Old Spice Ad Analysis Essay

1192 Words3 Pages

Gender stereotypes and roles have long been an issue within society. Today, people believe that gender stereotypes no longer exist, however, these preconceptions of desired gender attributes and roles strongly remain. Old Spice, a company producing men’s hygienic products, is known for its comedic advertising campaigns, focusing on references to traditionally desired masculine characteristics. Using gender stereotypes, they connect with the audience’s emotions and desires through humor and sex appeal, in order to convince them to buy Old Spice body wash. The Old Spice ad, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” represents a clear demonstration of gender stereotypes, roles and the resulting issues of sexism and inequality in society, with an …show more content…

By sexualizing the advertisements, Old Spice has successfully found a way to appeal to the younger, modern generation of males, while also appealing to the desires of the female audience. Looking at the target audience of this ad, I feel it appeals to the emotional needs of women by giving them an ideal image of what a “real man” should look and smell like. For example, the man in the ad directly addresses the ladies in a sexy, self-confident voice, asking them to compare their man to him. The ad makes women want a fit, attractive man like the one in the ad, who will get them “two tickets to that thing they love” or give them expensive diamonds. All of these cues relate to gender stereotypes and masculine ideals that are linked to a woman’s satisfaction and desires. Thus, women are more likely to purchase Old Spice Body Wash for their man, in hopes that it will make them similar to the hyper masculine figure in the …show more content…

The man in the Old Spice ad represents male gender roles in society compared to female gender roles. Throughout the ad, it is implied that a “real man” works and provides things like money and diamonds for his female partner while the “ladies” he continuously refers to represent the female gendered role in the home. From an early age in traditional societies, many boys are taught to stray from displaying “feminine” characteristics as it was deemed less permissible and “beneath them” by society. This idea is reinforced in the advertisement when the man states, “Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady”. Traditionally, society has enforced the notion of masculinity to prepare men for their role in the family and at work. Although traditional role expectations were narrower for boys than for girls, women were generally restricted to the household and cooking while men were expected to have a valued role in the workforce as the “breadwinner”. The advertisement also touches on this by implying that women are dependent on men to provide them with things like diamonds and tickets to their favorite show. In this sense, the ad implicitly portrays sexism and gender inequality that exist in society as women are stereotyped into roles that

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