Messner: "A common theme in commercials aimed at boys and men is to depict women as capable either of humiliating men or affirming men's masculine desirability. And women's supposed masculinity-validating power is clearly linked to men's consumption choices: women will ignore or humiliate the man who is incapable of buying the right product or unwilling to, but women become sexy and accessible 'prizes' for men who are wise enough to make the right consumption choices." (Messner, 480)
Gaby P: Sports media has always been characterized as a man's world. But I was shocked to discover that even the commercials that are aired during a sports program are male dominated. It is very rare for a woman to appear in the commercial and if she does, she is usually accompanied by a male. According to Messner, a male force is present in 96.1% of commercials aired during sports programs. What shocked me even more was that when a women did appear in a commercial she had a very distinct role. She was either used to validate the man or to be the man's prize. So therefore, even when the woman was in the commercial she was still defined in terms of the man. What I want to know is what we are telling the boys and young men, and even the girls, who watch these programs about our culture and our view of women as a society? I hope that these adolescents learn about gender from other sources besides sports programs because there is much more to women than just being the man's prize.
A Response to "Beauty (Re)Discovers the Male Body" by Susan Bordo
Bordo: "Berger discovered what he argued were a set of implicit cultural paradigms of masculinity and femininity, crystallized in a visual 'rule' of both classical paintings and commercial advertisements: 'men act and women appear.' A woman's appearance, Berger argued, has been socially determined to be 'of crucial importance for what is normally thought of as the success of her life.' Even walking on a city street, headed for their high powered executive jobs, women exist to be seen, and they know it. With depictions of men, it's just the opposite. 'A man's presence is dependent upon the promise of power which he embodies...what he is capable of doing to you or for you.' Thus, the classic formula for representing men is always to show them in action, immersed in whatever they are doing, seemingly unaware of anyone who might be looking at them." (Bordo, 190-191)
Gaby P: Art historian, John Berger, describes the classic formula in which males and females are portrayed in advertisements. In other words, the stereotypes of our society. His formula seems to be incredibly accurate because I have seen it in almost all the ads I have studied. All the way from the popular brand Ann Taylor to such expensive and wealthy brands as Michael Kors. Women are most often photographed looking at the camera with her sole purpose being to look good. Whether she's a businesswoman running a multimillion dollar corporation or a housewife waiting on her husband. The women are always in the ad to look good. In comparison, men photographed in ads do just the opposite. They are usually photographed in action, with their eyes away from the camera, completely oblivious to the fact that they look good or that anyone is looking at them. Although I know Berger is right in his analysis of art and commercial advertisements, I do not agree with it. I believe that not all women are that materialistic and narcissistic to be so concerned about their looks. Also, the majority of men, though they won't admit it, care about how they look and what to seem presentable to others whether they are going to work or on a date.
Bordo, Susan. "Beauty (Re)Discovers the Male Body." Ways of Reading. 8th edition. Eds. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky, Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 188-205.
Messner, Michael. "Center of Attention: The Gender Role of Sports Media." Introduction. Rereading America. 6th edition. Eds. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's 2004. 477-487.
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