Women=More Than a Cook, Housecleaner, Model

            Women currently are CEOs, managers, doctors, lawyers, dentists, registered nurses, and construction workers, so why are there still advertisements out there publicizing gender stereotypes of women being weak, ditzy, and serving men? Despite the major accomplishments of women in athletics, business, government, and various other areas, there still exist some advertisements in the media that portray women in a poor light. There has been definite improvement in advertisement for women since the 1950s and earlier, but the ads that do surface from companies and organizations are still bothersome.

Here is an ad below from the Hollister clothing store:

            This advertisement isn’t too demeaning to women, but it does display relative size because from this ad it looks like either of the three models could be of high social status, but the posture of the women idolizes the male model. The male is clearly the focal point with the two women yearning for his attention by the look in their eyes and their hand placement. This ad even has one woman projecting piercing jealousy to the other woman due to wanting the man. The man appears to not have any high qualities or values that either of the women couldn’t posses, so why is he being portrayed in such an idolized light?

This commercial is from Hamburger Helper:

            This commercial starts off showing a the actress in a positive light by having her busy working and stating she was a track star, but quickly turns to making the point that she is the homemaker and cook as soon as she returns home. By saying, “The dinner table is where I learn how to be responsible,” while she dishes out the food shows how seriously she takes cooking and serving for her family in this way since she feels it is her primary responsibility. When she says, “How to hold a fork right, teaching them right from wrong, that’s my job,” completes the commercial with the gender stereotype that a women’s supposedly rightful place is in the kitchen and being the homemaker.

Below is a Mr. Clean advertisement:

            Seeing this modern-day advertisement I was honestly shocked at how gender stereotyped it was towards women with its caption. By showing a mother and her young daughter cleaning a surface happily together in celebration of mother’s day show women are still put in the perspective that they are the housecleaners and they enjoy doing it. Why not show a man cleaning with a women relaxing in the background to show the celebration of Mother’s Day for all of the hard work women endure?

            After viewing the advertisements from lecture and the ones I found online, I would have to say that advertising is guilty of creating gender imbalances in society because women have extremely progressed in their careers and ambitions yet there still remain ads that put them in the second-place position to men. Yes, there are advertisements that showcase women’s superior status and strength (such as the Williams sister ad in class), but these powerful ads cannot cover up the demeaning ads above. Women made the journey to gain equality and respect, but advertisements are struggling to reflect this accomplishment and current standing of women in our society. 

Diversity In All Pitches

            One of my recent favorite movies is, Pitch Perfect, which has a variety of racial diversities throughout the movie but it is predominantly Caucasian. As you can see in the movie poster ad below, there is a mix of racial diversities and this is important in the media because it gives the movie potential to be more relatable to different ethnic groups. I know when I saw a few Asians in this movie it did make me slightly more intrigued to see it just because I wanted to see how the Asian actors/actresses are progressing, plus I was interested to see how they would be portrayed in this movie.

Pitch Perfect has an equal balance of gender diversity throughout the movie with the added strength of girl power. Throughout the movie there is an ongoing battle between the two genders that makes for an interesting and entertaining dynamic. With a strong male Acapella group competing against the underdog female Acapella group, this movie did a well-done job of showing both sides in an equal manner without degrading either. The girl group especially promoted themselves as respecting women who were all about individuality and achieving their goals with confidence and reliance on themselves. This concept of gender diversity in Pitch Perfect is important in media because it will appeal more to both genders (hopefully) and is a nice change of promoting the strength of women instead of placing them in a degrading position. The movie clip below shows the girl Acapella group’s final winning performance that really showcases their strength as an all women’s singing group.

This movie definitely includes racial stereotypes such as playing upon the Asian girl, Lily, being the socially awkward and extremely quiet Asian stereotype. An example is a video clip shown below (you may have to turn up the volume to hear her).

            An Asian being socially awkward and shy is very stereotypical and it is extremely emphasized in this movie by having Lily barely audible throughout almost the entire movie. Another stereotype presented in this movie is having the African American character, Cynthia Rose, dressed in harder core clothing along with her ability to rap in the songs. Lastly, another stereotype I saw in this movie was having a good majority of the guys portrayed as selfish jerks who are against the all girl group. All of these stereotypes in the movie provided humorous entertainment but there are stereotypes in the end that categorize people into generalized and inaccurate groups. Stereotypes will be undeniably around forever but it is up to the media to monitor it enough so that it entertains instead of offends.  

