Men's Men and Women's Women: Gender Stereotypying in Television Commercials

Women’s Women: Neutrogena Wave Commercial

The Neutrogena Wave commercial displays a beautiful young female (Vanessa Hudgens) using the new face cleansing product. She demonstrates how quick and simple the Wave is to use and how quickly she received results. The advertiser is trying to SHOW that women who are accepted by society are expected to have clear and beautiful skin, and the Neutrogena Wave makes achieving this idea a cinch. By using a young and pretty cultural icon as the lead in the commercial, the advertiser is associating the product with what many females wish to be. He continues this by having the lead claim that “even [her] friends noticed”, implying that other people thought she was more beautiful after using the product. In general, the modern day woman is a working woman and attentive mother, creating a very full schedule. The third person voice in the commercial lists only three steps required to use the wave and it makes “skin [look] softer right away”. By expressing how easy and quick the wave is to use, the advertiser appeals to assiduous women that don’t have time to spend on extras for their appearance.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLTx9sTeMd0

 

 

 

 

Men’s Women: Axe Commercial

                The Axe commercial aired on MTV opens with a thin brunette in a revealing red bikini running frantically through the woods, leaping over every obstacle in her path. In a few seconds, glimpses can be caught of other figures running through the woods in the same manner and dressed in the same way. Finally, the cluster of women breaks through a tree line and begins running across a beach. The viewer can now see that there is also a group of women, all in green bikinis, running from the other side. Eventually, there are crowds of females sprinting across the sand from all directions, running toward a common target…a man. The man stands in the center of the beach, flexing his muscles and spraying himself with Axe. The women begin to stumble and fall as they desperately run to their target. The advertiser is trying illustrate how the smell of Axe attracts women. This ad appeals to the fantasy of most men, the fantasy of women fighting desperately to be theirs. But because there are so many women running for him, there isn’t a lead or a special woman. All these women appear to be just sexual objects attracted to him because of the Axe he sprayed. The colors of the women’s bikinis serve as archetypes to underscore how much these women want the one man. The red bikinis make one think of passion, sexual energy, and create a sense of danger towards the other women. Green represents jealously, envy, and vigor. The blue can mean sadness or confidence in one’s own abilities. Each of the women is running toward the man in the center with one of these powerful colors. The man stands in the middle, basking in the power he holds over all the women…basking in the dream power given to him by Axe.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9tWZB7OUSU

 

 

 

 

Men’s Men: Honda Civic Summer Clearance Commercial

                The Honda Civic advertisement begins with a college graduate buying a Honda Civic during the big summer clearance. He gets into the car with two other young men and they all celebrate saying “college paid off”. They drive away and cruise down the road and through town. One guy hangs his head out the window and his hair blows in the wind. The advertiser wants to make young men believe that this car will grant them a good time with their friends, and it will be a great pay-off for suffering through college. The high-five exchanged by the three guys underscores their excitement at having a “brand new Civic” and the fact that they got it at a great deal. They saved money, which is a stereotypical excitement for a male. One guy hangs his head out the window, like a dog having a great time in the front seat of a moving vehicle, representing the freedom and happiness that came with the new Honda Civic.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8acSlVhUrV0

 

 

 

Women’s Men: Kay’s Jewelry Commercial

                The advertisement begins during a terrible storm around a house. In the window are a man and a woman commenting on how it had never stormed like that at the house before. A bolt of lightning suddenly streaks across the sky, startling the woman, and she jumps back into the man’s arms. The man says that he is there, everything is okay, and he’s got her. She smiles, and tells him to never let go. He gives her a necklace from Kay’s and says he never will. This is the ideal romance moment floating in the imagination of every female: a man that says he will never leave. This commercial promises that Kay’s jewelers can make ‘forever’ happen. Women dream of many things in a man. One is security, offered by the male when he says that he is there when she is frightened by the lightning. Women also fantasize about ‘forever’ and being special enough to have one man for the rest of her life and establish a secure home and family. The male grants this by presenting her with the necklace and saying “I’m right here, and I always will be.” The woman feels secure and loved, all because of the necklace given to her from Kay’s.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltA50HKyM14

