2008 Woodie Awards
And You Thought They Were Just Commercials
Karina Lyons
Issue date: 12/6/07 Section: Outside the Bubble
Have you ever watched something on television that made your skin crawl, squirm in your chair, throw up a little in your mouth? I'm not talking about the Discovery Channel, I'm talking about the commercials we see everyday on prime time TV. The laundry detergent commercials that specifically target women; the male-oriented diamond commercials; the girls always playing with their babies and the boys always bonding over their toolsets. According to Jean Kilbourne, we see over 3,000 advertisements everyday and will spend three years of our lives watching TV commercials. If you're part of this American culture I'm sure you have unknowingly witnessed them all.
In our culture, commercials are 30 seconds of social construction. They are used as a tool to teach individuals their role in society, and to uphold existing power structures of middle class white men on top, and everyone else below them.
This past summer I conducted research analyzing gender portrayals in children's television commercials. I watched over 200 commercials at least 30 times each, which in itself was quite a feat. Fortunate for me, I no longer watch, enjoy, or hate commercials the same way.
From my research I have witnessed the powerful portrayal of gender hierarchy in commercial advertising: constructing and enforcing the idea of men as strong, hard, and violent, and women as dainty, weak, and passive. In our society, these caricatures of masculinity and femininity are used to place men as dominant and women as subordinate.
Commercials draw this caricature of femininity in a variety of ways. Their tactics express gender attributes through each segment of the commercial, from particular wording to the facial expressions of the characters. For example, women in commercials show more expressions, smiles, and laughter, whereas men show significantly less expression, displaying instead scowls and blank faces. This tactic reinforces women as more emotional and men as more rational. Such portrayals of difference further support our society's dependence on a gender binary which utilize such differences in order to create inequality. Each element found in every commercial is used to promote caricatures of femininity and masculinity to further uphold restricting gender roles.
One commercial which thoroughly upset me all summer was this one for Clorox bleach. On the surface, the commercial portrays laundry through generations. Each shot depicts a woman working hard to clean clothes for her husband and family. This message implies that only women do laundry, and that men, from college students to fathers everywhere, are not capable of operating a washing machine or handling the mysterious complexities of detergent. This commercial constructs the image of women serving as men's maids, and places women in a permanent domestic role belonging to the private realm of the household. Even today when women enjoy careers in the public workplace, it is still expected for them to also take care of the home.
Therefore women essentially hold two jobs, one as maid and caretaker of the home, and another as a member of the work force. Men come home from work and create messes whereas women come home from work to clean them up. Men are then portrayed as inherently dirty and messy, but society expects boys to be boys, and they will always have a woman to clean up after them. Just like your mom, and your mom's mom, and your grandma's mom... women have always been the keepers of clean. Time will tell if future generations can change that.
On to another commercial, one I can only watch for so long before I have to turn away. This commercial combines sexually driven advertising strategies with selling perfume for women. I don't even care how great it may smell (mind you, the perfume is never actually featured in the commercial). What is featured are disturbing scenes in which P. Diddy seems to be forcing a woman to engage in sexual acts without her consent. It's hard to tell in some parts of the commercial if the woman is enjoying herself or if she is in agony. This ad is a direct commentary on our society's desensitized attitude surrounding rape. Having such an ad run in 2007 implies that our society is not bothered by rape, and even suggests that it's okay for men to pressure women in sexual acts (as long as she's attractive). Having this ad air is especially startling since its audience members are impressionable young women who will view this male violence as acceptable. The perfume is targeted toward women and is called "Unforgivable," which raises the question of whether or not the woman is being punished with these sexually aggressive acts. Who is really "unforgivable" in the commercial? Thankfully it was pulled from television, but the just-as-suggestive print ad is in circulation (www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/images/Unforgivable_Woman.jpg)
In Dove's newest round of supposedly revolutionary commercials, a little girl is being exposed to every source of media influence on appearances and beauty. Images quickly flash by, stressing the importance of beauty and slimness in our society. With scantily-clad thin women, provocative dancers, weight loss pills, diet, exercise, and plastic surgery, the commercial surges through images all girls and women are exposed to daily. This is a revolutionary commercial in that it strives to go against the hype of fakeness and the unobtainable standards of beauty our society places on women, but you must remember, it is still a commercial. Of course, the little girl in the commercial is gorgeous, adorable, white, and clearly middle-to-upper class as portrayed through the appearance of impeccable grooming and clothing combined with the lush landscaping of the neighborhood surrounding her.
