“She’s a Killer”: Aerosols, Insecticides, and the Postwar American Home

This paper explores the rise of aerosol spray cans as blockbuster products by tracing their transition from military to civilian spaces. Aerosol cans first received public attention for their remarkable efficacy in conveying antimalarials and DDT for American troops during WWII. In the postwar years, they would grow into a stunningly popular packaging technology for a whole host of consumer products, from paint to suntan oil to food. Through the 1970s, industry insiders were still marveling at the profitability of this consumer craze.

Through one product category, insecticides, I examine how aerosol technology transformed not only the kinds of things we buy, but the very sensory experience of using them on our bodies and environments. Aerosol insecticides were advertised as a highly controlled spray that was strong enough to kill insects instantly, while still being safe enough for humans and household pets. I argue that this dream of the perfect blast that was both fatal and safe, that would eradicate the unwanted “lower animals” on us and around us while sparing “our” health—promised a new configuration of the American home as a space eradicated of unsavory and difficult interactions with pests. The once-noxious and cumbersome “kill” had become quick, effortless, and even pleasurable. These insecticides can be further analyzed as part of the broader history of personal care in the 20th century United States. The concept of “personal care” complicated neat boundaries between medicine and grooming; body and adornment; necessity and luxury. In promoting healthful and pleasurable spaces, aerosol insecticides further blurred the seemingly apparent boundaries between the self and the environment, and between the “serious” pursuit of health and the “frivolous” indulgence in consumption.