Saturday, April 3, 2010
Remaining Ads with Stereotypical Gender Roles
Jessica Diamond
Cars.com - With Knowledge Comes Confidence
This commercial, at 60 seconds was longer than most of the super bowl commercials, and contained much sexism and assigned stereotypical gender roles. First of all, the entire commercial is narrated by a man. Therefore, less than 50 percent of the dialogue belongs to women. The first 5 seconds shows a woman cooking in the kitchen; this is a gender role. By the tenth second, another gender role is displayed. The father both fixes a bike and offers his guidance in teaching his son how to ride it. The boy then displays his brilliance by helping an attractive young woman at the beach. The director chose to show a woman as vulnerable, rather than a man. Sexism is evident here as the boy helps the weak woman. Note that in this scene, the boy physically looks down at the woman. This may show signs of superiority and strength. The next scene shows the male teenager aiding a tiger. The director could have chosen a less dangerous animal to be in need of help. However, the way the teenager fearlessly helps the tiger shows bravery especially in contrast to the nervous women standing helplessly behind him. Lastly, the man uses his brilliance to protect a group of cheerleaders from a tornado. Again, the women are shown as vulnerable and in desperate need of help. I believe that, although discrete, this commercial contains much sexism.
Late Show: Leno, Oprah & Letterman
This commercial didn’t seem to display much sexism. Although there were three people in the commercial, two men and one woman (James Leno, Oprah and David Letterman), the lines were split up into fairly equal quantities. The only details that may spark recognition of sexism, is that Oprah sits between the two men in order to separate them. She acts as the mediator but this might come off as her being a nag. Also, while the two men are comfortable wearing football jerseys and jeans, Oprah is wearing a suit. Other than the discomfort and the stereotype of women nagging, sexism really isn’t significant here.
Dockers: Wear No Pants
This commercial advertises jeans for men; therefore, it aims to capture a male audience. Only men are included in the commercial. The only gender role expressed is the slogan at the end of the commercial: Wear the Pants. This phrase can have another meaning in that “the pants” symbolize the power. For instance, the saying “she wears the pants in the relationship” refers to a woman who has more power or has more say in a relationship. “It’s time to wear the pants” may touch upon male dominance or belittling women. However, this may be overreaching. Overall, this commercial is narrated by men, includes men and advertises pants for men.
Teleflora.com: Rude Flowers
There are both male and female characters in this commercial although the women seem to have more dialogue. The first ten seconds show a woman talking to her assistant in a rude manner. This may generalize that women with power treat women with less power as inferior beings. The middle third of the commercial shows the rude woman receiving flowers in a box: A dispassionate gesture in comparison to the vase product. Perhaps the first third of the commercial in which the boss acts rudely is, in part, cancelled out because she receives flowers from a “low-life”. This is a better message than a caring woman receiving flowers from a low-life. The last ten seconds of the commercial show the assistant receiving flowers in a vase: The nice gesture. Although, the women come off as clingy and picky, there really isn’t much sexism here. Both women receive flowers, which seem to be a genuine gesture in the first place.
Angela Yu
EA, "Dante's Inferno"
It's an ad for a video game. The hero is the man and the helpless victim is the woman.
Winnie Wong
Bud Light - Light House
This advertisement shoes that women appear to be more passionate. The woman in the beginning compliments the man on being so environmentally responsible with such a passionate tone.
Focus on Family - Tebow and Mom
Yet again, the caring parent displayed here is the mother. Women are seen as the one who takes care of the children and the well being of the family in general. Here in this commercial, the father is no where to be seen.
Universal - Robin Hood
The men are the ones who are fighting and are also the lead role. The woman appearing is only viewed as an accessory to the man for sexual purposes.
Doritos - Play Nice
Even though the mom is older, she, being the woman still has her son protecting her. The boy appears to be very young and is already appearing to be so aggressive as opposed to a young girl being aggressive.
Bud Light - Observatory
This goes back to the roles of women in a commercial. There are women bu they have no lines. Instead, they appear more as the background and accessories for the men to experience sexual pleasures with when they start kissing.
Go Daddy. Com - Danica Patrick
Women are seen as more caring and they usually are the ones giving pleasure. In this commercial, the one massaging is a woman as opposed to a man.
Bud Light - Voice Box
The women are stereotyped as the ones buying the groceries as part of caring for the home. The man just takes the beers and calls people over for a party.