Are only people in these categories allowed to reject these societal pressures? And is she really breaking outside the mold if she still gives in to the advertising done by Dove? In this commercial, the advertising agencies flash these horrific images on screen so that you will think their company is on your side, so that you will in turn, buy their products. This is a different strategy in comparison to other commercials out there, but it is sending subliminal messages. I have to admit, having a campaign for real beauty is appealing, but don't get too absorbed-it's still advertising and still trying to get you to buy, buy, BUY.
If stores could box up holiday cheer and sell it to make a profit, they would. These Macy's commercials came out well before Thanksgiving, which is such a huge pet peeve of mine, (that and the complete marketing take-over of the holiday spirit). In the second Macy's holiday commercial, I could not escape the fake, marketed glow or the sexist portrayals, which fell throughout the commercials like a holiday snowstorm. This ad utilizes the celebrity who made a name for herself by acting downright stupid and continues to create a poor image for women everywhere. Oh yes-Jessica Simpson. In these commercials, the only time Jessica is on-screen, she is messing something up and further enforcing femininity as a mark of incapability. In her first scene, she attempts to create a paper chain of dolls, yet of course, she is not capable of a simple holiday craft-a craft stereotypically assigned to women anyways. This portrays her as not even good enough to do a woman's job-and definitely nowhere near a man's job.
Later in the commercial, she trips over the electrical cord, unplugging the lights of the Christmas tree, further portraying women as lower in intelligence and therefore inferior to men. Also, in the second form of the commercial, she cannot even figure out how to open a door. Her ridiculous acts of stupidity are not cute, they are just plain annoying. This not only further demeans women, it's also really aggravating.
Also, notice how men largely outnumber women in this commercial and speak the most lines. Martha Stewart makes an appearance as the type A mother figure, making sure everything is in its place, and enforcing women's role of domesticity. Kimora Lee Simmons also makes an appearance with her two daughters, and in the second form of the commercial, exclaims, "Gotta be fabulous," which dually enforces women in roles of motherhood and materialism. Not only that, she is also setting up her daughters to be similarly placed in restricting female roles. These two commercials utilize celebrities as stereotypical feminine portrayals to advertise femininity as negative and inferior in our society.
These commercials have shown various ways in which women are encouraged to act in their role as subordinate to males. Also, commercials largely advertise and encourage men to be aggressive and dominant over women and other men, such as many of the beer commercials out there. These can be devastating to everyone, no matter your gender. They provide yet another reason to turn off the television (or get Tivo). This just goes to show how gender norms pervade every aspect of our society-and you thought they were just commercials.
For an interesting and revealing look at advertising check out this video:
In our culture, commercials are 30 seconds of social construction. They are used as a tool to teach individuals their role in society, and to uphold existing power structures of middle class white men on top, and everyone else below them.
This past summer I conducted research analyzing gender portrayals in children's television commercials. I watched over 200 commercials at least 30 times each, which in itself was quite a feat. Fortunate for me, I no longer watch, enjoy, or hate commercials the same way.
From my research I have witnessed the powerful portrayal of gender hierarchy in commercial advertising: constructing and enforcing the idea of men as strong, hard, and violent, and women as dainty, weak, and passive. In our society, these caricatures of masculinity and femininity are used to place men as dominant and women as subordinate.
Commercials draw this caricature of femininity in a variety of ways. Their tactics express gender attributes through each segment of the commercial, from particular wording to the facial expressions of the characters. For example, women in commercials show more expressions, smiles, and laughter, whereas men show significantly less expression, displaying instead scowls and blank faces. This tactic reinforces women as more emotional and men as more rational. Such portrayals of difference further support our society's dependence on a gender binary which utilize such differences in order to create inequality. Each element found in every commercial is used to promote caricatures of femininity and masculinity to further uphold restricting gender roles.
"Clorox commerical - laundry timeline"
One commercial which thoroughly upset me all summer was this one for Clorox bleach. On the surface, the commercial portrays laundry through generations. Each shot depicts a woman working hard to clean clothes for her husband and family. This message implies that only women do laundry, and that men, from college students to fathers everywhere, are not capable of operating a washing machine or handling the mysterious complexities of detergent. This commercial constructs the image of women serving as men's maids, and places women in a permanent domestic role belonging to the private realm of the household. Even today when women enjoy careers in the public workplace, it is still expected for them to also take care of the home.
Therefore women essentially hold two jobs, one as maid and caretaker of the home, and another as a member of the work force. Men come home from work and create messes whereas women come home from work to clean them up. Men are then portrayed as inherently dirty and messy, but society expects boys to be boys, and they will always have a woman to clean up after them. Just like your mom, and your mom's mom, and your grandma's mom... women have always been the keepers of clean. Time will tell if future generations can change that.
