Thursday, October 7, 2010
Images of Women in Alcohol Advertising
This is a lesson I would do with undergrads. I would have a sheet to fill out with the questions below. We would take time to look at the ads together and then break into small groups to have a discussion.
However, before we got into the specifics of the women and alcohol ads I would have a more broad discussion about how advertising in our capitalist consumer society has changed over time. We would look at how advertising was originally more about providing information and how advertising strategies now sell ideas about social status and identity.
First, what do you think is the message about drinking in this ad? What is it promising consumers?
Who might be the target audience for this ad? (Include age range, culture, gender, race, socio-economic level.)
What underlying message or value is being sold by the ad? Is it obvious or subliminal?
Which aspect of human sexuality is being appealed to? (Emotional/physical? Spiritual? Biological?)
In this a postive or negative portrayal of sexuality? In what ways?
How does power play in to this image?
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Hey, just wanted to let you know that I am really impressed by the voice thread you put together, it was very thought provoking. You really picked some good examples of sexist/sexual portrayals of females in alcohol ads, and you made me look at them in a critical way which I don't think I've done before. When you were talking about the ad wherein a plastic barbie doll is straddled by a man in a suit, you said something to the effect that you wonder how women can see ads like this and be okay with it. (Not your words, but I think that was your message) and it made me think, yea, seriously, why DO we allow these types of portrayals of women in advertising? I'm feeling pretty disgusted right now by how these things infiltrate my reality and I don't even notice them. It's like we all get used to it or something, it doesn't seem out of the ordinary until someone draws attention to how ridiculous it is! Oh, and the ad with the "branded girl," I keep stewing about how it says "Librarian by day.... Bacardi by night" and she's standing there with little other than a few pieces of fabric and a gigantic tramp stamp. Seriously? Maybe I'm wrong, but my line of thinking is... intelligent women don't parade around half naked for attention. Intelligent women aren't out there trying to attract the type of man who is looking for a trampy girl in a bar. Apparently the guys they are advertising to are not aware of this.. ? :)
ReplyDeleteYour voice thread introduces some interesting ideas. I think that it shows a lot about what it means to attract a man and how women can be used in order to sell a product.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how beer and women are connected. Is it just because men drink beer and men also like half naked women, or what is the connection between the two? Is beer linked to sex.
Beer is often connected to have fun and letting loose, so I suppose that represents a different lifestyle than the working girl or the intelligent girl. Having beer means that you want to have fun. You are letting your inhibitions go and you are letting loose. What does that say about women and their sexuality? Do women want to let loose?
I think that these commercials seem to suggest that women want to let their hair down and have fun. It seems to suggest that women want to expose their sexuality. Perhaps these commercials do not attempt to minimize women only to their sexuality. However, I do think that they suggest that women do find pleasure in being a man's plaything.
It would be interesting to discuss with a class how this could be interpreted both from a man and a woman's point of view. What does this suggest to a girl? If these are meant to incite men to buy beer, does it not suggest that the way to attract a man is too be sexy and take off your clothes?
You did a GREAT job with this assignment! I think the idea of analyzing the objectification of women in advertising, and beer advertisements in particular, is a necessary discussion to have with students. I think you could tie in some clips from Mad Men in this lesson to show how the objectification of women is not accidental; it builds off of society's treatment of women in general.
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