Sheldina Henderson
HomeAway.com - Hotels
The ad consists of numerous men, and only one woman. If the woman would’ve had a line or two in the commercial then, the ad, would not have been stereotypical, however being that she doesn’t, the ad is a bit stereotypical. The woman is shown numerous times, with a man who seems more than likely to be her significant other, however each time, the man is talking and the woman is showing her agreement with him by simply nodding, however throughout the entire commercial, she says nothing.
Vizio - Beyonce
This commercial does show stereotypical gender roles, in that although Beyonce spoke first in the commercial, the other people in the commercial were all male. Another stereotype is how the woman Beyonce is dressed. She is shown in a red dress with make-up, and her hair is seemingly perfect. She looks as if she performing in front of a live audience or possibly going to a photo shoot. All of the other men are just basically laid back. For example there is a man with dressed as a zombie and a man just lounging on the couch. Only the woman in the commercial is made to look “perfect”.
Diamond Foods - Nuts & Popcorn
In the beginning of the commercial there are two women who portray dolphins. They jump out of the water to catch the food in their mouths that the male announcer throws at them. Although there was one other male catching food, the male did not appear until after the two women were shown, and the announcer does not acknowledge the male, instead he says “Good job girls”. The women were seen as just what they were portrayed to be; animals. Although the male in the commercial jumped for food once, he manages to keep his “macho macho-ness” by jumping through the ring of fire. Jumping through a ring in the air alone is hard, but the fire adds to the difficulty, so by male jumping through it, he is in a way showing his masculinity.
Noopoor Akruwala
Motorola - Megan Fox
Actress Megan Fox is taking a bath while advertising the new Motorola phone. She takes a picture of herself and wonders what would happen if she sent the picture out to make it public. Some men then view the picture and are ultimately “seduced.” However, there is absolutely no connection between her sitting in a bathtub and the new phone except for her to look “Sexy” while advertising it.
Example of Ads w/ no Overtly Stereotypical Gender Roles
by Jessica Diamond
Monster.com - Beavers
The commercial used a beaver to advertise their website. In my opinion, sexism was not used to promote the site. The beaver had no signs of gender specification. There was absolutely no dialogue in the commercial. The beaver could be either a male or a female. Therefore, there really can’t be any gender role assignment. There were only a few seconds (seconds 24-26) that could be considered as sexism. These few seconds showed the beaver in a hot tub with a blond, affectionate woman indicating the success and fame the beaver had achieved through his violin playing. However, that scene was short and fairly harmless.
Bridgestone - Bachelor Party
This Bridgestone commercial featured three men and a whale in a car. The men, therefore, obtained all of the dialogue. I don’t think this commercial portrayed sexism. There weren’t any gender stereotypes involved. The sole message was that reliable wheels come in handy after a wild, unpredictable night.
CareerBuilder.com - Casual Fridays
The careerbuilder commercial doesn’t seem to be sexist. The main character is a man and has a large majority of the dialogue. The narrator, also a man, has a few lines near the end of the commercial as well. However, both men and women are present in the commercial. The only obvious gender role is that the boss is a male. Besides that, the commercial does not assign gender roles or display sexist stereotypes.
Hyundai - Brett Favre
This commercial advertises Hyundai car and saying that they obtain the insurance of America’s best warranty for the next ten years. The commercial uses a football player (Brett Favre) and his potential retirement as an analogy. The commercial targets the future as being generally unpredictable in contrast to the dependability and predictability of their car. Although the commercial features only a man, the man is a football player which logically fits into the super bowl event. Therefore, this does not portray any sexism. Women are not included in this commercial and there is no gender role assignment or stereotypes. Therefore, I do not think the commercial uses sexism to advertise the product.
Dove - You Are a Man
This dove commercial has many elements. First of all, there is only one man prevalent in the commercial and the narrator is a male as well. However, this is a commercial for a man’s product so this is not a sexist characteristic. The comical song shows a man’s mental development as he grows up into his manhood, accepts his role as a husband and father while finding his identity. Pretty deep concepts for a soap commercial if you ask me! Nevertheless, in breaking down the song, I find that, the steps they use to describe the process of a boy becoming a man and then a man becoming a man “at ease” aren’t sexist at all. They use common obstacles like wanting to be good at sports, training to become strong and learning how to be cool as steps to achieving manhood. These steps might be male gender roles, however; none of the examples look down on woman. Therefore, this commercial does not display sexism.
