in exposing anxiety and the diverse responses to it. In this case, ‘The Relaxed Wife’ highlights anxiety as the consequence of societal pressures and expectations of conformity and perfectionism in post-war American society, affecting both sexes. The narrator states, “The call for relaxation can’t succeed without medication.” This suggests a collaborative working relationship, with many pharmaceutical companies using ideas surrounding neuromuscular relaxation as a way of promoting their medication. Once these are effectively used, the individual will reach a state of relaxation.
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The film ends with the husband falling asleep in his bed while his wife continues reading to him, before turning out the light and removing her extravagant robe. Whether the husband’s calmer state is the result of controlling his nervous energy through relaxation exercises or by the use of Atarax is unclear.
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But, as the film comes to an end, the credits encourage viewers who experience problems with “tension” to visit their doctor. Once more we are reminded that this is a public service announcement – one that reveals a darker side of suburban living.
About the author
Deborah Macpherson
Deborah Macpherson has completed a master’s degree in Applied Gender Studies at the University of Strathclyde. Her research interests include gender, feminism and mental health throughout history.