AP Lang Reading Bucket List

Clockwork Prince: by Cassandra Clare

                As Tessa Gray, the story protagonist, is just settling in at the institute, she learns that Chalrotte is about to be taken from her place as head of the institute, putting Tessa on the streets, and in the hands of the Magister. Clockwork Angel, the first in the series, hosted an intriguing plot line and ended with a cliff hanger to Tessa’s own love story. I am reading the second in the historical fiction series upon recommendation and to continue learning more of Tessa and her hidden destiny in the Shadowhunter world.

 

City of Lost Souls: by Cassandra Clare

                After being betrayed by one of their own, Clary, Jace, and Simon continue in war against the demons reeking havoc on the city, and against their own emotions, which are beginning to tear them apart. The fourth book of the Mortal Instruments series got astounding reviews, intriguing my interest more. Because I had already read the first three, it seemed a good idea to read the fourth, and a great review from a friend made the final decision for me. I look forward to reentering the world of fantasy that Cassandra Clare provides with her Mortal Intruments series.

 

What Happened to Goodbye: Sarah Dessen

                In this allegedly irriesistable love story, Mclean and her father are on their fourth move in two years, and Mclean decides that this time, she will drop her fake persona act and just be herself. Sarah Dessen is a well known young adult writer. Though her tales are sometimes sappy, What Happened to Goodbye received very good reviews. I plan to read this novel of hers for a sweet love story and a quick read.

 

Sense and Sensibility: Jane Austin

                When the Dashwood sister’s father passes, the estate is passed on to their half brother John, stirring up family drama in Jane Austin’s classic, Sense and Sensibility. I have read Jane Austin’s Emma and Pride and Prejudice and enjoyed her style of ‘happy’ writing with very good endings. Sense and Sensibility always receives great reviews online, so I figured I would continue my Jane Austin reading.

 

 

The Partner: John Grisham

                After faking his own death, Patrick runs for his life to Brazil, taking on a new name and persona: but they have found him again. After pressure from my mom to read a book by John Grisham, I found this one had only four and five star reviews. The summary left me asking ‘why?’ so I decided that I would find out.

               

Snow Falling on Cedars: David Guterson

                When a local fisherman is found dead outside San Piedro Island, it stirs up many secrets held in the land that should have never had to been relived. Snow Falling on Cedars sounded intense, as they uncover the mysteries hidden about a mass murder of Japanese residents during World War ll. I have never read a historical fiction novel that took place in Japan, so I decided to give this one a try. Because it secured a number one award, it’s quality is ensured.

 

Neverwhere: Neil Gaiman

                Based off a 1990s television series, Neverwhere introduces the “world above” to a “world below” the city of London. Upon finding this book on the shelves of my English teacher’s library, the cover caught my eye. I enjoy reading books about fantasy and adventure and this one seemed to fit the bill very well. I hope to enjoy reading about the fantastical world below the streets of London.

 

Gone Girl: Gillian Flynn

                From the New York Times Bestseller list comes a story about a hometown star on the search for his wife and his proven innocence. Because being on the New York Times Bestseller list is an aspiration of mine, I decided to read a few books from previous years to familiarize myself with it. This book had been on the list and is a suspense and thriller, fitting into two categories of books that interest me. My mom’s recommendation was the final decision maker to read Gone Girl.

 

Fear: Michael Grant

                The fifth book in the Gone series continues the story of life in the FAYZ with a new twist: darkness everywhere…no light anywhere. After reading the first four adventures in the series, I was waiting on the fifth one to come out in April of 2012. Stephen King reviewed the series, saying he really enjoyed it and that was backed up with great reviews of four a five stars, and people calling it “maybe the best series ever”.

