Blog 1
Gender
Prompt 1:
This cultural artifact is an ad for the deodorant Old Spice
from the company P&G. This is an image of a guy on an elevator that on his
outer layer shows him wearing a sweater and a hat with a more friendly face. On the inner layer it shows
a more toned and attractive silhouette of the same man with a more aggressive
expression on his face.
Prompt 2:
This cultural artifact shows that there is a specific way a
man should look. At the bottom of the ad it has a caption that says: “there’s a
man in there”. Meaning that under that layer of sweaters there is a "real" man.This is reinforcing the idea that a man should look aggressive with
muscles and he is so manly that he eats explosives for breakfast. The ad is not
attempting to challenge or push back the traditional ideas of what a man is supposed
to look rather than just keep the same old stereotype that being sweet and sensitive
is not a characteristic that fits the mold of what a man is according to the standards of the media.
Prompt 3:
Personally, I don’t think that this representation of males
affected me, but I can see how other people that are attracted to males can be
affected by it because they will try to find the closest guy that looks like
the ad. And is not realistic, not all guys have the characteristics that are
shown on this cultural artifact.
Prompt 4:
On Wendy Griswold’s cultural Diamond the cultural object is
the Old Spice ad. The social world is how a man should appear to be considered a
man. On the ad, the captions at the bottom are basically saying that the way
the guy looks with the sweater and the hat are not manly enough but with Old
Spice you can smell, look and act like a man. The receivers are both male
and female. Because it sets up a blueprint on what a man is. The creators are the Old
Spice marketing and advertising team that want to sell their product.
I totally agree with the point you made about what this ad is representing. The ad is promoting a deodorant for men and they are intending that if you wear old spice, it makes you a "real man." In the eyes of the creator, apparently a real man means a "tough looking," spicy-food eating, aggressive-looking male. This is a reinforcement of traditional ideologies on what a guy is suppose to do or look like.
ReplyDeleteHey Denisse!
ReplyDeleteI really like the cultural artifact you have selected. The company old spice has always had some quite interesting ads that promote traditional gender roles. I agree with you that old spice used a sweater and a scarf as an example of being "not manly". Him being shirtless with a snake around his neck is supposed to make him look masculine according to stereotypes of a masculine man. As a consumer of old spice I never thought it makes you more of a man, I just simply like the way it smells lol.
Hi Denisse,
ReplyDeleteYour cultural artifact and analysis was really interesting. This ad is just another example of societies way to make money off of peoples insecurities. I definitely agree with you when you state that the ad is attempting to incorporate the same stereotype of what a mans appearance should be. I also believe that the ad is trying to include the man on the outside as a possible consumer. Therefore, creating the message that if you look like the man on the outside, if you wear Old Spice deodorant at least you'll feel like a man or "smell" like a man on the inside.
It was nice to see someone pick an artifact that stereotyped men as most people focused ones centered around women. I remember when I first saw this ad and thought it was so funny how it said "theres a man in there". Like he wasn't a man already? Or was he less of a man because of what he was wearing, pretty lame concept if you ask me. Not all men are masculine and not all women are feminine but media and advertisements always seem to push these horrible stereotypes.
ReplyDelete