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.
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?
This can be seen by changing the depictions of masculinity from the rugged, ladies man who holds all the power and dominates the score hair cream advertisement in the Maybelline advertisement to the much more fluid and equal image of MannyMUA. Who subverts the traditional masculinity epitome idea.
The media acts as a guide and provides the tools needed to adhere to these changing lifestyles and ambitions. We want to live our own lives but an 'experimental' version and since the contemporary audiences no longer find solace in tradition and strive to change or radicalise what once was into something much more appropriate to what we expect from today's values.
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?
The Maybelline ad is a great example of the generational defferences and how the world had changed and the youth is now controling the media industry. He suggests Surveys discovered that individuals born in the first half of the twentieth century are less tolerant of homosexuality than their younger counterparts and less sympathetic to unmarried couples living together.
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?
He says that role models serve as navigation points as individuals steer their own personal routes through life. The two digital influencers promote their followers / audience to do the same by expressing their self-confidence and supporting the idea of being yourself.
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 way in which women desire the male while put just under the man emphasizes the fact that women are traditionally pictured as submissive while males take on a more dominant position. This ad was deconstructed by advertisements promoting compeletly views of masculinity.
6) Gauntlett consistently argues that masculinity is not in crisis. Can the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert be used as evidence of this?
This digital campaign is important because Maybelline used digital influencers or a male ambassador for the first time. Just that supports the concept that there is no crisis in masculinity. This is because it suggests that the thought of gender fluidity is becoming more acceptable to men (and society).
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.
Men's health magazines still promote the idea of being "healthy" as having large muscles and being rugged
adverts encourage the idea of androgyny - meaning that the males aren't necessarily presented as overly muscular
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 think that advertising had improved over time, but we're still not in the place that could be called 'post feminist'. I feel like using female figures promotes the concept that women should accept themselves and be "determined to do their own thing, be themselves." However, there are still some traditional male and female depictions underpinning these texts.
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 do agree with that argument. Younger generations are more open minded. Maybe this is because they were raised in a world of constant change, so they embraced stuff like gender neutrality as a social norm.
10) How do the two advertising CSPs show the changing 'diversity of sexualities' that Gauntlett suggests?
It shows how far we had come with the idea od 'gender fluidity' and accepting people that are standing out of, now old, social norms, things are "slowly changing" in terms of representing different sexuality. In Maybelline the campaign also features the digital influencer Manny Gutierrez, who is a gay make up artist.
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)?
the CK One fragrance used androgynous imagery to promote their fragrance as being gender neutral - "for a man or a woman". Also, some brands explored the idea that sexuality is unpredictable
12) How can the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert be applied to Judith Butler's work on 'gender trouble'? ("The binary division of 'male' and 'female' identities should be shattered, Butler suggested, and replaced with multiple forms of identity...")
"binary division of male and female identities should be shattered." That idea is shown by the diversity of gender, sexuality and nationality in the main characters. It also promotes the viewers to recognize the fact that, regardless of gender, make-up can indeed be worn by anyone.
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 Shayler from the Maybelline advert first become famous?)
the fact that audiences are becoming increasingly in control of the media is definitely something that is visible through adverts like this. Maybelline can reach a 5.1 million users to the public.
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?
The media is improving and changing all the time. It indicates that these messages may sometimes validate each other because of the range of messages being sent. This refers to advertising because companies are constantly modifying their techniques of advertising and marketing to suit changing opinions.
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 socjety?
It's shown in the huge difference between Score (1967) advertisement, and the 2017 Maybelline Boss Live advert, how the attitudes towards gender and sexuality in socjety are changing over time. This is obvious because the Maybelline advert plays with the idea of a more progressive attitude towards the idea of gender neutrality, fluidity and sexuality, which makes us hope for the best in the future.
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.
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?