Will You Buy Into Stereotypes?

          As advertisers whose ads and commercials have potential to be widely viewed by the public of people of many diversities and backgrounds, I believe advertisers hold a unique responsibility when carrying out their ideas daily in their jobs. They hold ethical responsibilities when creating ads because while it is good to strongly promote an idea, this can and should be done without the cheap need of playing off of stereotypes. By ethically baring in mind that the audience can be offended from their advertisements, advertisers and companies not only will avoid major conflict and uproar, but they will also gain respect for creatively advertising without the use of stereotypes. While I admit some commercials that do play off strong stereotypes (such as Asians associated with being tech-savvy) can be entertaining and sometimes funny, they still have the potential for offending some. Yes, the media can’t shield individuals from every type of stereotyping or offensive remark, but that does not mean advertisers should reinforce it either.

            Unfortunately, racism in advertising is certainly not a thing of the past, because it still currently exists in commercials today. An example is a Verizon commercial below that plays on the tech expert being the stereotypical Asian who is wise in technology in comparison to the clueless Caucasian teenager.

            This commercial reinforces the racial stereotype that Asians are the wisest and have expertise in technology in comparison to others. I personally have never seen a commercial or ad with a clueless Asian buying a device or seeking technology advice from another race. Although this stereotype of Asians being tech-savvy isn’t necessarily a negative one, it can put unnecessary pressure on Asians to be highly sufficient in technology.

            Another advertisement that I found was a Chicago-Lake Liquor ad that used the racial stereotype of African Americans as hip hop gangsters. This commercial had Caucasian people acting out this stereotype by using slang, wearing grills, and doing fist pumps.

            While this commercial does have a humorous side to it since the people look pretty funny acting out this ridiculously over the top stereotype, it still is a stereotype nonetheless. I strongly believe that advertisers could have created a different idea to promote their product versus this approach that honestly doesn’t have strong connection to their own product. Why not promote the product more strongly instead of the poor stereotype? With our world becoming more diverse, it is shocking that advertising companies are still able to publicize these types of commercials and they are accepted and watched by the viewers. 

Live Wild, Young, and Free Like Me!

With so many different types of cultures existing in the world, advertisers have a difficult job on their hands in applying semiotics to convey their message correctly. Through using specific colors, symbols, images, textures, sounds, effects, and much more, one advertisement could create excitement in one person while the other individual is saddened by the approach of the ad. For example, one time my friend and I were watching a tv commercial in which it was raining throughout the entire ad for a fragrance. Personally, I viewed the rain as bothersome and distracting but my friend on the other hand viewed it as romantic and beautiful. These two distinctly different connotations could be due to our differing experiences and therefore this one ad created varied perceptions.

Fortunately, through semiotics the viewers and advertisers can associate meaning from the use of visual imagery. By creatively choosing from different types of texts, images and sounds to create a meaningful ad that will capture attention and hopefully promote the product or company is semiotics in a nutshell.

One outdoors ad that caught my eye was this billboard below:

          

               

Using semiotic analysis to depict this advertisement I concluded that:

Denotation: Shown on this billboard is half the ad is taken up by Beyonce’s face with her lips painted red, white, and blue, she has Feb 3 2013 stamped on her cheeks, her whole face is colored neutral except for her brightly painted lips, and the ad states, “HELP KICK OFF THE PEPSI SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW,” all in caps lock with a super bowl logo stating Pepsi halftime show.

Connotation: From my own personal view, Beyonce is an amazing singer who symbolizes girl power, pride, fierce, determination and fashionista, so when I saw this ad with her lips painted to look like the Pepsi logo it conveyed to me that Pepsi symbolizes Beyonce’s fierceness and other qualities. Because of the qualities and personal attributes of Beyonce, I view Pepsi as an updated, youthful, dynamic, and fierce beverage. Plus this ad has the sentence about supporting the halftime show (consisting all of Beyonce performing) all in caps which to me promotes the image that Pepsi is just as bold and daring as Beyonce will be in the halftime show.

