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Sex sells. We know this, and especially advertisers know this. We see it every day. Misogyny in commercials is abundant. If the commercials are not telling us how to look, what to wear and how to act, then they’re enforcing stereotypes of various men’s perspectives of the “ideal” woman — the femme fatale, the heroine, the perfect housewife, the sex kitten and the corporate climber — all are typically young, white and unnaturally thin, not to mention the beat-into-the-ground stereotypes of the too chatty, too bossy or weak and helpless woman. The popular Super Bowl commercials earlier this month were no exception. There was the male-only category, in which no women appeared at all, such as some Bud Light, Nextel, Hyundai Genesis and Cars.com commercials. Even the talking E*Trade babies were boys/Anne-Marije Rook, UI Argonaut. More here.
Question: Do you agree with Argonaut columnist Anne-Marije Rook that television ads are loaded with misogynistic sexism?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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Cabbage Boy on February 20 at 10:07 a.m.
Yes and the TV shows aimed at women are sexist against men. They treat all men as bumbling doofuses.
Hardly a revelation that football commercials are aimed at guys.
Charlie on February 20 at 10:33 a.m.
I find most commercials on the “BOOB TUBE” to be, well stupid. They seem to be targeted to the 12-24 age group and in our house it’s usually a race to the remote to mute them. I can’t remember the last or first time a commercial got me to try a product.
There are certain commercials that are persona non grata such as The Scooter Store, all gold commercials and many more, especially Billy Mays. I guess the rule of advertising is that the more rude/crude a commercial is, it will be remembered.