The gap between female and male gender clichés has been glaringly obvious since the beginning of industrialization. In proximity with the modern era, automobile advertising has hardly shifted its crosshairs from its most original and sought-after target: men. Even from the moment they arrive into the world, infant boys are blanketed with blue, sent home, and decorated with a variety of masculine clothes, toy cars, and other testosterone-suggestive items. Although seemingly sexist, this argument is concrete in its validity. When Karl Benz designed the first practical car with an internal combustion engine in 1885, automobiles were loosely deemed “the toys for the boys”. During Benz’s time, automobiles were considered only a gentleman’s luxury, they were to be driven by men who could afford them. Women, at the time, had unfortunately fallen victim to the assumption, by men, that handling an automobile was beyond their physical capabilities. Once cheap automobiles could be produced in the 1920’s and thus advertised, it came as no surprise that almost every single advertisement targeted men. With that said, early advertisements hinted at subtle, masculine features of an automobile, such as the sheer power of the automobile or a man catching the eye of female onlookers. The use of women in commercials evolved, and showgirls and models in advertising became ubiquitous. Automobile advertising campaigns of the past and present were and still are designed to ignite the inner “roar” of men, to stimulate masculinity, and to present women with the idealistic satisfaction of a capable man to drive their vehicles. From infancy to old age, cars have revved the engine of the ideal American man and woman by employing sex appeal as the primary ...
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...he 1950’s. From showroom models on television game shows to car-less ads with breathtaking models, the use and potency of sex appeal as powerful marketing weapon has only elevated since its inception. Although most automobile advertisements employing sex appeal as their primary marketing tool use young females, men are and can also be integral components of the sex appeal device. Until our society crumbles or our culture finds a way to abolish sexuality entirely (hem, like that’s likely) sex appeal will remain the most powerful marketing device applied to advertisements for automobiles.
Works Cited:
Ferrari Motors. Advertisement. www.ferrari.com Dec. 2005: online,
Dodge 1969 Charger. Advertisement. www.roadragegraphics.com Apr. 2001: online.
B.M.W.: Used cars. Advertisement. http://blog.easyautosales.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/bmw-ad.jpg Aug. 2008: online
Men and women both drive cars, it’s a simple necessity to be able go to work for most people, however, from the commercials on television, one would assume that men are the primary purchasers of cars. In Steve Craig’s essay, Men’s Men and Women’s Women, he analyzes four commercials to illustrate how advertisers strategically targets the viewers. Craig argues that advertisers will grasp the attention of the viewer by the gender ideals that both men and women have of each other. Not only do advertisers pick a target audience demographic, but they also will target the audience at specific time to air their commercials. By analyzing an Audi and Bud Light commercial, one can see that Craig arguments are true to an extent but it appears that commercials have gone from an idealized world to a more realistic and relatable stance. for are still [true, however it seems that commercials may have altered to appear more realistic.] [relevant to an extent. This is to say, it appears that advertisers may have altered their commercial tactics. ]
This phenomenon suggests that all women are required to remain loyal wives and stay at home mothers who aspire to achieve perfection. In “Mirrors of Masculinity: Representation and Identity in Advertising Images,” Jonathon E. Schroeder and Detlev Zwick claim that “highly abstract connections are made between the models, a lifestyle, and the brand” resulting in a need to associate these products with a specific way of living (25). Instead of simply displaying these luxurious bracelets and handbags, the ad creates an elegant environment through the incorporation of sophisticated items. The women are dressed elegantly in dresses and blouses, adding a conservative element to the ad. The ad presents a rather stereotypical image of the very successful heads-of-household type mothers who have brunch with other elite women in an exclusive circle. Everything from the merchandise they sport to the champagne glasses down to the neatly manicured fingernails provides insight into the class of women presented in this ad. The body language of the women strips the image of the reality element and instead appears to be staged or frozen in time. This directly contributes to the concept of the gendered American dream that urges women to put up a picture-perfect image for the world to see. Instead of embracing individual struggle and realities, the American dream encourages women to live out a fabricated
Professors Carrie Packwood and Debra Merskin, authors of the essay “Having It His Way: The Construction of Masculinity in Fast-Food Advertising”, repudiate the stereotypical macho behaviors that are used in several commercials to build a reputation for men while women are used as objects. Media use this stereotype to sell nearly every product; being fast food, beer, and cars on top of the list. Furthermore, Packwood and Merskin claim that advertisement present men, compared to women, as superior individuals with total freedom who see women as prizes. The perfect macho type is a strong resource to sell beer; the Tui beer commercial “Temptations can be dangerous, stay focused” applied this stereotype, where men are on the spotlight and women
...he female gender. Taking a closer look however, reveals a meaning and message that while probably not planned for, could have sparked the women of the 1950s to become uncomfortable with the way that their lives had turned, and to lead the way for the next cultural revolution of the times. The 1960s that followed would see many of the traditional values held by American women altered or discarded altogether, and would eventually lead to how women in America live today. While some stereotypes do still exist, possibly this generation can do what the generation that gave birth to the baby boomers did, and start our own revolution. Advertising is a large part of our everyday lives, so good or bad we take what we see in – it’s just what we do with it that counts, as the reaction to the ads of the 1950s taught us that sexist advertising can lead to great societal changes.