"Sean Combs - Unforgivable"
On to another commercial, one I can only watch for so long before I have to turn away. This commercial combines sexually driven advertising strategies with selling perfume for women. I don't even care how great it may smell (mind you, the perfume is never actually featured in the commercial). What is featured are disturbing scenes in which P. Diddy seems to be forcing a woman to engage in sexual acts without her consent. It's hard to tell in some parts of the commercial if the woman is enjoying herself or if she is in agony. This ad is a direct commentary on our society's desensitized attitude surrounding rape. Having such an ad run in 2007 implies that our society is not bothered by rape, and even suggests that it's okay for men to pressure women in sexual acts (as long as she's attractive). Having this ad air is especially startling since its audience members are impressionable young women who will view this male violence as acceptable. The perfume is targeted toward women and is called "Unforgivable," which raises the question of whether or not the woman is being punished with these sexually aggressive acts. Who is really "unforgivable" in the commercial? Thankfully it was pulled from television, but the just-as-suggestive print ad is in circulation (www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/images/Unforgivable_Woman.jpg)
"Dove Onslaught"
In Dove's newest round of supposedly revolutionary commercials, a little girl is being exposed to every source of media influence on appearances and beauty. Images quickly flash by, stressing the importance of beauty and slimness in our society. With scantily-clad thin women, provocative dancers, weight loss pills, diet, exercise, and plastic surgery, the commercial surges through images all girls and women are exposed to daily. This is a revolutionary commercial in that it strives to go against the hype of fakeness and the unobtainable standards of beauty our society places on women, but you must remember, it is still a commercial. Of course, the little girl in the commercial is gorgeous, adorable, white, and clearly middle-to-upper class as portrayed through the appearance of impeccable grooming and clothing combined with the lush landscaping of the neighborhood surrounding her.
Are only people in these categories allowed to reject these societal pressures? And is she really breaking outside the mold if she still gives in to the advertising done by Dove? In this commercial, the advertising agencies flash these horrific images on screen so that you will think their company is on your side, so that you will in turn, buy their products. This is a different strategy in comparison to other commercials out there, but it is sending subliminal messages. I have to admit, having a campaign for real beauty is appealing, but don't get too absorbed-it's still advertising and still trying to get you to buy, buy, BUY.
"The Magic of Macy's - New Season"
"The Magic of Macy's - Morning"
If stores could box up holiday cheer and sell it to make a profit, they would. These Macy's commercials came out well before Thanksgiving, which is such a huge pet peeve of mine, (that and the complete marketing take-over of the holiday spirit). In the second Macy's holiday commercial, I could not escape the fake, marketed glow or the sexist portrayals, which fell throughout the commercials like a holiday snowstorm. This ad utilizes the celebrity who made a name for herself by acting downright stupid and continues to create a poor image for women everywhere. Oh yes-Jessica Simpson. In these commercials, the only time Jessica is on-screen, she is messing something up and further enforcing femininity as a mark of incapability. In her first scene, she attempts to create a paper chain of dolls, yet of course, she is not capable of a simple holiday craft-a craft stereotypically assigned to women anyways. This portrays her as not even good enough to do a woman's job-and definitely nowhere near a man's job.
Later in the commercial, she trips over the electrical cord, unplugging the lights of the Christmas tree, further portraying women as lower in intelligence and therefore inferior to men. Also, in the second form of the commercial, she cannot even figure out how to open a door. Her ridiculous acts of stupidity are not cute, they are just plain annoying. This not only further demeans women, it's also really aggravating.
Also, notice how men largely outnumber women in this commercial and speak the most lines. Martha Stewart makes an appearance as the type A mother figure, making sure everything is in its place, and enforcing women's role of domesticity. Kimora Lee Simmons also makes an appearance with her two daughters, and in the second form of the commercial, exclaims, "Gotta be fabulous," which dually enforces women in roles of motherhood and materialism. Not only that, she is also setting up her daughters to be similarly placed in restricting female roles. These two commercials utilize celebrities as stereotypical feminine portrayals to advertise femininity as negative and inferior in our society.
These commercials have shown various ways in which women are encouraged to act in their role as subordinate to males. Also, commercials largely advertise and encourage men to be aggressive and dominant over women and other men, such as many of the beer commercials out there. These can be devastating to everyone, no matter your gender. They provide yet another reason to turn off the television (or get Tivo). This just goes to show how gender norms pervade every aspect of our society-and you thought they were just commercials.
For an interesting and revealing look at advertising check out this video:
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Heather
posted 3/11/08 @ 11:57 AM PST
Some very interesting points - thanks for the videos, especially the last one, its very useful and inciteful
Rachelle
posted 7/29/08 @ 7:55 AM PST
Very good information to watch and hear. Men act like they cant take a simple broom and sweep away some scraps of paper and yet society makes it seems that men are smarter than women. (Continued…)
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