NFL - NFL Draft
This commercial was 10 seconds long and did not display sexism. It was very short and to the point. Only men were featured because it was a football draft commercial involving male football players. No women were in the commercial and no gender roles of any sort were assigned.
NFL - The Who
This commercial only featured music from The Who. It had no narrator or characters. Its purpose was to tell the audience that The Who would be the half time show at the super bowl. The commercial appealed to both a male and female audience. No sexism was present.
Monster.com - Beavers
The commercial used a beaver to advertise their website. In my opinion, sexism was not used to promote the site. The beaver had no signs of gender specification. There was absolutely no dialogue in the commercial. The beaver could be either a male or a female. Therefore, there really can’t be any gender role assignment. There were only a few seconds (seconds 24-26) that could be considered as sexism. These few seconds showed the beaver in a hot tub with a blond, affectionate woman indicating the success and fame the beaver had achieved through his violin playing. However, that scene was short and fairly harmless.
Bridgestone - Bachelor Party
This Bridgestone commercial featured three men and a whale in a car. The men, therefore, obtained all of the dialogue. I don’t think this commercial portrayed sexism. There weren’t any gender stereotypes involved. The sole message was that reliable wheels come in handy after a wild, unpredictable night.
CareerBuilder.com - Casual Fridays
The careerbuilder commercial doesn’t seem to be sexist. The main character is a man and has a large majority of the dialogue. The narrator, also a man, has a few lines near the end of the commercial as well. However, both men and women are present in the commercial. The only obvious gender role is that the boss is a male. Besides that, the commercial does not assign gender roles or display sexist stereotypes.
Hyundai - Brett Favre
This commercial advertises Hyundai car and saying that they obtain the insurance of America’s best warranty for the next ten years. The commercial uses a football player (Brett Favre) and his potential retirement as an analogy. The commercial targets the future as being generally unpredictable in contrast to the dependability and predictability of their car. Although the commercial features only a man, the man is a football player which logically fits into the super bowl event. Therefore, this does not portray any sexism. Women are not included in this commercial and there is no gender role assignment or stereotypes. Therefore, I do not think the commercial uses sexism to advertise the product.
Dove - You Are a Man
This dove commercial has many elements. First of all, there is only one man prevalent in the commercial and the narrator is a male as well. However, this is a commercial for a man’s product so this is not a sexist characteristic. The comical song shows a man’s mental development as he grows up into his manhood, accepts his role as a husband and father while finding his identity. Pretty deep concepts for a soap commercial if you ask me! Nevertheless, in breaking down the song, I find that, the steps they use to describe the process of a boy becoming a man and then a man becoming a man “at ease” aren’t sexist at all. They use common obstacles like wanting to be good at sports, training to become strong and learning how to be cool as steps to achieving manhood. These steps might be male gender roles, however; none of the examples look down on woman. Therefore, this commercial does not display sexism.
NFL - NFL Draft
This commercial was 10 seconds long and did not display sexism. It was very short and to the point. Only men were featured because it was a football draft commercial involving male football players. No women were in the commercial and no gender roles of any sort were assigned.
NFL - The Who
This commercial only featured music from The Who. It had no narrator or characters. Its purpose was to tell the audience that The Who would be the half time show at the super bowl. The commercial appealed to both a male and female audience. No sexism was present.
Conclusion
by Angela Yu
We examined a total of 61 ads. Here are our findings.
click to enlarge
*Example of "Gender not specified" is an ad that feature non-gender specific animals
click to enlarge
Category A: Ads where women spoke ≥50% of the dialogue
Category B: Ads where women spoke less than 50% of the dialogue
Category C: Ads where women didn't speak at all
For the ads that had dialogue and featured both women and men, we examined the percentage of dialogue spoken by women in relation to the overall length of dialogue. In this area, there was also a surprisingly large number of ads where women spoke little dialogue or didn't speak at all. In other words although women showed up in the ads, they didn't really speak much if they spoke at all.
click to enlarge
We examined a total of 61 ads. Here are our findings.
click to enlarge*Example of "Gender not specified" is an ad that feature non-gender specific animals
In analyzing the the ads for Super Bowl XLIV, we noticed a few ways in which sexism may be present. One of the ways is shown in the pie chart above. For a show that has a large female audience (almost half of the viewers were women), the ads were surprisingly lacking in women. Super Bowl 2010 was watched by 48.5 million women, an increase of 17% compared to last year and yet advertisers didn't think it was very important to have women in their ads. This is illustrated by the 1st pie chart which shows that 31% of the Super Bowl ads shown featured only men. When this is compared to 5% of the ads that featured only women, the difference is obvious.