Five hundred electric cars were produced by the Pope Manufacturing Company in 1897. According to Scharff, this was after Colonel Albert A. Pope, the president of that company, decided not to concentrate "on noisy or smelly gasoline-powered cars, but instead, on clean, quiet electric vehicles." ("Femininity and the Electric Car" p.75) The Pope Manufacturing Company clearly targeted women as customers. This is evident in their advertising strategy. For example, Scharff says, "As Pope suggested in a 1903 advertisement for the Pope-Waverly electric model ‘electrics…will appeal to anyone interested in an absolutely noiseless, odorless, clean and stylish rig that is always ready and that, mile for mile, can be operated at less cost than any other type of motor car.’ Lest this message escape those it was intended to attract, the text accompanied a picture of a delighted woman driver piloting a a similar female passenger." (p.75) With such blatant advertising can be clearly seen that the electric car was targeted at women. Later advertisements which were also directed at women contained Victorian language. According to Scharff, this separate spheres ideology "vastly oversimplified both human relations and social forces." Scharff then gave an example of a man who is stereotypically rugged seeking shelter from the rain and of women who are stereotypically soft-spoken yelling at their children to illustrate this oversimplification.
Common sense seems to dictate that commercials just advertise products. But in reality, advertising is a multi-headed beast that targets specific genders, races, ages, etc. In “Men’s Men & Women’s Women”, author Steve Craig focuses on one head of the beast: gender. Craig suggests that, “Advertisers . . . portray different images to men and women in order to exploit the different deep seated motivations and anxieties connected to gender identity.” In other words, advertisers manipulate consumers’ fantasies to sell their product. In this essay, I will be analyzing four different commercials that focuses on appealing to specific genders.
I chose sex in advertising for my research topic because I do not know about it well, even though a lot of sexual images and texts in advertisements. When I was a little kid, I often surprised by ads with sexy woman. Even now, I sometimes have my eyes glued to such kinds of advertising. I wonder that there are some physiological reasons why people pay attention to sex images. Also, learning about sex in advertising is useful for my career because I want to work for an advertising company in the future. I infer that sex sells has both good and bad aspects and I can use it effectively by learning it accurately. If I use it effectively, we can make much money. However, we also take a risk by using sex in ads because some extreme images may give a bad reputation on products and company. Also, I care about the danger of sex in advertising, too. If I were a parent, I do not want my children to see some ads because they are too excessive for children. By researching this topic, I hope I can learn what is harmful for young people. I think sex sells have both good and bad effects on commercial and ethical aspects. Now, I have three questions about sex in advertising. First, I want to know when and how it has been used. I think there should be many famous advertisements with sexual images. Next, I would like to learn about how effective it is. I infer that there are both positive and negative effects in the advertising. Lastly, I want to know how boys and girls react to the advertisement. Some ads focus on to get male customers and others target on female. I also want to know how reaction relates to purchasing. Some people may not change their purchasing behavior even though they notice the ads and are ...