 

The Scarlet Letter: Nathaniel Hawthorne

                A classic book, The Scarlet Letter tells the tale of a young woman who bore an illegitimate child and is forced to wear a red letter ‘A’ on her clothing as punishment for her adultery. The Scarlet Letter is a classic book that has withstood the test of time. I am trying to read as many classics as possible this year and The Scarlet Letter will be a thin, quick read.

 

Empty Seats

One hundred years ago yesterday, the "unsinkable" ship sank. Around midnight, the Titanic scraped up against an iceberg, shredding the side of the ship. The passengers didn't worry. They had no reason to. The ship was unsinkable; they had been guaranteed. Thirty minutes later, they weren't so sure. The ship was slowly dipping lower into the water, especially on one end. They began to panic and soon found out that the ship was sinking, and the crew had known for an hour. Those who believed it began storming the deck, fighting to get into one of the few lifeboats that were being lowered, half full, into the water. Many people were forced to stay on the ship until its last seconds above the icy water below. Are those people, as they stand on the deck of the boat with the water rushing around their feet watching the upper class ride to safety, required, or even capable of forgivness. Where is the line drawn? The Bible says to always forgive, but one who watched half filled life boats coast over the horizon before they were drawn into their icy death, would they be able to forgive any one of them? When thinking about forgivness, it is easy to say 'yes, one must always forgive' but when placed in context, its not really that easy. In this situation, forgivness would have definately been hard, maybe impossible. As one sinks beneath the water, loosing feeling in their extremities and feeling their heartbeats slow, seeing many seats in the lifeboats, each a way they could have survived, float away in the distance, forgivness, should be, but might not be an option.

The Dark Side of Superman

"The superhuman asking a subhuman for something superhuman..." is teh explanation that Arthur gave Simon when Arthur learned of Simon's experience, and Simon bought it. This depicts two things. First, the Jews opinions of themselves. A subhuman is defined as a lesser human or someone who is not quite human. The Jews see themselves as not important, or not even quite human, because that is what they have been fed their whole lives.

The second thing is the comparison that it makes. The Jews see themselves as dirt. They have even fallen into the brainwash just a little, and they view the German's, ironically, as superhumans. Usually superman carried a good connotation of a flying man in blue tights, but here it is a reference to the power they have, but use in the wrong way. the Germans are "super human" because there is not way for the Jews to stop them. The Jews are subhumans because they are looked down upon, almost to the point that they aren't even considered humans.

We like to think that this mindset is one of the past, but it has reoccurred multiple times in history. The American civil war was for the rights of the time's "subhumans". Even now there are cases of extreme racism where one group thinks of themselves a better than the other. It is even as minor as the "populars" discriminating against the "geeks", or the "rich" against the "poor". So, it comes down the the eyes of the person, are "super humans" really the super people? Or are the subhumans through "superhuman" tasks becoming the "supermen".

Forgiving and Forgetting

Given many horrendous scenarios, which ones deserve forgiveness and which ones are so appalling that that forgiveness could never even be considered? It's a complicated question filled with what ifs. Most people would say that it depends on the situation, the background story. That's understandable. A man who stole food looks bad in context, but maybe he has a starving family back at home. Others would say that it depends on if they did it willingly, or in their right minds. If an insane person commits murder, it is looked upon more lightly than if a sane man did it. Or maybe a little boy was forced into a ghastly deed. As humans, our instincts are to judge or to blame, to decide who is right and who is wrong, who should be forgiven and who shouldn't.

God says to forgive seventy times seven. God says their are no limits or conditions on forgiveness.

So everyone should be forgiven. No one should hold a grudge. But no one should forget. Mistakes make us who we are, they define us. And there is no possible way to completely forget the past. And just because someone is forgiven doesn't mean that they have escaped punishment. It doesn't mean they are back on the straight and narrow. There is a difference between forgiving and forgetting.