| In what ways do advertisements for body care products, specifically body wash and shower gel, differ in the way they address viewers of different genders? What do they claim is true about gender, and what do they presume about the viewer?
This analysis of gendered advertisements will take the form of a discourse analysis, according to the theoretical framework of Foucault, in which power is productive, "knowledge and power are imbricated one in the other", and communication is structured by "regimes of truth" (Rose 193). Using "discourse" to mean "a particular knowledge about the world which shapes how the world is understood", the intent of discourse analysis is to examine how images construct and contribute to a given discourse (Rose 190; 195). To do so, discourse analysis locates the explicit and implicit truth claims of an image and draws out how these claims are supported within its discursive formation, "the way meanings are connected together within a particular discourse" (Rose 191). In American advertisements, it has been found that "the most prominent gender difference in type of product advertised with the central characters as either male or female came in the 'body' category" (Furnham 221). Products geared toward grooming and body care functions are the site of some of the most extreme and polarized gendered marketing. In the example below, promoting two categories of shaving products, we have an example of virtually the same product differentiated on the basis of gender: |
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On the left, serving as an example of Walmart's "top-rated women's essentials",
the product and packaging are shown as being white, light blue, and pale pink, with a gradually-curved shape to the razor's handle. The labeling of the package with "spa breeze" helps to conjure the luxurious associations of a spa, a place of gentle relaxation -- and primarily associated with feminine interests. Even the word "breeze" is implicated in the gendering here; spas don't necessarily have breezes, generally being housed indoors,
and the effect of the word choice "breeze", instead of something more forceful like "wind" or "gale", is to further the discursive formation of softness and gentleness often present in ads targeted at women.
Prominent on the packaging on the men's counterpart are metallic silver, dark blue, black, and a fiery orange. The shape of the razor's handle is comparatively more hard-edged and angular, with a design reminiscent of something out of a sci-fi movie (an impression furthered by the use of the rather scientific-sounding word "fusion"). The labeling of the package as "proglide" -- with "pro" being an abbreviation for "professional" -- forms a link between the product and the notion of paid expertise, both doing something for a living and with a high degree of skill. These associations neatly align with cultural myths about men being the "breadwinners" who are defined by their capabilities. Between the two, it would appear that a woman's razor is designed to help the user relax, whereas a man's razor is designed to get work done. As we proceed to look at body wash advertisements, more divisive implications like these will appear, culminating in truth claims about what men and women supposedly are and should be concerned with, interested in, and motivated by. |
Furnham, Adrian, and Stephanie Paltzer. "The Portrayal Of Men And Women In Television Advertisements: An Updated Review Of 30 Studies Published Since 2000." Scandinavian Journal Of Psychology 51.3 (2010): 216-236. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. Rose, Gillian. Visual Methodologies. 3rd ed. London: SAGE Publications, 2012. Print. Walmart Ad. N.d. Graphic. Walmart. Web. 29 April 2014. (http://i.walmart.com/i/c//01/00/72/20/01007220-485394_806X335.jpg). |
a class taught by Bob Bednar in the Communication Studies Department at Southwestern University
