We've been talking a lot about sexism against women, and for good reason. It affects (all of) our every day lives and we see it everywhere. When I typed "sexism" into Google search, I found something interesting that I'd seen before, but never given much thought. There is in fact sexism against men in advertising, and it's pretty common. There is a common theme throughout the ads I have posted below. Basically, they poke fun at the "fact" that men are incapable of basic things such as cleaning after themselves, dressing themselves or cooking a meal.
One website I found (http://edit.adweek.com/adfreak/10-sexist-ads-made-total-pigs-133401?page=2) states, "People don't talk much about anti-male sexism in advertising—mostly because it sounds like whining, and also because it's so common. The bumbling man is an archetypal advertising character." I will admit that, had one of my guy friends brought up sexism against men in a conversation about sexism against women, I probably would have shrugged it off as him being whiney. Personally, I don't think it quite compares, and don't think it is as damaging. But that doesn't mean it's nonexistent. Here are some examples:
Andrew Astor's Leggo commercial from 2011 involves a common theme scene in commercials: the dumb, lazy dad. He can't be bothered to cook. Thank goodness for frozen waffles!
This Hane's ad from 2009 implies that men are unable to dress themselves without the help of their wives.
And then there are countless examples of the fact that in commercials for cleaning products, we mostly see them being utilized by women. There are also commercials (that I was unable to find examples of on YouTube) that feature husbands making huge messes due to downright stupid mistakes such as forgetting to put the lid on a blender.
Dear ANG,
ReplyDeleteThis is Lily from Intro to Research Methods. This post reminded me about the (rising of) "man aisles" in grocery stores this past summer. Depending on how one looks at it, the "man aisle" can mean that men are so stupid (sorry for the bluntness) that they need an aisle dedicated only to them in order to find the "manly" things they are looking for. Or another meaning can be that the grocery store is *mainly* for women so when men do *rarely* make a visit, they can get their "manly" things more efficiently and not waste time going through the "girly" aisles. I don't think "man aisles" are still on the rise;however, it reflects a lot about American stereotypes on gender on varies different levels. Here's a link about them: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2012/07/grocery-store-man-aisle-just-man-things/55046/
Hello Lily from Research Methods! It's nice of you to comment. Welcome to this class' blog and we hope you enjoy the posts.
DeleteWow I have seen these commercials many times but I never analyzed them in term of sexism against men. We cannot generalized the case by saying that all men are incapable to carry their "manly" duties without the help of women. We can say that most men are still attached to the idea that women still need to do most of the work in the house. I personally know some men who come to the fast food place I work at and get food for at least two days because they are unable to cook. When they come they tell us this. We should do like the caribbean culture. We should teach boys how to cook, clean, do laundry so that way when they grow up to be men enough not to depend on women entirely.
ReplyDeleteWe really don't think much of these ideas since I am sure most people were brought up learning what certain expectations are for each gender. Men are supposed to go to work, learn, and bring home the money. Women on the other hand are expected to take up the task men don't have time for, such as cleaning, cooking, taking care of the kids, and little odd jobs like sewing.
ReplyDeleteWhile these commercials are simply poking fun at society, it also highlights the fact that antiquated ideas from the past are still quite present in this time period as well. Hopefully over time society will progress more so that the playing field will balance out for both men and women and there will be no shame in men doing laundry and women being top performers in the work force.
This is very true, we often do not see bad advertisement for man ! But I do feel like this is some what true atleast in certain cultures man are catered to and are bought up this way. Today is changes a bit because we have single fathers who have no choice but to learn "women duties" and cook, clean, etc for the well being of their children !! So this was a very interesting topic though I still believe man are not advertised as badly as woman are- these types of Ads are mostly joked about but with woman its a whole another scenero which is what my Post was about.
ReplyDeleteI think all of you have have made some very good points here. These commercials do indeed rest on the idea that some tasks are "men's tasks" and other's are "women's tasks." One of the things we're interested in looking at in this class is how "women's tasks/work" has come to be/continues to be consistently and systematically undervalued and/or devalued.
ReplyDeleteI really like the point that you brought up about the difference there is when a guy talks about sexism and when a girl talks about sexism. I agree with you ANG because I think that I also would think that the guy sounds "whiny" if he is talking about anti-male sexism. I think that maybe I would think he sounds whiny because we are used to women mostly having something to say about how women are depicted in the media, so when a guy says something about it, it almost seems like I want to say, "suck it up" or "stop being a baby about it." For this reason, I think that I never really thought about the way the commercials are depicting the dads. I think that when I first saw the commercials, I just thought they were humorous because of the silly mistakes, but also we have talked about it in class how most of our dads don't really cook, clean, or do laundry. I think that that's maybe why when watching the commercials, I think of my own dad and think that is probably what it would be like if he tried to do some of the things we are used to my mom doing.
