This quote taken from Jeremy
Bullmore questions the fabric of what advertising aims to do and seems to deem
it unethical. Adverts are known to be exaggerated examples of how the
specific product can affect your life usually for the better. Even though many
people are aware of the fabrication and romanticizing that go's into the making
of advertisements, they still, even if unknowingly, influence our choices and
lifestyles. There are positives and negatives to the impact advertising can
have on the public. Throughout, this evaluation will be investigating the
ethics of advertising when it comes to the perception of men by comparing and
contrasting these influences along with the opinions and views of
professionals.
When it
comes to advertising on the television, and more recently, over the Internet,
Advertisers carefully pick and choose where to place their advertisements as
well as the channels they are shown on and the time of day they are shown. This
is done to ensure that the product being promoted is being directed at an
audience that is most likely to take an interest in the product and potentially
make a purchase.
Considering
the influence of gender in advertising, Berger points out how men are perceived
in a traditional way. ‘Men are measured by the degree of power they offer.
The power may be in any number of forms, for example moral, physical, economic
etc. A man’s presence suggests what he may or may not be able to do to or for
you.' - John Berger (ways of seeing)
The image shown in (fig. 1) is usually displayed within the
pages of a magazine and, in a modern way, depicts the quote of Berger. This
Dolce Gabbana advertisement shows a male dressed in a suit with a slight smile
on his face, the fact he is wearing a bow tie suggests that he is going for
dinner at a very well to do affair among wealthy clientele (like himself). He
is also fiddling with his tie implying he has just got ready and the finishing
touch of perfection is the fragrance advertised. The image feels quite personal
as the male is looking directly at the camera implying he is looking directly
at the viewer. The ethos of this image applies to the above quote as power is
shown through morals and wealth. This
man takes care of himself and takes pride in his appearance. Through the sale
of this product the male character is offering his type of lifestyle to men.
Therefore, subtly implying that this is what men should strive for and without
this they are inferior. Even though many people see adverts like these
everyday, whether it be on the television, on billboards or in magazines, many
don't interpret them in-depth. However, understanding the manipulation
delivered through this character introduces the opinion that advertising in
this way is immoral. Suggesting to the consumer that spending money and buying
this product can put you on a par with the rich and famous is a very unethical
approach to promotion. Therefore in an opposing opinion this advert contradicts
the traditional identity of men disclosed within the quote from Burger. This,
in turn supports the title statement given by Bullmore.
'Men used to know their place, as provider for their
family, says Clare, and this was a role to be proud of. But today, as women
show that they can do everything that men can, this provider role becomes
diminished.'
This quote from (Anthony Clare) Gauntlett discusses how men
and women have become more equal through time, advertising involving the
lifestyle of men has changed. There are still many advertisements that depict
men as the to the 'bread winner' or 'protector' to gain recognition of a certain
brand. However this, now old-fashioned stereotype of the workingman has taken a
back seat due to the rise in equality of women in society, and their pursuit to
break out of the ‘house wife’ role they were once stereotyped and labeled
through. Due to this evening out and fading of positions is society regarding
gender, brands have started to use more modern stereotypes to depict men and
gain recognition. Showing men as 'up for a laugh' is now quite a frequent
persona that brands attempt to inflict when promoting a product. The use of humor
in this way makes the advertisement more memorable to the consumer, which in
turn may influence their next shopping trip (mission accomplished). Even though
this humour is seen as a charming and harmless form of entertainment, the way
in which this is translated through a male character can be stereotypical in a
negative way. Men are sometimes depicted as idiotic, which with respect to the
title quote from Bullmore could be damaging to how men are perceived in
society.
‘Masculinity is
seen as the state of ‘being a man’, which is currently somewhat in a flux’- David Gauntlett. In a way
this statement from Gauntlett supports this feeling of new emerging identities
for men in advertising due to the rise of the ‘stronger women’. This is taken
from the word ‘flux’ and suggests that men are struggling with their identities
and how they want to be seen by others. However, this suggestion of a struggle
alone brings in to question the morals of advertising due to the pressure it is
putting on the consumer. Men believing they need to mirror what they see in
adverts to be successful in the workplace, in relationships or in their male
friendship circles can be seen as a negative influence, which can diminish the
core of their personality and their individuality. The rise in advertisements that show men as part of a group acting
‘daft to get laughs’ is part of this new separation from women. ‘Male banter’
has now become a very specific thing to men and is something women turn their
noses at. This is because ‘Male Banter’ is often made up of crude comments that
can often be taken offensively.
