The recent sexual misconduct awakening has become an eye-opening public shaming of sexual criminals hidden in plain sight, but as the public becomes more aware of physical violence, it still remains oblivious to the banal sexism that haunts western society. Although there won't be greeting cards that endorse rape, there will remain greeting cards that reinforce the feminine image of the talkative, delicate, domestic lady. This is concerning because the public view of gender is largely influenced by such things as greeting cards, coffee cup designs, and TV advertisements. Last year, during the AFC championship game, Mattel presented Dads Who Play Barbie, a unique ad that encouraged fathers to play Barbie with their daughters because "time spend …show more content…
A source of humor in the ad is the way the dads defend their masculinity. The first thing we hear in the video is the men establishing their manly image. They say things like "I'm a typical man's man" and "We would do mainly boy things" reinforcing the idea that there are things that men/boys are expected to do, and women/girls are not. Furthermore, the men seem ashamed of admitting that they play Barbie with their daughters. The first moment where viewers are expected to find particular surprise is when the music stops for a moment (as does the dad speaking) before he admits that he interrupts watching football for "Barbie time." This moment where it seems viewers are expected to laugh based on the dad's refusal of his gender role. Additionally, one of the dads lies that he "only plays with Ken," yet in the next scene, he is playing with a female Barbie. Of course, this adds to the humor of the ad, but it also reinforces the dad's need to protect his masculine …show more content…
The argument rests in whether the effects of encouraging dads to play Barbie or reinforcing gender roles have more effect. It would be admirable if this video shows dads that playing with Barbie doesn't make them less of a man, but it doesn't. Instead, it tells dads that they should stoop to their daughter's level for a moment to indulge them in childish play. For Mattel to send a tweetable message - one that no one could discount without seeming like a bigot - at the expense of making gender roles laughable is only natural as long as a company values marketability over a meaningful position. It seems that to produce change in the public arena, it takes concessions. Hopefully, brave new companies will emerge with refined values, but unless the modern capitalist is awakened newly aware of his effects on gender expectations and willing to change, more companies will use banal sexism as a humor that keeps their ads
In the article “Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt,” by Jean Killbourne, she discusses the culture of male superiority over females. With the rise of feminism and exposure to media being at an all-time high, the two topics seem to be overlapping more and more. Daily, society is flooded with sexist, violent, and inappropriate ads and messages that usually degrade women and praise men. This is an issue which only recently gained traction while the “feminist” movement increased in popularity. Women are wrongly objectified for the sake of tradition and a male-driven agenda.
This is another commercial where we can directly see how the advertisers are overlooking gender stereotypes, by it being ranked number one it proves that when gender stereotypes and gender bias are not incorporated the advertisement becomes effective and
The ad campaign is funny to the point that the commercial is pretty much making fun of itself. The sex appeal is apparent as the bare-chested man sells the product of a man, man. The product name and logo are repeated and shown throughout the entire ad, making repetition a strong selling point. This advertisement is effective because it appeals to a wide audience using humor, sexual appeal, and repetition to sell the product. Women like attractive men, but they also like men who are adventurous, handy, charismatic, and intriguing.
This proves how the phrase like a girl should not be used as an insult because many girls who hit puberty question themselves if they are strong enough to do the same things men do. This commercial represents how as a women hits puberty their confidence shouldn’t lower. Hitting puberty should be a positive thing not a negative thing. When men hit puberty they are consider stronger and this should be the same for women. Women who have went through puberty could reject parts of the ad because they could had gain more confidence rather than loosing it. Some males might accept parts of the ad by agreeing that the phrase like a girl applies to every girl. Not all girls are strong, run fast or throw like an athlete but that shouldn’t categorize women to fall in to the phrase like a girl. In the commercial they asked a girl what did she advice girls who were told that they were doing things like a girl. The girl said that to keep doing what your doing because even if you’re not doing it right you will get better and you shouldn’t feel discourage to be a girl. The company Always makes girls feel confidence because they show how hitting puberty is only the start to becoming a better and a stronger
This shows that sexist commercials aren’t just aimed towards women, but also towards men and young boys. While reading CJ Pascoe’s, “Dude”. You’re a Fag”, she argues that the word “fag” has little to do with someone being gay and that it can have several meanings. Kimmel believes that young boys are being trained to follow the social scripts that are telling them that the only way they can be seen as a man is if they are confident, dominant, and tough as nails.
Rajecki, D. W., Dame, J., Creek, K., Barrickman, P. J., Reid, C. A., & Appleby, D. C. (1993). Gender Casting in Television Toy Advertisements: Distributions, Message Content Analysis, and Evaluations. Journal Of Consumer Psychology (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates), 2(3), 307.