click to enlargeCategory A: Ads where women spoke ≥50% of the dialogue
Category B: Ads where women spoke less than 50% of the dialogue
Category C: Ads where women didn't speak at all
For the ads that had dialogue and featured both women and men, we examined the percentage of dialogue spoken by women in relation to the overall length of dialogue. In this area, there was also a surprisingly large number of ads where women spoke little dialogue or didn't speak at all. In other words although women showed up in the ads, they didn't really speak much if they spoke at all.
click to enlargeIn this part of the analysis we found that the majority of the ads didn't portray overtly stereotypical gender roles. One possible reason for this is if the ad's focus isn't on relationships between men and women. However, a troubling percentage of the ads did show stereotypical gender roles. In THIS POST, there are explanations on how we found the ads we examined sexist.
In summary, Super Bowl 2010's ads were problematic in many ways. A significant number of ads didn't have women in them and if they did they rarely played significant roles. In ads where women were present, they were rarely given a lot of dialogue. Also, a big percentage of ads portrayed stereotypical gender roles.
In summary, Super Bowl 2010's ads were problematic in many ways. A significant number of ads didn't have women in them and if they did they rarely played significant roles. In ads where women were present, they were rarely given a lot of dialogue. Also, a big percentage of ads portrayed stereotypical gender roles.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Dodge Charger, "Man's Last Stand"
by Angela Yu
This Dodge Charger ad is probably one of the most blatantly misogynistic ads that aired in this year's Super Bowl. It shows a series of men with blank faces accompanied by a voiceover expressing their grievances against women. Because the whole ad is just dripping with resentment against women, I will dissect it line by line.
Oh no! He has to do chores like walking the dog and cleaning the sink after he shaves! But he's a man and he shouldn't be doing these chores because they're for women! And he has to eat fruits?! Oh, the horror! Eating fruits is for girls. He should clearly be eating manly food like meat instead.
It's not really clear what working and sitting through boring meetings has to do with anything in the ad. Most people have to work, and it's certainly not something that's special to men. The second part about not speaking up when the woman doesn't want them to seems like an actual legitimate complaint. Too bad it's surrounded by lines drowning in a sea of entitlement and whining.
Saying "I will be civil to your mother" instead of saying "I will be civil to your father/parents" is not a coincidence. It goes along with the ad's running theme of men and women not getting along. At this point, I'm just left wondering why men are in relationships with women if this ad is anything to go by. If men and women can't get along and just hate everything about each other, what's the point in entering heterosexual relationships? Have these men ever thought of just being in relationships with other men? Somehow I doubt it. I suspect that these are the same men who would react to 2 men in a romantic relationship with disgust.
This is another part where the men in the ad complain about doing basic household chores like separating the recycling and leaving their dirty underwear in the appropriate place. This relies on the idea that men are such slobs and women are so controlling for asking them to pick up after themselves. The part about watching vampire TV shows is clearly meant to be emasculating since men aren't supposed to be interested in that "girly" stuff. And perhaps the most ridiculous line of all...
The idea that driving a Dodge Charger will help men regain their masculinity is so laughable that I don't know how anyone can take it seriously.
The whole ad is just rife with men's fear of being emasculated by their girlfriends/wives. I've seen this ad multiple times now since I had to transcribe it and each time I can't help but roll my eyes. The men complaining about doing some household work is just dripping with privilege since recent statistics show that women still overwhelmingly spend more time doing household chores than men do. In the study cited above, women with no children spend an average of 10 hrs/week of household work before marriage and 17 hrs/week of household chores after marriage. Compare this to men doing an average of 8 hrs/week before marriage and 7 hrs/week after marriage. The fact that the men in the ad are complaining about household work completely ignore the fact that women do much more than them. If they hate it, then what do they think women feel? Another aspect of the ad that stands out is the men's fear of emasculation. They fear losing their manliness if they don't stick to their rigid gender roles.
