Before beginning this assignment I assumed that it would be very easy. I am not saying it was extremely hard however, it was challenging trying to analyze commercials that I would normally think nothing of. Throughout the entire time that I was watching T.V. I saw five commercials for makeup products; two for Maybelline, two for Covergirl, and one for L'Oreal. There were also several for hair products; Aussie, Head and Shoulders, , L'Oreal, Pantene, and two for Garnier Fructis. It is very common for the models and spokespersons for makeup commercials to be "cover girls." The faces which I recognized in these commercials were that of Penelope Cruz, Queen Latifah, and Heather Locklear. However, no matter what kind of makeup these actresses use, they will look beautiful either way. This takes me back to the commercial for Clearasil, a product for acne. Having acne myself, I am not easily convinced by a spokesperson advertising acne who has flawless skin. I have also realized that every acne commercial has a teen as a spokesperson which does not target older adults who suffer with acne as well.
I also spotted several commercials in which a women was associated with the kitchen, laundry, and the grocery store. Till this day women are still seen as the person who should be at home taking care of the children, preparing dinners, and keeping the house clean. The one commercial that drove me crazy was the one for Pediasure which I saw three times. This commercial shows a mom who is pushing her daughter around in a shopping cart at a grocery store, while the little brat complains on how she hates broccoli and chicken. Not only does this commercial reinforce children to be brats but it also demonstrates that all women shop for is food to go home to cook and satisfy their families. A black and white introduction for the commercial for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, shows a woman with an apron serving her family dinner. Once again going back to the notion of women being stay at home moms.
I did not believe I would see many racial stereotypes and the first commercial I saw was exactly that. The movie Step Up was a dance movie that involved teenagers. In one of the scenes for Step up 2 the girl says "pimping guys out for green cards." It also shows how many young Caucasians try to be "street."
Looking at commercials the way I did for this assignment and how I did prior to it, is a huge difference. Before they were just commercials that I wanted to be over so I could get back to watching my show. Now I can see myself trying to figure out what the advertisers are actually trying to say instead of just ignoring them.
2 comments:
I totally agree with your comment about the acne. It is always a person with clear skin and that is so unreal. Your going to use that product because you need it, you know? Why show someone with perfectly flawless skin, when one, their skin probably is not flawless, and two, it just contradicts whether or not the person even needed to use the product. You can never trust those acne ads!
I thinkt that it was interesting that you pointed out the covergirl commercials. They are a lot more diverse concerning the use of their products. I know that Queen Latifah even has her own line entitled the Queen collection for women of color. So I think they do a good job in reaching a larger demographic, than just implying you have to be a beautiful white model with blonde hair to use the product and for it to be effective.
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