Describe advert in one sentence. Think about anchorage, colours, font, mis en scene. Is anyone objectified? Is it upholding or challenging patriarchy? Are gender stereotypes still prevalent in advertising? What do you think about moves to challenge gender stereotypes in the industry (ASA, UN). What have you learnt from looking at the two adverts.
Gender is the social construction of how a male or female should behave.Patriarchy is the ideology that we live in a society dominated by men. Objectification is when a person's status is diminished to a mere object.
This advert is advertising Old Spice Body Wash. We can see a black man in white, tight trousers with his hand held on his hip on a beach, his shirt is wrapped around his chest and he is holding the body wash flat on the palm of his hand.
Connotations and Denotations
The man has his hands on his hip and his head is tilted towards the camera. The hand on one of his hip draws attention to his pelvis and exposes his bicep. This is a reverse on the patriarchal society as his pelvis being centralised shows he is sexually open and active. Poses that indicate sexual readiness are usually those of women but here it is the male body which is being objectified. The hand on the hip can also be seen to uphold patriarchy as he has a firm grip on his hip showing he has confidence in his posture. His firm grip can be approved by the exposure of the muscles in his bicep. Alternatively, the hand on his waist can be a way of him to consume his nerves. Typically, when one is nervous they take a firm hold onto something to settle shaking. Therefore, patriarchy can also be challenged by this gesture. However, he still has some stereotypical male attributes which is of his facial expression and his head positioning. His eyes are sternly focused on the camera showing he is confident and focused on his audiences. He is practically staring at the viewers indirectly through the camera which may come across as intimidating. His head is tilted upwards whereas the woman would usually be titling her head downwards. This is so that she is reassured that her body looks attractive. However, because the protagonist is facing straight-wards he knows his body looks fine so he is not worried about himself and instead is more interested in captivating the audience with his bold stare.
Part of the anchorage is in a bold font saying 'SMELL LIKE A MAN, MAN.' It is also in capital letters. The boldness of the font connotes the boldness and strength of a man. A man is powerful and also wise. Boldness also connotes the prominence of a man within a patriarchal society. Men are the most recognised and appreciated in a patriarchal society. The capital letters connote the superiority of a man. That a man is more important and dominant in society. This therefore upholds patriarchy. Underneath in italic font it says the product name 'Old Spice.' This statement is not directed at manhood like the previous one. There is no reference to a man whatsoever however there is to a women.Spices are stereo typically associated with women which signifies that women are to smell nice and look after themselves. The wording which can be associated with women is in fancy writing and is written in lower cases. This suggests that women are inferior and are there to just look good and smell good, which supports the male gaze ideology. It is not a males priority to smell good but it is his priority to uphold his manhood, hence why 'Old spice' is written in lower case letters and 'SMELL LIKE A MAN' is written in capitals. This is the view in a patriarchal society.
There is the use of white in the horse and in the man's jeans and on the sand. White symbolises purity and wisdom. This connotes that the fragrance brings about purity and cleanliness. The advert is taken using high key lighting on the setting of a beach. High key lighting signifies that the product brings about happiness and satisfaction. The high key lighting is mainly on his leg which draws our attention to his leg, again emphasising he is sexually open. The island setting denotes isolation, the land alone makes it isolated from the world but its the sea that connects it to the rest of the world. This in turn connotes that the genitalia alone makes you a man but the fragrance adds to your manhood.
This advert is advertising Rihanna's new male perfume Rogue. The advert is in black and white. Both male and female are naked but the man is also covered in tattoos.
Connotations and Denotations
Firstly, the advert is in black and white. This is so the viewers focus is not on colour but on the emotions of the protagonist. It also creates sexual and romantic aura in the picture. The black and white effect allows shadows of the lighting to be created so we are subtly drawn to those areas of which the shadows are most concentrated. One of the places is Rihanna's arm. Her arm is leaning against the male protagonist which uphold patriarchy. It emphasises that women are dependent on men in a patriarchal society. The lighting is also shadowed around the product. This is so that the product is not marginalised and viewers know what product is being advertised. The anchorage is in white to show purity and cleanliness the male fragrance brings about. This colour challenges the patriarchal society as men aren't stereotyped to be clean and caring of the way they smell but are usually associated with being dirty and care free when it comes to cleanliness.This is because the dirty smell of sweat can be known to indicate hard work and determination. The presentation of the male upholds patriarchy. He is covered in tattoos which is a sign of manhood and strength , as tattoos require a great tolerance of pain. Strength is what is associated with the art of being a man. He is looking sternly at the camera and therefore towards the audience. His stern look promotes confidence and boldness within his character. He is showing no emotion which is expected of men. Rihanna however, is looking down at the male protagonist- she is shying away from the camera. It is as if she is just in the background which promotes inferiority of women and reinforces patriarchy. The fact that it is her product (as it is stated 'the new fragrance bu Rihanna') and she is still diminished shows women are so devalued that they do not even get most credit for their work in a patriarchal society. There is shadowed lighting on Rihanna's face so that her beauty is centralised. In a patriarchal society women are known for looking good so that men have some thing pleasing to look at, this again reiterates the ideology of the male gaze.
Tackling gender stereotypes
ASA is trying to make moves in the way gender is commercialised in adverts eg; a woman cleaning up after a man's mess. They are trying to stop adverts from promoting that certain activities are for a certain gender. This is a good idea as it revolutionises people's views on the roles each gender has in society. It tones down stereotypical views which takes pressure off of each gender as they do not have a role they need to fulfil in order to be the ordinary and respected member of society.
The Adverts
From these two adverts I have learnt that society is becoming less traditional (patriarchal) and slowly disregarding the fact that certain attributes are for a certain gender. This is happening slowly but surely as there is still a lot of advertising that devalues women.
Very detailed and engaging analysis making some excellent points. We'll be looking at the Old Spice advert in more detail later on in the course. A clearer introduction would be helpful A-
ReplyDelete