We live in a society where women make 75.5 cents for every dollar that a man earns (and this is even worse for women of color), where women make up 18% of the House of Representatives and 18% in the Senate when they make up half of the population, where a woman has won the Academy Award for Best Director once out of 83 winners, where there's a bias that favors white men when it comes to customer satisfaction, and so many other forms of male privilege. The men complaining in the ad just come across as petty and extremely entitled. Naming the ad "Man's Last Stand" makes it seem as if men have always been pushed around and have finally had enough. Perhaps if they actually stop being so self-absorbed and pay attention to their surroundings they'll find out that being a man isn't so hard after all.
This is an interesting YouTube video made by some women in response to the Dodge Charger ad:
This Dodge Charger ad is probably one of the most blatantly misogynistic ads that aired in this year's Super Bowl. It shows a series of men with blank faces accompanied by a voiceover expressing their grievances against women. Because the whole ad is just dripping with resentment against women, I will dissect it line by line.
"I will get up and walk the dog at 6:30 am. I will eat some fruit as part of my breakfast. I will shave, I will clean the sink after I shave."
Oh no! He has to do chores like walking the dog and cleaning the sink after he shaves! But he's a man and he shouldn't be doing these chores because they're for women! And he has to eat fruits?! Oh, the horror! Eating fruits is for girls. He should clearly be eating manly food like meat instead.
"I will be at work at 8am. I will sit through 2 hr meetings. I will say yes when you want me to say yes. I will be quiet when you don't want to hear me say no."
It's not really clear what working and sitting through boring meetings has to do with anything in the ad. Most people have to work, and it's certainly not something that's special to men. The second part about not speaking up when the woman doesn't want them to seems like an actual legitimate complaint. Too bad it's surrounded by lines drowning in a sea of entitlement and whining.
"I will take your call. I will listen to your opinion of my friends. I will listen to your friends' opinions of my friends. I will be civil to your mother."
Saying "I will be civil to your mother" instead of saying "I will be civil to your father/parents" is not a coincidence. It goes along with the ad's running theme of men and women not getting along. At this point, I'm just left wondering why men are in relationships with women if this ad is anything to go by. If men and women can't get along and just hate everything about each other, what's the point in entering heterosexual relationships? Have these men ever thought of just being in relationships with other men? Somehow I doubt it. I suspect that these are the same men who would react to 2 men in a romantic relationship with disgust.
"I will put the seat down. I will separate the recycling. I will carry your lip balm. I will watch your vampire tv shows with you. I will take my socks off before getting into bed. I will put my underwear in the basket."
This is another part where the men in the ad complain about doing basic household chores like separating the recycling and leaving their dirty underwear in the appropriate place. This relies on the idea that men are such slobs and women are so controlling for asking them to pick up after themselves. The part about watching vampire TV shows is clearly meant to be emasculating since men aren't supposed to be interested in that "girly" stuff. And perhaps the most ridiculous line of all...
"And because I do this..
(shots of a Dodge car speeding past the highway)
I will drive the car I want to drive. Charger. Man's last stand."
The idea that driving a Dodge Charger will help men regain their masculinity is so laughable that I don't know how anyone can take it seriously.
The whole ad is just rife with men's fear of being emasculated by their girlfriends/wives. I've seen this ad multiple times now since I had to transcribe it and each time I can't help but roll my eyes. The men complaining about doing some household work is just dripping with privilege since recent statistics show that women still overwhelmingly spend more time doing household chores than men do. In the study cited above, women with no children spend an average of 10 hrs/week of household work before marriage and 17 hrs/week of household chores after marriage. Compare this to men doing an average of 8 hrs/week before marriage and 7 hrs/week after marriage. The fact that the men in the ad are complaining about household work completely ignore the fact that women do much more than them. If they hate it, then what do they think women feel? Another aspect of the ad that stands out is the men's fear of emasculation. They fear losing their manliness if they don't stick to their rigid gender roles.
We live in a society where women make 75.5 cents for every dollar that a man earns (and this is even worse for women of color), where women make up 18% of the House of Representatives and 18% in the Senate when they make up half of the population, where a woman has won the Academy Award for Best Director once out of 83 winners, where there's a bias that favors white men when it comes to customer satisfaction, and so many other forms of male privilege. The men complaining in the ad just come across as petty and extremely entitled. Naming the ad "Man's Last Stand" makes it seem as if men have always been pushed around and have finally had enough. Perhaps if they actually stop being so self-absorbed and pay attention to their surroundings they'll find out that being a man isn't so hard after all.
