Things we see daily...Do we pay attention?

1.  LifeSavers Advertisement in Cosmopolitan

When you see a lifesaver, the typical thoughts of sucking on a fruity piece of goodness may pop into your mind.  But, how many WRONG images are directly correlated with that thought-process when a feminine pronoun is implanted in that advertisement? By referring to a cherry lifesaver as “she” and going on to talk about the seemingly innocent but overly vivacious attributes of the same candy is makes "her" popular and always the "first one picked", thoughts of both stereotypical female innocence and overt female sexuality come into play.  Additionally, the thought of the implicit image of a female engaging in the act of sucking on a cherry-flavored hard candy is hard to avoid.

Image obtained from http://faculty.uml.edu/bmarshall/cult%20o2.jpg.

This advertisement portrays women as the fulfillment of men’s fantasies, which further objectifies women.  This harkens back to the days before so-called women’s liberation, when women were supposed to only concentrate on fulfilling their husband’s sexual desires; now, women are supposed to enjoy it, too! Women are to embody angelic ideals of innocence, while also a little naughty, a little wild on the inside to make sure not ALL of the excitement is gone.  BUT, this release of untamed exuberance is to be bottled up and not displayed in public. Outwardly the ideal female is to be pure, subtle, and perfectly refined.  This dual image is what makes a woman desirable.  

Cosmopolitan is a magazine that proclaims to promote the modern, sexually liberated women. The content of this publication centers on outward beauty, sexual independence and career advancement. However, many of the advertisers it promotes contradict the content of the magazine with ads that portray a very different picture of the ideal woman. The ads amidst a plethora of articles promoting individual independence and self-reliance tell women that they remain subservient to men and are present merely to bring them pleasure. The ads, coupled with the content of the publication, which focuses largely on beauty tips, sexual advice, etc. promulgate that which will please guys. Take for instance these themes: “scents that seduce any man” and “how long guys want sex to last.”

2.  E*Trade Singing Baby Commercial, 2009 Super Bowl

In the plethora of commercials in the 2009 Super Bowl, I remember seeing an E*Trade commercial and thinking something about it was just a little bit off.  I watched it again and realized that the black and white hierarchical relationship can be seen in the dialogue between the two babies in this commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBDQ76rQb6A

In the short 32 seconds that the commercial runs, the Caucasian baby “takes charge” of the situation by being a knowledgeable investor while the African-American baby spins off of whatever the white baby says.  He introduces humor into the commercial by being a little left-of-center and not exactly on the same page as the Caucasian child.  By portraying the white child as the intelligent, informed and reasonable of the two babies, the ad makes the black child the hub of humor and the butt of the joke.

3.  Zagar and Steve Bud Light Television Commercial

One of the rampant stereotypes we talked about previously in class regarding the portrayal of American Indians can be directly seen in a series of Bud Light commercials featuring a pair of quirky roommates, one a naïve and violent Indian shown in war paint with a spear and loin cloth, not knowing how to engage in “civilized” behavior.  This commercial openly accosts Native Americans as uncivilized and savage, a stereotype that has been reinforced throughout the decades because of the mainstream’s population lack of understanding of the Indian culture and history.  Moreover, this commercial does absolutely nothing to even attempt to conceal its bigoted viewpoints.  In fact, it blatantly supports such stereotypes by making the Native American a comical character with costumed face paint and scanty clothes running around civilized society. 

Image obtained from http://www.bluecorncomics.com/pics/zagar3.jpg

To view the commercial, visit this link which will take you to Bud Light's web page: http://www.zagarandsteve.com/index.aspx

4.  O Magazine Advertisement Overall Analysis

I found an approximate 5 to 1 ratio of advertisements mainly featuring white women versus minorities in The Oprah Magazine in October of 2008.  THE OPRAH MAGAZINE!...a magazine that is supposed to cater to all women of all types and all circumstances. We all know that Oprah is hailed for her fabulous philanthropic work in countless communities throughout the world as well as for her inspirational outlook on life.  But the in her magazine promote products that do not coincide with Oprah’s “accept you for who you are” outlook.  I noticed that in two different ads, each with a woman looking only slightly aged due to a few wrinkles under her eyes, the product being advertised was an Aveeno crème that would make her look younger. It wasn’t an ad telling women to be happy with who they are or accept the fact that they are aging, accept the fact that they have lived life and earned every wrinkle they may have. Instead, these ads promote a way to rid of any evidence of “prolonged” life in the eyes of a youthful America. 

5. African-American and Asian-American Women in O Advertisments

In one of the ads in Oprah’s magazine with minorities pictured was a young black woman in a Tiffany and Co. advertisement.  However, she was not shown bearing the luminous diamonds and silver chains typically thought of in reference to Tiffany’s, but rather a more naturalistic rendition of an attempt at “African” jewelry—a black cord piecing together large chucks of gold. On the left side of the ad, atop the woman’s shoulder, sits a little green lizard.  In the background, loom a dark grey sky and ocean.  Also, really the only time an Asian-American woman was shown was in a single ad about knowing how to invest properly—typical of the stereotype that portrays Asians as the “model minority.”  These women are readily portrayed as intelligent and successful in business, but not as able to appear many beauty ads.  Also, some ads where African-American women were shown promoted medicines for maladies such as depression or that coincide with Oprah’s “big and beautiful” campaign—not exactly idealized concepts in the American pop-culture. 