This can be seen by changing the depictions of masculinity from the rugged, ladies man who holds all the power and dominates the score hair cream advertisement in the Maybelline advertisement to the much more fluid and equal image of MannyMUA. Who subverts the traditional masculinity epitome idea.
The traditional views of women as a housewife or 'low status' worker has been "kick boxed" out of the picture by successful 'girl power' icons
2) How does Gauntlett suggest the media influences the way we construct our own identities?
2) How does Gauntlett suggest the media influences the way we construct our own identities?
The media acts as a guide and provides the tools needed to adhere to these changing lifestyles and ambitions. We want to live our own lives but an 'experimental' version and since the contemporary audiences no longer find solace in tradition and strive to change or radicalise what once was into something much more appropriate to what we expect from today's values.
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?
The Maybelline ad is a great example of the generational defferences and how the world had changed and the youth is now controling the media industry. He suggests Surveys discovered that individuals born in the first half of the twentieth century are less tolerant of homosexuality than their younger counterparts and less sympathetic to unmarried couples living together.
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?
He says that role models serve as navigation points as individuals steer their own personal routes through life. The two digital influencers promote their followers / audience to do the same by expressing their self-confidence and supporting the idea of being yourself.
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 way in which women desire the male while put just under the man emphasizes the fact that women are traditionally pictured as submissive while males take on a more dominant position. This ad was deconstructed by advertisements promoting compeletly views of masculinity.
6) Gauntlett consistently argues that masculinity is not in crisis. Can the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert be used as evidence of this?
This digital campaign is important because Maybelline used digital influencers or a male ambassador for the first time. Just that supports the concept that there is no crisis in masculinity. This is because it suggests that the thought of gender fluidity is becoming more acceptable to men (and society).
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.
Men's health magazines still promote the idea of being "healthy" as having large muscles and being rugged
adverts encourage the idea of androgyny - meaning that the males aren't necessarily presented as overly muscular
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 think that advertising had improved over time, but we're still not in the place that could be called 'post feminist'. I feel like using female figures promotes the concept that women should accept themselves and be "determined to do their own thing, be themselves." However, there are still some traditional male and female depictions underpinning these texts.
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 do agree with that argument. Younger generations are more open minded. Maybe this is because they were raised in a world of constant change, so they embraced stuff like gender neutrality as a social norm.
10) How do the two advertising CSPs show the changing 'diversity of sexualities' that Gauntlett suggests?
It shows how far we had come with the idea od 'gender fluidity' and accepting people that are standing out of, now old, social norms, things are "slowly changing" in terms of representing different sexuality. In Maybelline the campaign also features the digital influencer Manny Gutierrez, who is a gay make up artist.
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)?
the CK One fragrance used androgynous imagery to promote their fragrance as being gender neutral - "for a man or a woman". Also, some brands explored the idea that sexuality is unpredictable
12) How can the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert be applied to Judith Butler's work on 'gender trouble'? ("The binary division of 'male' and 'female' identities should be shattered, Butler suggested, and replaced with multiple forms of identity...")
"binary division of male and female identities should be shattered." That idea is shown by the diversity of gender, sexuality and nationality in the main characters. It also promotes the viewers to recognize the fact that, regardless of gender, make-up can indeed be worn by anyone.
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 Shayler from the Maybelline advert first become famous?)
the fact that audiences are becoming increasingly in control of the media is definitely something that is visible through adverts like this. Maybelline can reach a 5.1 million users to the public.
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?
The media is improving and changing all the time. It indicates that these messages may sometimes validate each other because of the range of messages being sent. This refers to advertising because companies are constantly modifying their techniques of advertising and marketing to suit changing opinions.
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 socjety?
It's shown in the huge difference between Score (1967) advertisement, and the 2017 Maybelline Boss Live advert, how the attitudes towards gender and sexuality in socjety are changing over time. This is obvious because the Maybelline advert plays with the idea of a more progressive attitude towards the idea of gender neutrality, fluidity and sexuality, which makes us hope for the best in the future.
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