Mens Men And Women's Women By Steve Craig

Common sense seems to dictate that commercials just advertise products. But in reality, advertising is a multi-headed beast that targets specific genders, races, ages, etc. In “Men’s Men & Women’s Women”, author Steve Craig focuses on one head of the beast: gender. Craig suggests that, “Advertisers . . . portray different images to men and women in order to exploit the different deep seated motivations and anxieties connected to gender identity.” In other words, advertisers manipulate consumers’ fantasies to sell their product. In this essay, I will be analyzing four different commercials that focuses on appealing to specific genders.

Craig breaks down the gender biased commercials into four different categories. The first category, “Men’s

It clearly depicts characteristics of Craig’s men’s men and men’s women. Firstly, the commercial was aired during sports related shows, which a lot of men tend to watch. The lead male in the commercial was muscular and handsome, radiating clear masculinity. He is also has unchallenged freedom since he is not portrayed as being tied down to any responsibility. In addition, Craig states that, “On the other hand, the absence of women must not suggest homosexuality. Men’s men are clearly heterosexual.” His point is that even if there are no women in the commercial, there has to be a clear indicator that the men are not homosexuals. Indicators include that men in ads are heterosexuals are that more than two males are present and the men are introduced as brothers.

In Craig’s view, “Men’s women are portrayed as physically attractive, slim, and usually young and white, frequently blond, and almost always dressed in revealing clothing.” Basically Craig believes that these characteristics are what a great deal of men fantasize about. They were displayed as sexual objects who were available and lusting after them. All of the women in this NIVEA MEN commercial fit almost all of the criteria of Craig’s men’s women. The women are seen as single and available as they admire the man as he walks through every door throughout his

Stars Recreation Center is a popular entertainment center located in Vacaville, California. This commercial aired in 2014 during NFL Live. It’s popular destination where people can play numerous arcade games or dine and watch sports at their restaurant, City Sports Bar & Grill. In this ad, two men walk into the center, who are immediately greeted by two women offering them food and drinks. The men instantly fall in love with the place and begin to enjoy themselves. They begin to eat in front of a large television screen, watch NFL games, and then they play pool and other fun games. Both of the men are bonding with each other, having a great time at Stars Recreation