Gender, identity and advertising: blog task
Read this extract from Media, Gender and Identity by David Gauntlett. This is another university-level piece of academic writing so it will be challenging - but there are some fascinating ideas here regarding the changing representation of men and women in the media. If you can't access David Gauntlett's website, the text is also available here.
1) What examples does Gauntlett provide of the "decline of tradition"? How can we link our advertising CSPs (Score hair cream and Maybelline 'That Boss Life') to this idea?
Gauntlett uses the media as an example of how it has been able to revert the traditional views and ideals people have in society and has been able to re-write these to fit the modern generation and bring in views of non-binary views people may not have had previously.
We can see from the Score advert and Maybelline advert that with the gap of 50 years of the release of both that while the Score advert poses the view of masculinity to be the post internet and social media view of what it meant to be masculine with the man being the one carried and adored by the woman because he has "scored", in comparison the Maybelline advert poses a completely opposite view on what we see to be masculine and traditional in the modern day due to the two YouTube influential people being used to promote their product. This conveys that in modern day due to technology and star recognition that people who have become famous on the internet are used in every day promotional material. The use of Manny Guitierrez who is a gay make up artist who has a YouTube channel and Score's straight man being carried by multiple women pose completely different views on what people would see as the norm, as at the time of publishing the Score advert there was a rise in the way women are viewed and treated in which the advert challenged, while the Maybelline advert uses Manny to also raise the view to support the changing views that people have on society and what is beginning to seem normal and traditional.
2) How does Gauntlett suggest the media influences the way we construct our own identities?
Gauntlett suggests this by referring to the accessibility that people get with the internet and how due to a "greater variety of identities to emerge", people have become more comfortable in being able to open up with their identities due to the "alone together" theory in which due to social media people are able to voice their opinions and views and have support of them due to others being able to share their views. As Gauntlett refers to Ulrich Beck who say's that everyone wants to 'live their own life', this means that people do not have to be restricted by the boundaries set by people and do not have to accept traditions but go against them if they wish.
3) How do the two CSPs reflect the generational differences that Gauntlett discusses? Is it a good thing that the media seems to promote modern liberal values?
I believe that the two CSP's do convey and support the claims made by Gauntlett that due to the liberal values that the younger generation have brought into existence in the modern generation, the Score and Maybelline advert show how with the views of what is traditional has drastically changed over the past 50 years.
4) Why might Manny and Shayla be a good example of the role models that Gauntlett discusses - and also demonstrate how those role models have changed in recent years?
Both the role models that are used are good examples of what Gauntlett is referring to a both of the media figures focus their work on make up and beauty, which is why they were chosen by Maybelline to advertise the makeup product to ensure audiences with agree with their influences and purchase the product as they see them as role models.
5) Why does the Score hair cream advert provide such a good example of traditional masculinity? How can you link this to Gauntlett's discussion of whether masculinity is in crisis?
The advert is a good example of masculinity at the time as it shows how the men expected women to do everything for them as they were the breadwinners and the women were expected to be housewives and care for the man in which as seen in the score advert the women are carrying the man after a long day of hunting. The time of decade of this advert being made homosexuality was made legal and the equal pay act was introduced with this it feels like the advert was attempting to go against the changes that were happening in society and began to reinforce the old stereotypes.
6) Gauntlett consistently argues that masculinity is not in crisis. Can the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert be used as evidence of this?
I think that the Maybelline advert does not reinforce the idea of masculinity being in crisis as I believe that the advert constructs new views of what it may be seen to be masculine and what may be the norm, but the advert challenges what was previously seen as being masculine there does illustrate how masculinity is in crisis.
7) Does advertising still reinforce the "conventionally rugged, super-independent, extra-strong macho man" that Gauntlett discusses? Offer examples for both sides of the argument from the wider advertising industry.
I believe that in adverts that are made for the man that see's himself to be the macho and independent self-have adverts that are made for them, these mainly consist of perfume adverts and shaving product adverts. While adverts made for makeup or hair products show very oppositional men that they would like to see.