This is an interesting YouTube video made by some women in response to the Dodge Charger ad:
Budweiser, "Body Bridge"
by Winnie Wong
The Budweiser delivery truck is stuck on the other side of the bridge. Without thinking twice, everyone available in town rushes to the bridge and works together to form a “human body bridge” for the truck to cross. The image was amazing with everyone working together regardless of gender, sex, ethnicity and even species. You may think that there can’t possibly be any sexism and stereotype here but it is time to think twice. With such an ideal commercial, having everyone work together, there is still the stereotypical gender roles used.
The only people who have the opportunity to talk are white men. Again, the one who has leadership and is in charge is a man. The rest of the people just happily take his orders and work as he directs. The women here are used as the “background setting”. It would be strange without them but since they are there, they do no more than take orders. She is displayed as submissive as traditional women were expected to be years ago.
Taking a closer look at the smaller details of stereotypical gender roles, there was one frame in which a woman drops her groceries and runs to help build the bridge. Society accepts that women are the ones who buy groceries and men do not cook. This is why it was so “normal” for us to see the man in the beginning of the commercial order food in the diner. Even at the end, there was one woman drinking with the guys who delivered the beer but she still never had the chance to speak.
Although there was still stereotypical gender roles used in this commercial, I was still shocked when I watched it. Beer commercials are largely aimed at men since they have beer for almost any occasion. This is also a stereotypical gender role because there are women who love beer as much as men do and I have also come across some men who hate the way beer tastes. Budweiser could have made this commercial more sexist with half dressed women loving the man with the beer but it would also be very cliché. Perhaps Budweiser was trying to aim for something more significant. Budweiser seems to be trying to not be racist or sexist but it seems that they have more to change before they achieve that idea.
The Budweiser delivery truck is stuck on the other side of the bridge. Without thinking twice, everyone available in town rushes to the bridge and works together to form a “human body bridge” for the truck to cross. The image was amazing with everyone working together regardless of gender, sex, ethnicity and even species. You may think that there can’t possibly be any sexism and stereotype here but it is time to think twice. With such an ideal commercial, having everyone work together, there is still the stereotypical gender roles used.
The only people who have the opportunity to talk are white men. Again, the one who has leadership and is in charge is a man. The rest of the people just happily take his orders and work as he directs. The women here are used as the “background setting”. It would be strange without them but since they are there, they do no more than take orders. She is displayed as submissive as traditional women were expected to be years ago.
Taking a closer look at the smaller details of stereotypical gender roles, there was one frame in which a woman drops her groceries and runs to help build the bridge. Society accepts that women are the ones who buy groceries and men do not cook. This is why it was so “normal” for us to see the man in the beginning of the commercial order food in the diner. Even at the end, there was one woman drinking with the guys who delivered the beer but she still never had the chance to speak.
Although there was still stereotypical gender roles used in this commercial, I was still shocked when I watched it. Beer commercials are largely aimed at men since they have beer for almost any occasion. This is also a stereotypical gender role because there are women who love beer as much as men do and I have also come across some men who hate the way beer tastes. Budweiser could have made this commercial more sexist with half dressed women loving the man with the beer but it would also be very cliché. Perhaps Budweiser was trying to aim for something more significant. Budweiser seems to be trying to not be racist or sexist but it seems that they have more to change before they achieve that idea.
Bud Light, "Stranded"
by Sheldina Henderson
Once again, we are given a commercial where the downgrade of women isn’t so obvious! Come on already!! If they want to talk about women, then the least they can do is make it obvious. What are you…SCARED??
Well in this commercial, a load of people are stranded on a desert island, with no food water, or form of communication to the rest of the world. A woman was able to locate a device that could’ve been used to communicate others and get help. Right as the woman is talking; a man comes from the sea with bottles of ice cold Bud Light beer, having found a refrigerator filled with the bottles in the ocean. Everyone then shifts their focus to the man, and completely forgets about what the woman was saying.
Why is it that the woman has to be ignored when a MAN says something? How comes when the woman is informing the group of what she found, a captain is in the front? Not only that but why does it seem as if the woman is talking to the men more specifically? Yeah, there are obviously other females amongst the group, but why is it that they are behind the men? Most importantly, why is that the woman had to be the one that was ignored? Why couldn’t a man have been ignored? I bet I have you all wondering pretty hard now right?