By exposing the latent sexism of this common barb, it sends a message to parents that they need to help empower their daughters as well as teach their children that these comments can be hurtful. The successful combination of rhetorical devices proves that this ad campaign has hit it’s intended mark. The commercial’s main focus is interviewing people of all ages, interpreting the phrase “like a girl.” The female director asks the first young woman to show what it means to run like a girl, at which point the teenager begins to jog in place, moving her arms indiscriminately, and making sure her hair stays just so. The director asks the same thing of a young woman, a young boy, and a young man, all of whom have similar actions.
This type of thinking that they have to look like the lady in the ad might in the long run lead to lowering their self-esteem. According to Devor “they demonstrate subordination through a minimizing of spatial use: people appear feminine when they keep their arms closer to their bodies, their legs closer together, and their torsos and heads less vertical than do masculine-looking individuals”. In this ad, however, the feminine actor shows none of these things, she actually shows the complete opposite. Devor mentions that “people who hold their arms and hands in positions away from their bodies, and who stand, sit, or lie with their legs part—thus maximizing the amount of space that they physically occupy—appear most physically masculine”. The way that this feminine actress is standing according to gender codes is incorrect, she is in a stance that is known primarily to be a masculine stance. So in a simpler sense, this ad actually breaks the gender codes breaking the balance between femininity and masculinity. In the American society, gender
It was very common to have a Barbie doll growing up, and it wasn’t just a toy, it was a representation of a “perfect life”. From dream houses, to boats, cars, a perfect boyfriend to exiting careers, Barbie had the perfect life. Barbie had the perfect lifestyle AND the perfect body, long legs, small waist and a curvy chest. This taught children from a very young age that having a boyfriend, a career, a house and a petite body is very important. (Worldpress 2011). Barbie’s “attention has been generated by the secondary role she plays in popular culture the artifact of female representation” (Wright 2003). Barbie isn’t just a toy, she mimics
Pollitt says, “This lady was at girl birthday party and she gave the girl a Barbie as a gift, but the birthday girl’s mother didn’t like that” (Pollitt 545). This quote explains that the mother of the birthday girl doesn’t want to enforce the gender issues with her daughter that is the reason why she dislikes the Barbie because it described a
The two girls seem to be demonstrating the need to conform to the pressures of society by the way they play with the barbies. After the girl explains the appearances of both barbies, she goes on to explain the same story they play over and over. One of the Barbies steals the other Barbie’s
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.
The sexualization of women in the American mass media has contributed to a relapse and neglection of women's independence and created corruption within our youth. Distorted media is creating classes of men and women, influencing concealing stereotypes enabling women to be individuals. The generations to come will be exposed to aspiring role models resembling as sex dolls, the youth and future absorb multiple forms of sexist media presenting the viewers with unattainable or objectified images of femininity. Modern media's current obsession with sex has resulted in an advancing society based off of profanity. The media’s and corporations greed for money is distorting one's morals while publicizing the degradation of women and influencing sex to make profit. Our youth will lose its innocence followed by a constricting society filled with social norms and distorted perceptions of modern women. This paper dissects two popular media artifacts uncovering its covert rhetoric.
The objectification of women in advertising is far too common. Advertising has become so concentrated with images of passive woman wearing little clothing that it is now accepted to laugh at these sexist ads. The reason why some men find this ad funny is because within Australian society there are so many similar ads that it gives the impression that women in adverts are something to laugh at. The new ad is not offensive and should sell Tiger Beers without having to further promote sexism.
It may seem trivial and go unnoticed to most, but by assigning Barbie a real career, people are able to identify with and recognize her. The marketers also provide Barbie with a life other than modeling, such as friends and a home. The Ken doll, which is commonly known as Barbie’s boyfriend, makes her appear more real to the audience. Girls are able to identify with the idea of a boyfriend, which makes the notion of Barbie seem more realistic and desirable. The same idea is applied to the many friends Barbie has been accompanied by over the years. Lastly, and perhaps most famously, Barbie, like almost all of the girls who play with her, have a home. The Barbie Dream House is just another clever way her marketing team has presented her to society as a real person. Humanizing Barbie, and portraying her in such a manner makes her more attractive to potential buyers. The girls who engage in play with dolls do not want merely a doll; they desire something they can relate to and envision in the real world. Imaginative play is a large portion of childhood, and the ability for children to posses a doll like Barbie , who represents a real person in society, is extremely valuable. The use of social constructionism in the marketing of products such as Barbie is both brilliant and effective.