8) Gauntlett discusses the idea of 'girl power' and offers examples from music and film. Does advertising provide evidence to support the idea of 'girl power' or is the industry still reinforcing traditional representations of men and women?
I believe that adverts that are made today have made a positive improvement to how women are treated i advertising as less and less so they are not shown to be used for the male gaze or be there to supply for the male, although some may argue that some advertisers still use women to be shown to supplement the male gaze, such as perfume adverts or lingerie adverts.
9) Do you agree with Gauntlett's argument under 'Popular feminism, women and men' where he suggests that younger generations are not threatened by traditional gender roles and are comfortable with social changes? Does advertising (and our CSPs in particular) provide examples either reinforcing or challenging this idea that younger generations are more comfortable with changing gender roles?
I believe that the Maybelline advert does strongly reinforce this statement as the younger generation is able to see that the celebrities they idolise and aspire to be like may also share the same representations as them, this allows the younger generation to see people that may have been seen as minorities as being the norm and are extremely comfortable with coming out. With the Maybelline advert and Manny who is an openly gay man who has a YouTube channel on make-up while may mainly have a female audience the male audience that he does have will share the same views and possibly characteristics as him, therefore are comfortable and happy to see him in the Maybelline advert.
10) How do the two advertising CSPs show the changing 'diversity of sexualities' that Gauntlett suggests?
With the Score advert suggesting how men should be the breadwinners and be idolized by women while the Maybelline advert conveys the opposite representation of sexuality that the Score advert shows, this is due to the advert showing a man using makeup, which would never be seen at the time of publishing of the Score advert. This conveys that between the 50 years of advertising that the roles of what men and women play and how they have now broken the barriers that restricted them
11) What examples from advertising does Gauntlett provide for the changing nature of gender in society (from the section on Judith Butler's Gender trouble)?
'Some advertising - such as the sexually charged but androgynous imagery promoting the CK One fragrance 'for a man or a woman' - had reminded viewers of the similarity of genders, hinting that it wouldn't matter which of the attractive male or female models you chose to desire. Other ads (such as ones for Impulse deodorant and Kronenbourglager) playfully teased heterosexual desires only to reveal that the lust object was more interested in their own sex, pointing audiences to the unpredictability of sexualities'
12) How can the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert be applied to Judith Butler's work on 'gender trouble'?
The advert targets the people that identify or accept the idea of non-binary gender roles. There is no direct boundary between the roles of Shayla and Manny as they both have individual identities and don't reflect a certain ideal- they show that you can be different from the norm of people and still be successful. The division between them is certainly 'shattered' as they both have the same profession and interests in life, yet there are multiple forms of identity as they identify as different types of people.
13) How can our two advertising CSPs be used to argue that power has shifted from media institutions to audiences? (Clue: how did Manny and Shayla from the Maybelline advert first become famous?)
Manny and Shayla became famous because they made content that made people want to watch- the decision was made by the audience to make them successful, not by the Youtube industry itself. In the past, the industry decided whether or not a person would be successful, usually depending on a persons race, skin colour and appearance. Now it more depends of quality and talent.
14) Why is advertising such a good example of the 'contradictory elements' that Gauntlett discusses with regards to the mass media? In other words, how does advertising continue to both reinforce and challenge gender stereotypes?
Brands who target an older audience tend to stick to traditional ways of advertising, by using celebrities (such as actors/actresses) because they think it's what their audience want. They're less likely to follow trends, especially those set by younger people. Brands that target a younger audience aren't afraid of doing that, because they know they're audience are going to appreciate it.
15) Finally, Gauntlett makes a clear case that things change and modern identities are increasingly fluid. How do our advertising CSPs demonstrate the changing attitudes towards gender and sexuality in society?
The 1967 score advert has a very traditional approach to advertising. For example, the very clear dominance of the man demonstrates the patriarchal society that there was then. The maybelline advert challenges peoples approach to masculinity and men wearing make up.