The commercial in a way, compares to the role of women during the first wave of feminism. You know, the days of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton. Well in case you didn’t know this commercial reminds me a lot of the start of the first wave. Part of the reason for the first wave of feminism was when Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were denied the right to speak at a London Convention due to their gender. Sounds familiar? Of course it does! It’s happening right here in the Bud Light commercial! So what the woman wasn’t actually “denied” the right to speak, however she was still ignored. What about the women being behind the men? This just proves that women take the backseat men; they stand in the back while the men make all of the decisions! What a mess!! What the woman had to say was way more important however, because “Man knows best”, everyone went to drink beer and listen to whom?? THE MALE of course!
As I mentioned before, there are indeed other females in the commercial. However it’s amazing how the females choose to side with the male, to drink a beverage such as beer that’s highly popular among males. How do I know the popularity of beer? Well according to a survey posted on http://japan-guide.com, thirty-seven percent of males drink beer at least once per week while an extra twelve percent drink beer daily. The percentage of women?? Only twenty percent, which is way less than a combined total of forty-nine percent!! So think about it, a MALE-dominating beverage being advertised, by a helpless FEMALE whom no one listens to! So have we come that long of a way? Its 2010 and the portrayal of women in some commercials seem to be getting worse and worse! Think about it.
Once again, we are given a commercial where the downgrade of women isn’t so obvious! Come on already!! If they want to talk about women, then the least they can do is make it obvious. What are you…SCARED??
Well in this commercial, a load of people are stranded on a desert island, with no food water, or form of communication to the rest of the world. A woman was able to locate a device that could’ve been used to communicate others and get help. Right as the woman is talking; a man comes from the sea with bottles of ice cold Bud Light beer, having found a refrigerator filled with the bottles in the ocean. Everyone then shifts their focus to the man, and completely forgets about what the woman was saying.
Why is it that the woman has to be ignored when a MAN says something? How comes when the woman is informing the group of what she found, a captain is in the front? Not only that but why does it seem as if the woman is talking to the men more specifically? Yeah, there are obviously other females amongst the group, but why is it that they are behind the men? Most importantly, why is that the woman had to be the one that was ignored? Why couldn’t a man have been ignored? I bet I have you all wondering pretty hard now right?
The commercial in a way, compares to the role of women during the first wave of feminism. You know, the days of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton. Well in case you didn’t know this commercial reminds me a lot of the start of the first wave. Part of the reason for the first wave of feminism was when Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were denied the right to speak at a London Convention due to their gender. Sounds familiar? Of course it does! It’s happening right here in the Bud Light commercial! So what the woman wasn’t actually “denied” the right to speak, however she was still ignored. What about the women being behind the men? This just proves that women take the backseat men; they stand in the back while the men make all of the decisions! What a mess!! What the woman had to say was way more important however, because “Man knows best”, everyone went to drink beer and listen to whom?? THE MALE of course!
As I mentioned before, there are indeed other females in the commercial. However it’s amazing how the females choose to side with the male, to drink a beverage such as beer that’s highly popular among males. How do I know the popularity of beer? Well according to a survey posted on http://japan-guide.com, thirty-seven percent of males drink beer at least once per week while an extra twelve percent drink beer daily. The percentage of women?? Only twenty percent, which is way less than a combined total of forty-nine percent!! So think about it, a MALE-dominating beverage being advertised, by a helpless FEMALE whom no one listens to! So have we come that long of a way? Its 2010 and the portrayal of women in some commercials seem to be getting worse and worse! Think about it.
FLO TV, "Spineless"
by Noopoor Akruwala
This FLO TV commercial features a highly exaggerated “injury report” broadcasted by CBS’s own Sportscaster, Jim Nantz. He gives a sorrowful play by play on how the injured man, Jason, is “rendered incapable” from watching the oh-so glorious super bowl because his girlfriend decided to take him shopping. The last time I checked, spending time with your significant other isn’t a crime, or a fallacy. In fact, Nantz even recommends Jason to change out of his skirt at the end of the ad, implying he has broken the rules of masculinity; by buying a personal FLO TV, he will once again recover from this poor, unhealthy, un-man like state.
Ads or commercials projected for male consumers, such as this personal FLO TV ad, put masculine egos at the center of attention and disregard reality. In this particular ad, the broadcaster, Jim Nantz, had a look of disgust and contempt for Jason. His monotony also revealed that Jason had committed some sort of crime that embarrassed the male identity. Jason himself wasn’t pleased with the fact that he was missing the super bowl because he was shopping with his girlfriend; viewers can ultimately infer what he upholds the most: a lousy football game with too many commercials.
