Section A
Compare how gender is represented in this Nivea advertisement and the Tide advertisement you have studied.
In your answer you must include:
• Consider the use of media language to convey meaning
• Consider how the representations construct versions of reality
• Consider the similarities and differences in how audiences are positioned by the representations
In both adverts a strong sense of gender is presented by the editor of the adverts. Even though they are 50 years different in age, the core elements of the adverts show a gender focus element.
Leibniz van Zoonen says that while adverts do portray women in a sexualised manner, often nude or with a limited amount of clothing on, the images are presented for the ‘male gaze’, while men are shown as a spectacle. In the Nivea advert the male is at the centre of the image and looks in control and showing off his stereotypical attractive male body. He is also looking and laughing at the camera, this is used to break the forth wall, as it makes the advert more personal and direct. This gives the sense of if you have the product then you will be happy, confident and attractive.
Nivea have a target audience of men as the man colour of the advert is blue. The semiotics, a theory created by Roland Barthes, of blue are a male orientated thinkin
g, this suggest that males are the target audiences for Nivea. Nivea in recent times has been trying to reach out to men as the Nivea brand had built up the association with females previously, this meant that their profit were not at their full poetical. The rebranding is clearly shown in the name of the brand as it says “Nivea for men”. In comparison, Tide is using the stereotypical image of a female in 1950’s America. At the time a woman was seen to only work in the house and raise children, in the image on the Tide advert the female is shown to be pleased by a soap, and in a sense should enjoy any chore that she has to complete. The women therefore is shown in the way a patriarchal society would like to view her. This sense of ‘loving’ the soap is emphasized by the hearts above the central image. The semiotics of the love hearts suggest that she loves the soap, this will convey to the audience that everybody should feel this way. This would especially be key to a female, if they were in the aspiring middle classes, as they would want to move up the capitalist ladder.
David Gauntlet says that our identity and thoughts are constructed through the media. This is true for both adverts as males in the 21st century would want the stereotypical white and toned body, as shown in the Nivea advert, While women in the 1950’s would want to have the best products, otherwise known as “keeping up with the jones’s” and would want to be happy like the lady in the Tide advert. Moreover the, in both adverts, they audience would want the best products in the given markets. This could lead to a two-step flow model to occur as information may be passed on through different people and sources, there could even be a hypothermic needle effect, and therefore the adverts aim is not to influence a mind it is only there to promote.
In the Tide advert Bell Hook’s feminist theory comes into play as the central image only shows an image of white woman, Bell Hooks believes that if you are a black woman in society you are at a disadvantage in society. This is because you are seen as being at the bottom of the class system.
To conclude, both adverts are shown in different contexts. As Tide is from a patriarchal society in 1950’s America, Tide is showing a type of lifestyle. And that this lifestyle should be the norm for an aspiring middle class American family. This is convey through several images including the cartoon in the bottom right hand corner, where two ladies are almost showing of with the fact that they own Tide soap. Moreover the use of hyperbole, for example “Tide’s got what women want!” emphases the fact that any woman should have this soap. While the Nivea advert is completely different as it is showing a perfect body type, this is what men should want. However this is not a lifestyle, which is different to Tide. The overall effect of both adverts are to make people think that they are “keeping up with the Jones”.
In your answer you must include:
• Consider the use of media language to convey meaning
• Consider how the representations construct versions of reality
• Consider the similarities and differences in how audiences are positioned by the representations
In both adverts a strong sense of gender is presented by the editor of the adverts. Even though they are 50 years different in age, the core elements of the adverts show a gender focus element.
Leibniz van Zoonen says that while adverts do portray women in a sexualised manner, often nude or with a limited amount of clothing on, the images are presented for the ‘male gaze’, while men are shown as a spectacle. In the Nivea advert the male is at the centre of the image and looks in control and showing off his stereotypical attractive male body. He is also looking and laughing at the camera, this is used to break the forth wall, as it makes the advert more personal and direct. This gives the sense of if you have the product then you will be happy, confident and attractive.
Nivea have a target audience of men as the man colour of the advert is blue. The semiotics, a theory created by Roland Barthes, of blue are a male orientated thinkin
g, this suggest that males are the target audiences for Nivea. Nivea in recent times has been trying to reach out to men as the Nivea brand had built up the association with females previously, this meant that their profit were not at their full poetical. The rebranding is clearly shown in the name of the brand as it says “Nivea for men”. In comparison, Tide is using the stereotypical image of a female in 1950’s America. At the time a woman was seen to only work in the house and raise children, in the image on the Tide advert the female is shown to be pleased by a soap, and in a sense should enjoy any chore that she has to complete. The women therefore is shown in the way a patriarchal society would like to view her. This sense of ‘loving’ the soap is emphasized by the hearts above the central image. The semiotics of the love hearts suggest that she loves the soap, this will convey to the audience that everybody should feel this way. This would especially be key to a female, if they were in the aspiring middle classes, as they would want to move up the capitalist ladder.
David Gauntlet says that our identity and thoughts are constructed through the media. This is true for both adverts as males in the 21st century would want the stereotypical white and toned body, as shown in the Nivea advert, While women in the 1950’s would want to have the best products, otherwise known as “keeping up with the jones’s” and would want to be happy like the lady in the Tide advert. Moreover the, in both adverts, they audience would want the best products in the given markets. This could lead to a two-step flow model to occur as information may be passed on through different people and sources, there could even be a hypothermic needle effect, and therefore the adverts aim is not to influence a mind it is only there to promote.
In the Tide advert Bell Hook’s feminist theory comes into play as the central image only shows an image of white woman, Bell Hooks believes that if you are a black woman in society you are at a disadvantage in society. This is because you are seen as being at the bottom of the class system.To conclude, both adverts are shown in different contexts. As Tide is from a patriarchal society in 1950’s America, Tide is showing a type of lifestyle. And that this lifestyle should be the norm for an aspiring middle class American family. This is convey through several images including the cartoon in the bottom right hand corner, where two ladies are almost showing of with the fact that they own Tide soap. Moreover the use of hyperbole, for example “Tide’s got what women want!” emphases the fact that any woman should have this soap. While the Nivea advert is completely different as it is showing a perfect body type, this is what men should want. However this is not a lifestyle, which is different to Tide. The overall effect of both adverts are to make people think that they are “keeping up with the Jones”.
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