Gender Stereotypes

So, I’m currently a student at Franklin University. My current assignment challenges me to create a blog, and analyze 5 print ads as to if they reflect a gender stereotype. I found these random advertisements and will be reviewing if the ad reflects a gender stereotype, counters a gender stereotype, or fails to reflect a gender stereotype. Let’s take a look!

First one up is this Natan Jewelry ad, where do I even begin? Clearly this ad reflects several female gender stereotypes. By portraying a man proposing, the ad could suggest that all women want to be married. The woman here, in high heels, starting with crossed legs – suddenly opens them when a ring is presented.  Highly suggestive that giving a woman jewelry, even if not a proposal, will make the giver sexually desirable. Look at the language, “The first remote control ever invented…” suggests a women is an object to be controlled. Televisions and car garages have remote controls, women are not objects to be controlled by men.

The mere fact that this ad doesn’t show either of their faces, only the woman’s legs make this a sexually charged ad. Which further perpetuates the stereotype of women as sex objects, which suggests that all men want is sex. Sure, her legs may be crossed, but ad suggests – if you give a woman what she wants, she will give a man what he wants. Yuck all the way around!

In my world, this car ad is no different than any other car ad in that, it is geared toward men. Big surprise. A sexy women, again in heels, with her butt fully exposed. Yeah, I’m going on record to say I am clearly not the target audience for this ad. Don’t even get me started on the caption, “You know you’re not the first, but do you really care?,” reinforces the stereotype that physically attractive women are promiscuous. Notice her leg hiked up on the counter in a sexually provocative pose. Once again portraying women as stereotypical sexual objects.

Question. Where’s the car?! I get, sex sells. Why not put this beautiful woman behind the wheel of an Aston Martin? Although objectifying, put her in a bikini on the hood of a car. That wouldn’t get anyone’s attention? Do we even need to address the stereotype that ALL men find this type of woman attractive: tall, long blonde hair?

This ad is so sexually charged and provocative, Aston Martin didn’t even notice they misspelled “Pre-Owned.”

Unfortunately, these next two ads are more of the same. Take a look at this ad by Reborn to be Alive for organ donation. Stereotypical Caucasian,  long blonde haired, size zero, woman in a sexy pose, wearing only a bra and panties. You probably can’t see the caption, so please allow me. It reads, ” Becoming a donor is probably your only chance to get inside her.” If this ad doesn’t reflect a gender stereotype, I don’t know what does. What on G-d’s green earth, does organ donation have to do with sex? Is this ad suppose to compel men to become organ donors?

Even worse is this Burger King ad depicting a woman bug eyed and her mouth wide open to what Burger King calls the BK super seven incher. The caption, “It’ll Blow…Your Mind Away.” We see the repeating negative stereotype of women only being good for sex: whether is jewelry, cars, food, or organ donation.

The non-verbal communication in four out of  five of these ads, speaks volumes.  They all speak to the masculine gender role expectations in American culture and society. Through these ads we witness the over emphasized sexual aggression, prominent in the masculine role of many cultures, not just American – even when the product has NOTHING to do with sex.

My final ad, thankfully, counters the gender stereotype. Iris Wenger is a young and beautiful software engineer featured in a San Francisco subway ad campaign, promoting her company One Login Engineering. The ad received a huge response on Twitter, from people who challenged whether the ad was authentic. The ad went viral when female engineers from all over the world started tweeting photos of themselves with the hastag, IlookLikeAnEngineer.

Why the firestorm? Because she is beautiful, she can’t be smart? Let’s perpetuate the stereotype and gender bias that all engineers can only be Caucasian and male. We have yet to explore the ways gender stereotypes create sexism in various industries. Perhaps that’s another blog for another time.

In my humble opinion, I would have had access to a better variety of ads countering gender stereotypes, had I been permitted to use television commercials.  Like the latest Amazon Echo commercial where the dad takes care of an infant while mom takes a break. Generally, Mom is the caregiver. But it’s Echo to the rescue with reminders to Dad about what to do and when to do it, to help Dad make it through the day: including a reminder that he is loved and doing an great job.  I would have been able to write about every current Progressive commercial with characters Flo and Jamie, which fail to reflect a gender stereotype. Take your pick, every current Progressive commercial show males and females, not in any gender specific role, just selling insurance. No sex involved. See, it is possible to have an ad solely about the product.

Overall this assignment has shown me the importance of being aware of times I may be guilty of gender stereotyping. It’s important I don’t push people into a box I think they fit in. Rather, I should give them the freedom and space to express themselves to me, and go from there.