Read this extract from Media, Gender and Identity by David Gauntlett. This is another university-level piece of academic writing so it will be challenging - but there are some fascinating ideas here regarding the changing representation of men and women in the media. If you can't access David Gauntlett's website, the text is also available here.
1) What examples does Gauntlett provide of the "decline of tradition"? How can we link our advertising CSPs (Score hair cream and Maybelline 'That Boss Life') to this idea?
Gauntlett uses the media as an example of how it has been able to revert the traditional views and ideals people have in society and has been able to re-write these to fit the modern generation and bring in views of non-binary views people may not have had previously.
We can see from the Score advert and Maybelline advert that with the gap of 50 years of the release of both that while the Score advert poses the view of masculinity to be the post internet and social media view of what it meant to be masculine with the man being the one carried and adored by the woman because he has "scored", in comparison the Maybelline advert poses a completely opposite view on what we see to be masculine and traditional in the modern day due to the two YouTube influential people being used to promote their product. This conveys that in modern day due to technology and star recognition that people who have become famous on the internet are used in every day promotional material. The use of Manny Guitierrez who is a gay make up artist who has a YouTube channel and Score's straight man being carried by multiple women pose completely different views on what people would see as the norm, as at the time of publishing the Score advert there was a rise in the way women are viewed and treated in which the advert challenged, while the Maybelline advert uses Manny to also raise the view to support the changing views that people have on society and what is beginning to seem normal and traditional.
2) How does Gauntlett suggest the media influences the way we construct our own identities?
Gauntlett suggests this by referring to the accessibility that people get with the internet and how due to a "greater variety of identities to emerge", people have become more comfortable in being able to open up with their identities due to the "alone together" theory in which due to social media people are able to voice their opinions and views and have support of them due to others being able to share their views. As Gauntlett refers to Ulrich Beck who say's that everyone wants to 'live their own life', this means that people do not have to be restricted by the boundaries set by people and do not have to accept traditions but go against them if they wish.
3) How do the two CSPs reflect the generational differences that Gauntlett discusses? Is it a good thing that the media seems to promote modern liberal values?
I believe that the two CSP's do convey and support the claims made by Gauntlett that due to the liberal values that the younger generation have brought into existence in the modern generation, the Score and Maybelline advert show how with the views of what is traditional has drastically changed over the past 50 years.
4) Why might Manny and Shayla be a good example of the role models that Gauntlett discusses - and also demonstrate how those role models have changed in recent years?
Both the role models that are used are good examples of what Gauntlett is referring to a both of the media figures focus their work on make up and beauty, which is why they were chosen by Maybelline to advertise the makeup product to ensure audiences with agree with their influences and purchase the product as they see them as role models.
5) Why does the Score hair cream advert provide such a good example of traditional masculinity? How can you link this to Gauntlett's discussion of whether masculinity is in crisis?
The advert is a good example of masculinity at the time as it shows how the men expected women to do everything for them as they were the breadwinners and the women were expected to be housewives and care for the man in which as seen in the score advert the women are carrying the man after a long day of hunting. The time of decade of this advert being made homosexuality was made legal and the equal pay act was introduced with this it feels like the advert was attempting to go against the changes that were happening in society and began to reinforce the old stereotypes.
6) Gauntlett consistently argues that masculinity is not in crisis. Can the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert be used as evidence of this?
I think that the Maybelline advert does not reinforce the idea of masculinity being in crisis as I believe that the advert constructs new views of what it may be seen to be masculine and what may be the norm, but the advert challenges what was previously seen as being masculine there does illustrate how masculinity is in crisis.
7) Does advertising still reinforce the "conventionally rugged, super-independent, extra-strong macho man" that Gauntlett discusses? Offer examples for both sides of the argument from the wider advertising industry.
I believe that in adverts that are made for the man that see's himself to be the macho and independent self-have adverts that are made for them, these mainly consist of perfume adverts and shaving product adverts. While adverts made for makeup or hair products show very oppositional men that they would like to see.