‘There is even a noisy minority who argue that
feminism has ‘gone to far’ and that it is now men who have the worst deal in
society’ – David Gauntlett. This suggestion implies that because of this
leveling, and even over compensation of power for women in society, men have
begun to suffer. It could be said that due to this ‘flux’ in masculine
identity, advertisers have used this new phase of idiotic, immature depictions
of men to get ‘cheap’ recognition. However this can be a damaging and unfair
stereotype for men to carry. It can also be seen to have a negative effect as
it can influence men in to thinking that making fun of others, and not taking
situations seriously, as acceptable and even drop some of the responsibilities
they have to others.
There has
been a huge rise in the amount of adverts that are directed at men, however
make fun of ‘their’ thought processes and lifestyle. Even though this method
‘takes the piss’ out of these thought processes, somehow they have become
popular when directed toward a male market. The immature nature that is
depicted in many advertisements makes the promoted product become more
relatable to men who strive to be ‘one of the lads’. As well as adverts
relating to this immature nature, there are many promotions that also play with
the ‘old fashioned’ stereotype of the man being the powerful force behind a
family. The ‘Moneysupermarket’ (fig.2) advertisement shows a very
average man named Geoff visiting the beach with his family. Because this man is
not in the best physical shape, as he starts walking towards the sea with ‘goofy’
inflatable in hand, the way in which he is striding along with the intense look
on his face implies he is a powerful family man with great confidence. The humour
in this advert comes from the fact that this is not how powerful and
‘masculine’ men have been perceived in the past. The story within this advert
can be taken negatively or positively. Negatively, it can be seen as making fun
of the average, everyday man due to his lack of physical fitness and choice of
odd clothing.
On the other-hand, positively this advert
revolves around a ‘real’ person. Even though the mans roll is played by an
actor, his character depicts the ‘average Joe’ which, in turn, makes this
character more relatable and recognizable to everyday people. The fact that
this very average man exudes such confidence about himself almost gives
influence to others to be more content and happy within them-selves.
Another
good example of this almost exaggerated and humourous take on traditional
gender rolls is depicted in the recent Yorkie chocolate bar advert (fig 3).
This advertisement show a man struggling to take multiple bags of shopping from
the car into his house and focuses on very recognizable dilemmas he has to
overcome during this normal, everyday activity. The humour comes from the fact
that this male character ‘oozes’ power and masculinity to overcome these issues
to simply get the shopping in from the car. There is also an added, more modern
gender stereotype at the end of the advert were the man looks to his suggested
spouse with a look of proud achievement and satisfaction on his face which is
met by the raise of the women’s eye brows implying that she is not impressed.
The inclusion of the passive reaction from the woman supports the suggestion
that women have become more powerful in gender stereotyping.
‘Men have to find a new, modern, useful place for
themselves in the world – just as women have to. And this is where the mass
media and popular culture come in, because they offer important tool to help
men – and women – adjust to contemporary life.’ – David Gauntlett. In this
statement Gauntlett suggests that mass media is a helpful thing when it comes
to depicting new gender roles and stereotypes because it gives women as well as
men a visual representation on how they can live and act in society while being
successfully accepted. This quote also addresses the title statement by
Bullmore but translates it in a positive light. Gauntlett accepts that mass
media is a very influential thing in todays society but implies that this great
power can be useful in aiding men and women in being aware of what is
acceptable. Again the ‘Mysupermarket’ advert is a good example of how mass
media can be used to good effects relating to the pressures put on men and
women in today’s society concerning physical appearance. The Yorkie advert can
also be a representation of the corresponding view Gauntlett has taken on the
title quote as it represents how far society has come concerning gender rolls
and the fact that we can now laugh at what has been before because traditional
views are now not seen as acceptable.
‘True
masculinity is almost always thought to proceed through men’s bodies.’- R. W. Connell. This quote suggests that
men strive to have muscular bodies because this is a very strong display of
masculinity. The fact that muscle equals strength and strength equals power
creates an image of dominance, which as well as hormones defines masculinity.
As well as
women being bombarded by images of ‘perfect’ bodies, Men are also subject to
similar pressures. (Fig 4) Many advertisements show near naked men
adorned with muscles from head to toe, often promoting products that have
nothing to with the physical attributes of the male figure (products such as fragrances).
However the use of this body image paired with un-related items still
influences the feelings men have. In recent years many issues have been raised
about the use of small framed, skinny women in advertisements because of the
huge impact it has had on women. It has been proved that women are deeply affected
by body image and has contributed greatly to many illnesses such as anorexia.
There have also been similar problems in men being affected by such imagery, however
because women have to starve themselves, and become unhealthy to reach such
goals, men do not have to go to the same extremes as this to reach the same
‘standard’ as what is depicted in magazine pages. The argument for men being
advertised in this way is that it is perfectly healthy and if men are inspired
to have a body like this then this can be very beneficial to their health and well
being.
