Inspired by a discussion I had involving some of the Carl Jr./Hardees ads.
Most of these ads make use of stereotypes (women hate sports, women don’t like their boyfriends ogling other women). Are they necessarily sexist, though?
I wouldn’t call them progressive but for a lot of them, I have a hard time necessarily seeing them as sexist. Is it automatically wrong to use a stereotype in humor? What if there’s some truth to it? Does that make it any better?
Is it also automatically sexist to use a woman’s body to sell something–a burger, a car, etc.? Again, I don’t see it as particularly feminist, but it seems less about sexism and more about…I don’t know, pragmatism, and knowing what will sell.
The gender stuff I find tiresome in advertising is the Homer Simpson stereotype - men are stoopid, but women are level-headed and pragmatic. No doubt this is seen as a successful marketing ploy (at least in cases where women are perceived to make the buying decision), but it’s certainly sexist.
I’ve never seen the show “The Apprentice” but I remember reading about an episode where the women were teamed up against the men. One of the challenges was to sell something (bottled water?) to raise money. The women without any coaching instinctively used their girly charms to help them beat the men’s team. The news article said Trump later chastised the women for using their body instead of their brains.
What’s funny is that these women have all been screened as high caliber individuals to participate in Donald Trump’s show. They are not airhead street hookers. Nevertheless, these smart ambitious women naturally use their natural gifts to their advantage.
I don’t think it’s wrong – I think it’s normal. Men should not be criticized for viewing women the same way they often view themselves (especially for economic advantage.)
Well, the stereotypical, sexist ads I see invariably make MEN look bad!
It would be nice to see a man who could make breakfast for his kids without setting the house on fire.
It would be nice to see a man who could do a load of laundry without his wife stepping in to show him how wrongly he’s doing it.
It would nice to see a Dad who’s not a blithering idiot!
But while such commercials are stupid, I can’t say they’re really offensive. They tend to be aimed at homemakers, who are probably flattered by the suggestion that their families couldn’t survive 5 minutes without them.
A topic I’ve been pondering lately - do stereotypical gender roles exist because of their depiction in the mass media, or does the depiction in the mass media exist as a reflection of the prevalent stereotypical gender roles?