Bridgestone, "Future Car"/"Your Tires or Your Life"

by Jessica Diamond



Bridgestone Tires displayed sexism in several different ways throughout their 30 second commercial. While targeting a male audience, the commercial portrays a woman as an inferior being. It began logically, focusing on a speeding car in a rainy, dark setting with post-accident, abandoned cars on the shoulders of the high way. However, the essence of the commercial revolves around the comparison of worth between a vulnerable, young woman and the Bridgestone tires.

After the speeding car breaks before the roadblock, “tire bandits” demand for ownership of the Bridgestone tires. They threatened the driver to hand over the tires or “your life”, meaning that the driver would have to choose between the product and life. However, the driver misunderstood the deal and threw his wife out of the car. First of all, the idea of choosing tires over a human being is very insulting and disrespectful. It places a higher value on the product than on the woman and brings the woman down to a materialistic level. The way the woman was pushed out of the car, indifferently and without hesitation, was very offensive as well. Further, the woman does not fight back. She allows herself to be tossed into the street as if she had no control over herself. Her only reaction is a weak cry. Her bent posture and shocked facial expression make her look vulnerable and defenseless.

Aside from being bartered off, sexism is also evident in terms of how big her role is. The tire bandits have all the dialogue in the commercial. The woman, on the other hand, does not have a single line. In addition, the young woman fits society consensus of what is attractive. The woman is tall, blond and thin with a large bust. To emphasize her body type, her costume is form-fitting and very revealing. Her wide-eyed expression and innocent appearance contribute to the image of female vulnerability. On a separate note, the woman was thrown out of the passenger seat. This means that the man was driving the car, perhaps symbolizing power and communicating the idea that women can’t be the leader; they can only sit back, and follow the man’s lead.

Lastly, after the driver leaves his wife and drives off, the tire-bandits are disappointed. They are upset that they received a woman instead of the tires (the product). This again places a higher value on the product rather than on the woman. Not even a woman who fits society’s definition of beautiful, can satisfy the men. Further, the “tire bandits” were not particularly good looking. They were relatively short, bald and heavy. The woman, who is evidently “out of their league”, does not spark their interest at all. What if a shorter woman with a curvier body type and a splotchy face complexion was thrown out of the car? One could only imagine how the tire bandits would react.

The commercial concludes with the men being disappointed with the outcome of the trade and the woman standing alone and disregarded in the rain. This commercial is dripping with sexism, and yet, the audience finds it comical opposed to offensive.