Entry #9: Sour

          I would have to say over the past 12 years it has become exceedingly difficult for me to watch television, especially the commercials. This is coming from someone who mainly watched the Super Bowl for the commercials and loved to stay up late to watch infomercials. I was infatuated with advertisements some were clever, informative, emotional, inspiring or down right hilarious. So why have I stopped enjoying those mindless activities? I began to see the ads from another perspective. I started to take notice in the derogatory manner commercials were portraying women and men. Women were being treated as objects and men were portrayed as emotionless brutes. At first I wasn't able to watch commercials then the more I paid attention to how television characters interpreted how males and females should act the more disgusted I became with the shows I used to love. It seems as if opening my eyes to the deeper messages of entertainment has placed a sour taste in my mouth. Now it is not only television but every aspect of entertainment, or any source of outside influence. These agencies have been subtly persuading how men and women should act for generations. They have been planting the ideas that men are not men if they own any of their feminine side. Also they have been saying women will never be as good as men and women really shouldn't try.

           Currently television and movies are getting better at equal representation of men and women but there is much work that needs to be done. Here are a few advertisements I have noticed (prepare yourself the sarcasm is strong in the captions):

Be like this guy, use Axe and women will suddenly forget about personal space.

If you don't drink beer and eat meat then you're not a man.

Not only is this insulting to women but it insinuates to men to just give their partner milk whenever they disagree.

Rape culture anyone? Apparently it is best served straight out of the oven.

Gender stereotyping for men at it's finest.

Yes because beauty is only measured in size 0 and 00.

I think if I were in bed with someone and they had a tail I wouldn't care if my hair was grey because I would be more concerned about getting the **** out of there.

Who drinks a protein shake during the workout? Amateur...

Yes that's a good idea marry her to have sex with her. Love has nothing to do with marriage.

What, men don't hold positions of power over women already?

Oh boy, ok. So this is a whole different level of terrible marketing. Insinuating people of color are not civilized is some serious racist hate speech. This ad also teaches people of color that their natural hair is not beautiful. It basically says only once you look as white as possible can you maybe achieve beauty.

Because when men are not hungry they can't possibly control their sexual urges to be monogamous.

Being a woman is bad because they are whinny, don't be whinny, don't be a woman.

Oh! Just what I was thinking, a human coffee table! She would look great in the living room.

I'm pretty sure every human turns into a child when they don't feel well. Also what's wrong with him eating pizza while sick? Maybe that makes him feel better. Maybe he hates the smell of Vicks like I hate this ad.

I literally yelled curse words when I read this ad. You know what causes rape???? RAPISTS!!!! Not alcohol, not clothes, not being "flirty" and surely not being unconscious. Men have control over their sexual urges and should not be told they cannot control themselves.

Be like this guy and Hugh sleep with everyone but only if you look like this guy.

 

 

He is using wwaaayyyy too much soap.

         So the next time you are flipping through the channels on the TV or pages of a magazine take a look at those ads. Not a glance but a good long look and analyze what the company is literally saying. Things that seem harmless are not, these messages damage us all.