8) Gauntlett discusses the idea of 'girl power' and offers examples from music and film. Does advertising provide evidence to support the idea of 'girl power' or is the industry still reinforcing traditional representations of men and women?
I believe that adverts that are made today have made a positive improvement to how women are treated i advertising as less and less so they are not shown to be used for the male gaze or be there to supply for the male, although some may argue that some advertisers still use women to be shown to supplement the male gaze, such as perfume adverts or lingerie adverts.
9) Do you agree with Gauntlett's argument under 'Popular feminism, women and men' where he suggests that younger generations are not threatened by traditional gender roles and are comfortable with social changes? Does advertising (and our CSPs in particular) provide examples either reinforcing or challenging this idea that younger generations are more comfortable with changing gender roles?
I believe that the Maybelline advert does strongly reinforce this statement as the younger generation is able to see that the celebrities they idolise and aspire to be like may also share the same representations as them, this allows the younger generation to see people that may have been seen as minorities as being the norm and are extremely comfortable with coming out. With the Maybelline advert and Manny who is an openly gay man who has a YouTube channel on make-up while may mainly have a female audience the male audience that he does have will share the same views and possibly characteristics as him, therefore are comfortable and happy to see him in the Maybelline advert.
10) How do the two advertising CSPs show the changing 'diversity of sexualities' that Gauntlett suggests?
With the Score advert suggesting how men should be the breadwinners and be idolized by women while the Maybelline advert conveys the opposite representation of sexuality that the Score advert shows, this is due to the advert showing a man using makeup, which would never be seen at the time of publishing of the Score advert. This conveys that between the 50 years of advertising that the roles of what men and women play and how they have now broken the barriers that restricted them
11) What examples from advertising does Gauntlett provide for the changing nature of gender in society (from the section on Judith Butler's Gender trouble)?
'Some advertising - such as the sexually charged but androgynous imagery promoting the CK One fragrance 'for a man or a woman' - had reminded viewers of the similarity of genders, hinting that it wouldn't matter which of the attractive male or female models you chose to desire. Other ads (such as ones for Impulse deodorant and Kronenbourglager) playfully teased heterosexual desires only to reveal that the lust object was more interested in their own sex, pointing audiences to the unpredictability of sexualities'
12) How can the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert be applied to Judith Butler's work on 'gender trouble'?
The advert targets the people that identify or accept the idea of non-binary gender roles. There is no direct boundary between the roles of Shayla and Manny as they both have individual identities and don't reflect a certain ideal- they show that you can be different from the norm of people and still be successful. The division between them is certainly 'shattered' as they both have the same profession and interests in life, yet there are multiple forms of identity as they identify as different types of people.
13) How can our two advertising CSPs be used to argue that power has shifted from media institutions to audiences? (Clue: how did Manny and Shayla from the Maybelline advert first become famous?)
Manny and Shayla became famous because they made content that made people want to watch- the decision was made by the audience to make them successful, not by the Youtube industry itself. In the past, the industry decided whether or not a person would be successful, usually depending on a persons race, skin colour and appearance. Now it more depends of quality and talent.
14) Why is advertising such a good example of the 'contradictory elements' that Gauntlett discusses with regards to the mass media? In other words, how does advertising continue to both reinforce and challenge gender stereotypes?
Brands who target an older audience tend to stick to traditional ways of advertising, by using celebrities (such as actors/actresses) because they think it's what their audience want. They're less likely to follow trends, especially those set by younger people. Brands that target a younger audience aren't afraid of doing that, because they know they're audience are going to appreciate it.
15) Finally, Gauntlett makes a clear case that things change and modern identities are increasingly fluid. How do our advertising CSPs demonstrate the changing attitudes towards gender and sexuality in society?
The 1967 score advert has a very traditional approach to advertising. For example, the very clear dominance of the man demonstrates the patriarchal society that there was then. The maybelline advert challenges peoples approach to masculinity and men wearing make up.
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