Representation Analysis

Tide Advertisement

    This advertisement takes advantage of typical gender norms to sell a product. From the beginning, the mother is shown as a feminine, traditional woman who strictly believes that both men and women should act and dress a certain way. This is established through her appearance, her dialogue, and the way the scene is set up. Throughout the commercial, the woman is dressed in nice, orderly clothing in both light pinks and whites. These colors can be used to convey a sense of femininity and innocence, which she clearly believes is the “correct” way for a woman to act. In addition to her costuming, the viewer can see flowers, a teacup set, and other feminine items around the room they are sitting in, confirming that the mother is indeed complying with gender norms. The little girl, however, is dressed in loose clothing with camouflage print, gray, and other neutral tones that are usually associated with masculinity. 

    As the mother sits on the couch, she has her legs crossed and hands clasped in front of her; her daughter, on the other hand, is sitting on the ground as she plays with blocks and dinosaur figurines (which are known to be “boy” toys). 

    By placing both actors in this way, the woman is seen as disciplined, while her daughter’s behavior can be viewed as unconventional. This is further confirmed by the mother’s comments, especially when she acts disappointed that the girl’s “hoodies and cargo shorts” did not get ruined after her crayon incident, saying it was “kinda too bad.”

    By displaying the daughter’s behavior in a negative light, this video is implicitly stating that being a masculine girl or woman is wrong or odd. Despite the purpose of this piece being simple (to advertise a product), the underlying message can be extremely detrimental - especially if other pieces of media send a similar message.

Axe Body Spray Commercial

    Throughout this video, women are running savagely toward a man who is spraying the advertised product on his body. These women, besides acting like total animals, are dressed in only bikinis and are not given any other role other than simply running to the man. Not only is this commercial dehumanizing and objectifying women by mostly focusing on their sexual features, but it is also setting extremely unrealistic standards for how women’s bodies should look like. Furthermore, this spot establishes that attractive women will come running and will be immediately enticed by whoever uses this product (hence the slogan “spray more - get more”). This sets incredibly impractical expectations for the product.

    Whether or not this advertisement was created to be seen as a “joke,” the consequences are clear. By showing viewers that women must compete to gain the attention of a man, the audience (primarily men) might think that these stereotypes are indeed true, damaging women’s image and making it harder to break these silly standards.