Jason is just a mere representation of a stereotypical male who feels downsized just because he is doing something that is usually considered feminine. These stereotypes that society and the media have induced have greatly impacted our way of thinking and living. Stereotypes have molded gender identities and responsibilities. While his girlfriend is all giggling and happy while shopping, Jason is miserable because shopping is just not masculine enough and according to his actions, the super bowl holds more value at this point. To go to a greater extent, if the roles were switched and Jason was enjoying this shopping spree, he would automatically be labeled as a homosexual (no surprise to that, right?). If the girlfriend was the one annoyed at his fetish for shopping because it interfered with the viewing of the super bowl, I think society would question this ‘mishap.’ However, this sort of scenario would never work for the media. In fact, switching stereotyped gender roles would probably confuse consumers and the product would never be a success for the company projecting the advertisement.
Advertisers hope to sell their products by targeting gullible consumers who become entangled with gender labels. The media perpetuates perceptions that consumers feel they need to adhere to and ultimately, individuality is lost. For example, the girlfriend in this ad is portrayed as “girly” and in effect spreading feminine qualities to her boyfriend. She shouldn’t be viewed as the pinnacle character of this ad because she is just one of those side characters exemplifying a typical woman in the media’s eyes.
Although this FLO TV commercial is supposed to be comical and humorous, it is easy to see how the media labels gender roles and expects society to conform to such views. According to FLO TV, it isn’t wrong for a man to have his manliness preserved by buying a dinky little television to view an insignificant football game. Yet, stepping into a mall with your significant other to shop and spend time there is a big NO NO. Oh what has our world come to?
This FLO TV commercial features a highly exaggerated “injury report” broadcasted by CBS’s own Sportscaster, Jim Nantz. He gives a sorrowful play by play on how the injured man, Jason, is “rendered incapable” from watching the oh-so glorious super bowl because his girlfriend decided to take him shopping. The last time I checked, spending time with your significant other isn’t a crime, or a fallacy. In fact, Nantz even recommends Jason to change out of his skirt at the end of the ad, implying he has broken the rules of masculinity; by buying a personal FLO TV, he will once again recover from this poor, unhealthy, un-man like state.
Ads or commercials projected for male consumers, such as this personal FLO TV ad, put masculine egos at the center of attention and disregard reality. In this particular ad, the broadcaster, Jim Nantz, had a look of disgust and contempt for Jason. His monotony also revealed that Jason had committed some sort of crime that embarrassed the male identity. Jason himself wasn’t pleased with the fact that he was missing the super bowl because he was shopping with his girlfriend; viewers can ultimately infer what he upholds the most: a lousy football game with too many commercials.
Jason is just a mere representation of a stereotypical male who feels downsized just because he is doing something that is usually considered feminine. These stereotypes that society and the media have induced have greatly impacted our way of thinking and living. Stereotypes have molded gender identities and responsibilities. While his girlfriend is all giggling and happy while shopping, Jason is miserable because shopping is just not masculine enough and according to his actions, the super bowl holds more value at this point. To go to a greater extent, if the roles were switched and Jason was enjoying this shopping spree, he would automatically be labeled as a homosexual (no surprise to that, right?). If the girlfriend was the one annoyed at his fetish for shopping because it interfered with the viewing of the super bowl, I think society would question this ‘mishap.’ However, this sort of scenario would never work for the media. In fact, switching stereotyped gender roles would probably confuse consumers and the product would never be a success for the company projecting the advertisement.
Advertisers hope to sell their products by targeting gullible consumers who become entangled with gender labels. The media perpetuates perceptions that consumers feel they need to adhere to and ultimately, individuality is lost. For example, the girlfriend in this ad is portrayed as “girly” and in effect spreading feminine qualities to her boyfriend. She shouldn’t be viewed as the pinnacle character of this ad because she is just one of those side characters exemplifying a typical woman in the media’s eyes.
Although this FLO TV commercial is supposed to be comical and humorous, it is easy to see how the media labels gender roles and expects society to conform to such views. According to FLO TV, it isn’t wrong for a man to have his manliness preserved by buying a dinky little television to view an insignificant football game. Yet, stepping into a mall with your significant other to shop and spend time there is a big NO NO. Oh what has our world come to?
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