Some staunch opponents of gender roles might claim that her more feminine traits are a result of gendered advertising and thus are negative and hindering progress. Yet by making such a statement, they fail to recognize the great leaps in progress society has made in reducing the importance of adhering to one’s assigned role. Gender roles have existed since the dawn of human civilization, and though recent advertising trends have increased their prevalence in society, they are less influential now than at any point in human history.
Hot Wheels are small and colourful cars designed for boys and were introduced to the public by the American toy maker Mattel in 1968. This toy is designed for boys over 3 years old. Many people have a problem with the inherent message that Hot Wheels sends to boys about their roles in society. This essay will evaluate how the Hot Wheels cars reinforce traditional male gender stereotypes.
There are many companies that use sex appeal in their ads today. For instance Victoria Secrets is one of the top sellers in lingerie. They show skin in every one of their ads. All of their models put on the sex appeal for all commercials and magazines. That is what helps them sell. Women look at those ads and see those girls floating on clouds like angels and feel they could feel the same if they wore that purple bra or red underwear. By showing these girls constantly looking sexy in their ads make women feel sexy just wearing them. That is the whole point of using sex in your ads. It?s amazing what a little skin can do. "In advertising, sex sells. But only if you're selling sex (Richards).
Advertising in the 50s was primarily focused on the return of traditional family values, and portraying the consumer’s role in society’s prestige. But, during the recession of 1959 to 1961, the time was ripe for some innovation in the advertising industry. Surly enough, a single ad appeared that changed the course of advertising history. The Volkswagen Beetle, a seemingly ugly car with all odds against it in the American market of huge, tail-finned vehicles of the 1950s, surprisingly prospered. The advertisement campaign broke all previous rules of using wide-angle photography, and beautiful women. These advertisements stole the American hearts with their wit and honesty.
In the essay “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body,” author and philosopher Susan Bordo discusses the history and current state of male representation in advertisements. While using her feminist background, Bordo compares and contrasts the aspects of how men and women are portrayed in the public eye. She claims that there has been a paradigm shift the media with the theory that not just women are being objectified in the public eye, but also men too. Since the mid-1970s, with the introduction of Calvin Klein commercials, men have started to become more dehumanized and regarded as sex symbols. In a similar fashion to how Bordo describes gender, race plays a similar role in the media. People of all different ethnicities and cultures are being categorized into an oversimplified and usually unfair image by the media over basic characteristics.
The portrayals of men in advertising began shifting towards a focus on sexual appeal in the 1980s, which is around the same that women in advertising were making this shift as well. According to Amy-Chinn, advertisements from 1985 conveyed the message that “men no longer just looked, they were also to be looked at” as seen in advertisements with men who were stripped down to their briefs (2). Additionally, advertisements like these were influencing society to view the male body “as an objectified commodity” (Mager and Helgeson 240). This shows how advertisements made an impact on societal views towards gender roles by portraying men as sex objects, similarly to women. By showcasing men and women in little clothing and provocative poses, advertisements influenced society to perceive men and women with more sexual
In the late 1980’s McDonald’s introduced a new lineup of toys in their Happy Meal promotions, now offering exclusively Barbie and Hot Wheels as toy options. They were a huge hit, making Happy Meals more popular than ever. “Is this for a boy or girl?” was added to the list of questions you were asked when ordering. This was one of the beginnings of a new form of marketing that specifically gendered toys and stereotyped interests for each gender (Faust N. Pag.). Advertisements and marketing are not the only influences in perpetuating gender stereotypes. There are numerous influences on the youth of America that aid in the stereotyping of personalities and interests for boys and girls.
To sum up, it is often said that advertising is shaping women gender identity, and some have been argued that the statement is true, because of the higher amount of sexual references of women that advertisement show and the damages that occur on women’s personality and the public negative opinions of those women. As well, the negative effects that those kinds of advertisements cause to young generations and make them feel like they should simulate such things and are proud of what they are doing because famous actors are posting their pictures that way. Others deem this case as a personal freedom and absolutely unrelated to shaping women gender identity. On the contrast, they believe that, those sorts of advertisements are seriously teaching women how to stay healthy and be attractive, so they might have self-satisfaction after all.