Aura detergent advertisement

After the release of George T Miller’s The Man from Snowy River (1982), Australians fell a little in love with an image of themselves as a nation of rugged bush folk. Akubras and Driza-Bones appeared on city streets, and RM Williams boots pounded pavements. 

This 1983 commercial for Aura detergent plays into this infatuation with a cinematic title (Aura’s Australia) over Snowy River-style outback and horse scenes. The archetypal housewife is replaced by Joy Greystone, a quarter-horse trainer who ‘gets her clothes pretty dirty’ (and who bears a passing resemblance to Sigrid Thornton, one of the leads of Snowy River). As a nod to ’80s notions of femininity, her cowherd get-up is glammed up with full-face make-up, soft pastels and a gauzy scarf. The contrast is linked to Aura’s selling points: tough cleansing and a built-in fabric softener.