It's a Boy Girl Thing

Advertising has its principles and standards that will always be in place, but it is not a stationary industry. Just like the technology industry, advertising is always improving and being innovated and reaching more people and fitting into a modern lifestyle. And just like the technology industry, advertising must constantly be aware of what people want in order to be successful. I think that in 2013, what people want is to be shocked. Because of the internet we have this idea that we’ve seen it all, so when something surprises us or makes us laugh, we want more of it. 

This concept can result in both positive and negative changes to gender stereotyping in advertising. On the one hand, wanting to see something new encourages advertisers to go against the grain that’s been going one way since before advertising was born and picture women as the superior gender to men. This reverse can empower women and create an idea of women as strong, intelligent, and capable people, an image that has been suppressed for generations. On the other hand, it encourages advertisers to caricature the traditional idea of a dominant man and submissive woman, an image that has been used to devalue women for far too long. Sexism in advertising today is very complex. It’s usually present, but rarely goes so completely overboard that a random passer-by would get offended. 

This ad for Muscle Pharm is a perfect example of that complexity. It pictures a beautiful woman in revealing clothing, which sexualizes her. But she is also standing in a powerful pose with a determined look on her face, and the ad reads, “Strong is the new sexy.” The phrase addresses the sexualization of women and uses it to communicate that the traditional image of “sexy” is changing. The ad empowers women to be strong, but still relies on women’s insecurities to do so. 

This Old Spice campaign was extremely successful, and for good reason. It’s funny, unique, and memorable. But the caricature of traditional gender roles is quite obvious in the ad. While the man in the ad is actually addressing women, he is still describing a situation in which the man must be the rich, suave, manly, good looking provider and protector. I think it’s clear that the advertisers did not create this ad to downplay women, but it is still masking gender stereotypes in a cloak of humor and extreme imagery. While it may not really be right to hide sexism behind humor, it is certainly a type of humor that is hugely popular in our society. The popularity of this humor alone can be used to justify it, because the general justification process for most trends in popular culture is “everyone is doing it, so it must be okay.” 

Many products, such as athletic cups or feminine products, are meant for only one gender. Does this mean advertisements can generalize and stereotype genders in order to sell to only one? I could honestly argue from both sides. Advertising is not a stationary industry. Traditional gender roles are definitely being challenged, and while we have a long way to go, I think that’s a step in the right direction. Katherine Frith said, “Not only does advertising shape American culture; it shapes Americans’ images of themselves.” Advertisers have the power to make huge strides in the right direction, and I hope to one day be a part of that.

-Saige