Continuing with the suggestion that many
advertisers are looking to capitalize on this recent rise in popularity regarding
‘male banter’, this is also shown through the physical make up of men. As well
as having these images of muscular, physically fit men, there are now many
adverts, usually shown in digital media, depicting average looking men that are
not in the best physical shape (such as the character form the ‘Mysupermarket’
advert). The ways in which these adverts are presented suggest that these
‘imperfect’ men are being made fun of. However this almost ‘soft’ form of
bullying is acceptable as the character is receiving it in an open way because
this mirrors how peers in a male group treat each other and act toward each
other through ‘male banter’. When this
type of advertising is related to women, as stated before, it already feels
that through time the depiction of women has risen so they are seen on the same
social par as men. Because it has been suggested that in recent times men have
been struggling to establish a new identity of masculinity due to the equality
between men and women, it feels as though men are breaking from this ‘crisis’
through this jokey everyday man image. When this is shown through the physical
form, it almost feels as though men are getting back at women. There is no
denying that women fret about their physical appearance more than men and it is
something that many women worry about everyday. So to show men as content,
happy and almost uncaring on how they are seen by others gives a feeling of
freedom and, through the eyes of a man, superiority over women.
“When the gaze is turned on itself, men
are more likely to move through a range of responses such as rejection,
identification and desire” - Jonathan
E. Schroeder & Detlev Zwick. In the past, advertising
methods that portray the ‘male gaze’ have been used to entice both male and female
audiences. From a women’s point of view the ‘male gaze’ is something that is
desired. For a woman to attract the gaze of a man suggests that she is
attractive and sexually appealing to men. From a man’s point of view, visually
sexualizing a woman gives them a greater sense of masculinity because they
strongly desire the opposite sex. However, viewing women as sexual objects in
advertising has come in to question in recent years due to the affect it can
have on consumers suggesting that this type of behavior towards women in
acceptable. The statement above from Jonathan E. Schroeder & Detlev Zwick refers to
advertising based on the physical appearance of a man, however it can also be
used to accompany the new advertising craze of the average, comical man
discussed previously.
It is very evident that advertising,
through every form it comes in, will always have a massive influence on how
society is. In the past advertising through mass media has been frowned upon
due how it can create stereotypes that can, in turn, have a negative effect on
everyday people. Not only has I created unfair stereotypes of certain
lifestyles of cultures, it has also created, purposefully or not, un-realistic
stereotypes to which many strive to achieve within their own lives. There is no
doubting that it is these types of issues that have helped form the opinion
stated in the Title quote by Bullmore as there is a hint of distain towards the
effect advertising has had on society. By looking at masculinity in advertising
it has given a specific audience within which we can explore the effects and
ethics of mass media and how it is being used in todays society. Through male
directed advertising and advertising depicting men and their various lifestyles
we can see evident changes in how men and women are shown together and also
changes in how masculinity is identified. These changes have been brought about
mainly through the rise of women’s rights, which has forced advertisers to find
new identities for men that no longer rely on the traditional gender roles.
Humor based on male immaturity has become popular in recent times and this is
one way in which advertisers have separated the lifestyles of men and women.
This is because women do not find this type of comedy as appealing, yet men can
relate to the ‘male banter’ ethos. There are still many adverts today that
depict masculinity through power; however showing such displays in a humorous way
makes it more acceptable as it is not taken in a serious manner. This is also
the case for advertisements involving both men and women.
Bibliography.
- Gauntlett. D (2008) ‘Media, gender &
Identity: An Introduction’, Routledge,
page 3.
- Clare in Gauntlett. D (2008) ‘Media, gender &
Identity: An Introduction’, Routledge,
page 8.
- Gauntlett. D
(2008) ‘Media, gender & Identity: An Introduction’, Routledge,
Page 11.
- Gauntlett. D
(2008) ‘Media, gender & Identity: An Introduction’, Routledge, page 9.
- Connell R. W (2005)
‘Masculinities’, Polity, page 45.
- Patterson. M and Elliott. R in Schroeder J. E. & Zwick D. (March 2004) ‘Consumption, Markets and
Culture’, Vol. 7, Taylor & Francis Ltd, page 26, ISSN 1477-223X
(online), http://www.yorku.ca/dzwick/CMC_Mirrors.pdf
Further Research.
-
Spence. E, Heekeren. B. V (2005) ‘Advertising Ethics – Basic ethics in action’,
Pearson/Prentice Hall.
- Pringle. H (2004)
‘Celebrity Sells’, John Wiley & Sons.
- O’Shaughnessy.
N. J, O’Shaughnessy. J (2004) ‘Persuassion in Advertising’, Routledge.
- Kirkpatrick. J (2007) ‘In
defence of Advertising’, TLJ Books.
- Jobling. P (2005) ‘Man
Appeal: Advertising, Modernism and Menswear’, Berg
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http://caketheater.com/blog/sweeter-on-the-inside/
