Masculinity or the perception of what it is to be a man is depicted from physical appearance to social behavior. Mass media fills people's minds with images of strong or rebellious men in order to promote different types of products and services. Modern advertising campaigns have adapted to incorporate a more open sense of femininity amongst their ads for men. However, they still maintain a strongly define boundary regarding masculinity without making them look effeminate.
How did they manage to do that with skinny jeans?
I don't know.
Femininity or the perception of what it is to be a woman doesn't scape advertising's equal subjectivity. Beauty and sensitivity are some of the major attributes which are utilize to sell products to women. The ingenuity of modern advertising incorporates independence and freedom of expression in their ads for women. Yet again, such ads are very careful not to include imagery that might be deemed unfeminine.
Madame President does not need makeup in order to do her job better that any man.
In the battle to brake gender stereotypes the GLBT community advocates for freedom of gender expression. Drag Kings have populated the annals of history in America since WWII. Women had to work in factories and wearing dresses and makeup amongst other women under such conditions seemed like such a bother. However, mass media sometimes reluctantly allows women ads the lack of femininity but never over masculinization.
There is no better gentleman than a woman. And you can quote me.
As for Drag Queens, men have been dressing in what now is been perceived to be as feminine since...
There is a reason for what we all do every morning is still called to-dress-up. GLBT ads use Drag Queens until this day not to represent what it is to be a woman but to glamorize freedom of gender expression. Something mass media is absolutely terrified to accept.
If a man puts on a dress, he is a transvestite.
If a gay man has way-to-much-fashion-sense for one gender, he is a Drag Queen.
Man, masculine, masculinization, feminization, femenine, woman are gender definitions.
People's social behaviors perceive and project gender stereotypes.
Mass media incorporates gender-role stereotypes into their ads.
It all starts with one simple question.Is it a boy or a girl?
sources:
Gorman, Greg, and RuPaul. "A Face Is like a Work of Art. It Deserves a Great Frame." L.a.Eyeworks. TypePad, 19 Feb. 2009. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
<http://laeyeworks.typepad.com/lae/rupauls-drag-race/>.
<http://laeyeworks.typepad.com/lae/rupauls-drag-race/>.
Millenium Glub, Katana. "Dare To Be - Your Favorite MAC Poster/Ad." Makeuptalk. Huddler Fashion & Lifestyle, 17 Mar. 2011. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.makeuptalk.com/t/115609/dare-to-be-your-favorite-mac-poster-ad-march-8-march-22-2011>.
Mortierbrigade. "Louise Finally Earns as Much as Any Man." DragKing.be. WorldPress, 30 May 2006. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.dragking.be/2006/05/30/genderqueer-ads/>.
Moss, Hilary. "David Beckham Bodywear: H&M." Mymag. New York Media, 18 Jan. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
<http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/01/photo-david-beckhams-new-ad-for-hm.html>.
ALSO CHECK OUT:
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David, You always amaze me with your post. I love the different angles of approach.
ReplyDeletegod david you are such a writer! Your use of words are perfect for this post!Oh and David Beckham is a babe and a half!and those barbie bitches are scary!!
ReplyDeleteI agree that mass media and the culture we live in wants to paint the picture in our minds of what a man or woman should look or act like. This reminds me of a quote from Tuesdays with Morrie, "The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if culture doesn't work, don't buy it." Morrie Schwartz
ReplyDeleteNice post David. You have put together a lot of ideas and observations into this post and really went into depth on the topic. I'm glad you picked this issue to write about for your Wild Card--it let you have a little more say and keep going on your argumentative essay.
ReplyDeleteThe ads that you selected are show-stoppers. Very eye-catching and make us stop, think, examine, think some more. This is just what any good writer should want to do, really...is make the reader think about the message. Well done. Powerful & persuasive.
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ReplyDeleteDavid. You're on to something deep. If more people took the time to open their minds and see things from an open perspective, the world could be a better place. It is basic human instinct to try an identify the gender of every human encounter. Our brains are hard wired to ask the eyes if we're experiencing a male or a female. This is necessary to know how we should react and present ourselves in any given situation. Should I put on the face of an interested companion or just a passerby willing to participate in the casual hello? The curvature of a body, the tone of a voice, the accentuation of movement, are all clues we process in order to decide which face we will show. The media and advertizing play off of this basic instinct and manipulate our reactions in order to sell us on their choices. Today, more than ever, we need to be aware of this attack on the human senses. Skinny jeans used to only be for woman. But today, any gender could be sporting a transgender look without actually being one or the other. It's interesting and refreshing, living on the west coast, just knowing that things can be accepted on every front. The rest of the country isn't so lucky. Thank you for your insightful look at the way we are marketed. Thank you for being an insightful human being.
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