6. A Diamond is Forever Magazine Ad Campaign

I also examined a very interesting ad for diamond rings.  The beautiful, sparkly diamond bands hung on sewing pins stuck into a sewing cushion.  The first thing I thought of when I saw this was the impression the advertisement portrays is that a women’s purpose is to find a man who will buy her diamonds, start a family, and “allow” her to fulfill her role as a homemaker.

Image obtained from http://www.counterfeitchic.com/Images/Tab%20half%20ad.jpg

7.  TAB Energy Drink Ad in Vogue

This specific TAB Energy Drink ad stereotypes women in SO many ways. FIRST, it appropriately makes the can of the energy drink specifically targeted at women pink…how cliché.  Also, it makes it seem that women are willing to fake certain things (such as sexual experiences) to make a man happy, but one thing she just can’t stand to fake is her innate fashion sense.  The whole premise of the ad makes women appear both superficial and trifling. 

8.  Colereria Italiana Detergent Television Commercial

An Italian commercial shows a woman shoving her gaunt white husband into a washing machine, adding some Coloreria Italiana (washing detergent) and opening the machine to find a strong, sexy black man has replaced her husband.  The message of the commercial, trying to show how the detergent brings out the vibrant colors in one’s clothes (which will make you never want to change detergents again) and reinforces the “once you go black, you never go back” mantra. The slogan for the detergent is "Coloured is better.”  It also plays with the gender roles because the husband enters the scene trying to be sexy and suave while the wife is in her “rightful place,” slaving over the laundry.

Coloreria Italiana | Viral | SPIKE.com

9. H&M Fashions Spread in Glamour

In an H&M Fashions two-page spread in Glamour, four women and three men model the apparel on two planes.  In front, three Caucasian females are easy to be seen with their perfect pale skin and blue eyes glistening. However, on the back line, a single woman of color is almost completely covered by the man in the front and wears a veil that obscures your direct line of vision to her face.  I simply found the placement of this single minority figure in the ad to be inappropriate.  Not only is she put in the back, but also out of view for the most part (or at least not front and center for the world to concentrate on).

10. Crystal Light Ad in Women’s Health

In a Crystal Light ad from Women’s Health, the page is separated into two halves and an image of a female in either half.  On the left side is a black and white portrait of a Caucasian woman, standing motionless in a white lacey dress with a very innocent expression on her face, seemingly quiet and lacking in any type of expressive body language.  She is the typical “ideal woman” of many decades.  On the other side is a African-American woman dancing with a bright orange dress flipping to the side with the motion and curvature of her body.  The image is vivacious and colorful.  Skeptics may want to peruse the image and say that the woman is being portrayed as the typical “loud, obnoxious, attitude-filled” African-American female…Yet, the tag-line reads “Pale is ordinary. One of the crowd. You are one of a kind. Enjoy every wonderful minute.” This ad actually portrays a colored female as beautiful and something to be proud of whereas white is simply the norm…the ordinary.  What is problematic, still, in this portrayal is that one woman is made inferior, while the other is put on a pedestal. While I realize that the ad is simply trying to make a point about how clear water is boring and water filled with Crystal Light flavored powders is better, I wish they could come up with a way to convey the message without making one person superior to another (I know this is very utopian thinking but I'm an optimist!).  

While the media has come a long way in the placement of minorities in advertisements, we still have a long way to go to figure out how to make the portrayals of minority groups in those advertisements equal to that of how the normative standard of young, white, thin, beautiful/handsome, and flawless is depicted.  I have seen that in the magazines I love and in commercials that I view over and over again, are being shown biased images that are leading our world in a way that will not better relationships between people, but further divide and give certain groups a sense of superiority.  It is amazing at how subconscious this act is…how easily one can glance at a picture or a slogan or a TV commercial and not realize the prejudicial messages that he/she is receiving.  When certain symbols are used convey certain messages, specific races are used to convey those messages.  If it’s wild, untamed, bright, loud, or natural, an African-American woman is used. If it’s angelic, picturesque, flawless, or innocent, white females are shown.  When they need a strong, robust man, they use an athletic black male.  When advertisers want to portray a successful, affluent, high-class business-man, a white male is typically shown.  When we finally start looking for them, these stereotypical portrayals are easy to find and even more alarmingly, found great in number.  

However, we must also take into account certain organizations that have gone above and beyond to ensure that their advertisements do not fit the typical molds that the media sets forth today.  Dove, NIKE, and the American Cancer Society have all taken strides to make sure that they are reaching all people of all colors, ethnicities, backgrounds, and ages within their target audiences.  Further, when analyzing advertisements, I believe we must also remember that there are specific target publics that certain products are geared towards, and therefore, those audiences will be more prevalent in their ads. 

However, those who can focus their advertising and marketing strategies toward a wider audience should make sure they take a step back and look at their messages from all angles.  

Perception of advertising tactics is overwhelmingly significant in today’s world because it can “make or break” an organization.  This is due to the fact that advertising is an easy way for people to see what that organization represents and the image it presents to the public.  If that image is composed of racial slurs, gendered stereotypes, and generally prejudiced ways of thinking, an organization is cutting themselves off from many people, limiting their possible connections and potentially their bottom line.