            A print ad that promoted one of my favorite stores is the picture below for Juicy Couture:

                  

Using semiotic analysis to depict this colorful ad:

Denotation: A white horse painted with black stripes and pink paint, the background is an ocean shore with medium brown soft sand and a clear sky, and there is a Juicy Couture banner on the top and right side of the ad. Standing in front of the horse is a lady with red lips and pale face with makeup wearing a little black hat, black gloves, peach colored coat, and pink and black striped leggings.

Connotation: The background of natural and calm-looking beach contrasts drastically with the spray painted horse that is trying to look like a hot pink zebra. Instead of using a real zebra, Juicy used a white horse that is smudged in painted stripes and paint, to me this shows that Juicy is out of the ordinary and unique while still being girly. The hot pink paint on the horse and the pale pink banner on the sides of the ad all contribute to the overall feminine feel of this ad. The model in the picture looks almost like a Barbie with her perfect makeup and daring choice of clothes that pop with the horse. This ad with all of its pink coloring, unique horse, and Barbie look alike model contribute to my connotation that Juicy Couture is feminine, daring, and always ready to be noticed.

            A t.v. ad that I found very entertaining and an interesting use of semiotics was a Taco Bell commercial below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvxZcULxfKw0

Denotation: A group of elderly men and women dressed in elderly clothes, a Taco Bell restaurant, a party scene, retirement home, party scene, tattoo parlor, pool, the song, ‘We Are Young’ by Fun, and Taco Bell food.

Connotation: By having these elderly people who live in a retirement home go have a wild night out doing activities associated with teenagers (such as partying, swimming at night, getting a tattoo, and drifting), Taco Bell is showing that they are just as youthful and lively as elderly people can be. Instead of having this commercial be played out by a bunch of teenager or a younger crowd, they used a unique and comical strategy of having an out of the ordinary scene: elderly people living it up and ending the night with a satisfying meal of Taco Bell. This ad also uses the lighthearted and carefree song throughout most of the commercial which helps add to the atmosphere of a fun night out since it is a current song that is played on the radio. Taco Bell is giving off the impression that not only are they accepted by people of any age-group, but they complete a wild night with their tasty food.  

An outdoors billboard, a t.v. commercial, and a print ad all use a variety of semiotics but all three have the goal of transferring their idea to the audience through their creative use of visuals, font, colors, and sound. 

Advertising and Branding Through the Times

            From text heavy ads with not structure in the 1700s to bold-faced and

eye-catching advertisements in today’s time, it was interesting to see how advertising and branding have evolved to become such an important part of our lives. In the 1700s the ads’ purpose was to merely inform the public about an item that was selling. No fancy effects or strategies were put into play for these simple advertisements. Fast-forward to now and there are entertaining and extremely persuasive commercials, billboards, online ads, and radio catchy tunes everywhere. Along with advertising, the importance of branding has become part of an individual’s identity and plays a huge factor into deciding which brand of a product to buy. For one type of product there is an excessive amount of different brands all competing for you to buy their product.

For example, which brand of popcorn would you choose?

Personally, I would choose the Orville Redenbacher brand because I know it’s been around for awhile, there is comfort in that the box has remained the same red color (like the inside of a movie theater) with Orville on it, and the fact that there have been commercials of this particular brand, therefore it must be the best! Whereas, the brands Pop’s Corn and Organic Natural Popcorn I have never even heard, of so I would tend to stray away from these two (even though they might taste better than Orville’s).

Which brand of water would you choose?

Deciding between the five water bottle brands, I would easily go for the Fiji water because the brand Fiji has a pretty design with a tropical feel which makes me feel like I’m about to go on vacation and it gives shows my status that yes I am willing to spend a little extra money just to drink Fiji water instead of Crystal Geyser. Even more so, if I saw someone walking around with an off brand (like a few of the ones below), the unknown and unpopular brand gives off the impression that the individual isn’t willing to spend extra for a more known/accepted water bottle brand.

By having popular and expensive brands of products it gives me a sense of pride that I can buy items with a higher status and possibly better design. Drinking Starbucks, eating In n Out, carrying a Coach purse, and wearing a Tiffany’s necklace all make up who I am because when I use these brands I feel more empowered and confident since they are typical brands that are popular of people my age. By wearing a certain brand I have the possibility of connecting easier with others who share the same interest in a particular brand. Whether it’s buying a burger from Burger King or McDonalds, or buying Jordan or Reebok shoes, I pay attention to brand just as much as the next person because it truly does affect the way others and I view myself.