ReplyDeleteWhile it may be true that these commercials are sexist towards men, I interpret them as a portrait of the American household as a huge joke. Since women went to work, (years and years ago) men still find their inadequacy adorable. Furthermore, these commercials don't make women feel any more empowered, because they're husbands are pathetic. The meals they cook are waffles, and they paint their socks on. If this were my reality (and I am sure it is for many women), I'd feel like I'd just take over and cook/clean myself out of pure frustration. Just a thought!
ReplyDeleteI must admit I never paid much attention towards sexism of men and even now as I watched the fist commercial ad, I didn't pick up on the underlying message. I am amazed at just how conditioned I've become by the media. Being a woman I am always quick to point out the sexism for my own sex but not of men. However not all of these ads are false though. There are men who could fit into the Leggo's commercial description of the lazy dad.(My brother being a prime example!) Needless to say these stereotypes of men only portray a small portion of the male population.
ReplyDeleteThis blog was very interesting I have watched both of these commercials in the past and never looked at it from this perspective. It’s interesting how when most people think of sexism we immediately associate it with women not men. But these commercials show how sexism exists for both men and women. As pointed out above the men are portrayed as dumb and incapable of doing any type of household chores, which is derived from the idea that only women know how to do the cooking and the cleaning. The media is filled with stereotypes for both men and women which, makes it hard for us to escape it. Commercials, magazines, and ads are constantly conveying messages about what it means to be a man and a woman.
ReplyDeleteANG brings up a really good point in this post. I have also never put much thought into male sexism but it obviously does exist. There are distinct gender roles in American society and we would be hard-pressed to find someone who did not have any stereotypes about gender. This post also reminded me of a recent diaper or wipe commercial that was aired and created a lot of community uproar. It showed inept fathers trying to care for their babies and basically said that the baby product could handle anything, even dads. A lot of fathers took offense to the ad and clarified that although it still is not the norm, many fathers now are assuming the role of "stay-at-home" dads.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to see a post like this. Sexism is so often focused on one gender when really, there is a whole range of gray area, undiscovered by most. Sometimes I feel as though the use of making the man seem almost Neolithic brings a sense of appeal in many heterosexual women and men. In essence, it is a matter of appealing to the masses, in every direction possible. Far too many times have I seen men that strip themselves of human qualities to live up to thiese stupid-man-me-simple principal in which aesthetic or physical effort is beyond them. It almost works as an acknowledgement and forceful filling of a void of manhood by doing so. The whole concept of taste is totally taught by one's environment as well and people are blithely unaware that everything they deem masculine or feminine was taught to them by their environment.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post and a truly interesting idea. I wouldn't necessarily say that those who complain of sexism against men are whiny, but if we dig a little deeper into the reasoning behind the idea of the 'bumbling, domestically incapable' man, I think we still end up with sexism against women. Allow me to explain.
ReplyDeleteThere are a bevy of examples of media that propagate this idea of the domestically challenged man. Not only commercials, but sitcoms and films circulate this comedy cliche of the hapless-while-at-home male. The underlying message seems to be that a woman's place is in the home, and that a man's attempts to do "woman's work" are silly. We are presented with these beautiful homes (that obviously suggest a substantial family income), in which the wives know every corner, every hiding spot for a child's shoe, every stain-removal trick, and they rule over their "womanly" domains with a smug dismissal. The husbands, on the other hand, are aliens in their own homes, unfamiliar and awkward in every room, save the garage or toolshed. Subliminally, we are being told that these husbands must spend most of their time outside of the home (i.e., the "man's" domain as breadwinner), while the wife characters' self-worth is entirely borne out of their mastery of all things domestic.
Basically, the narrative seems to be: "Oh, honey, isn't it hilarious that I can't seem to figure out how to make breakfast or find well-fitting socks? Obviously, I should just let you do these things, since they're your job, and I should just concentrate on the important things, like making money to pay for food, clothing and shelter, HA HA HA!"
I find the fact that these commercials are slyly conceding that "well, I guess there are some things that women are better at, after all" quite condescending and, frankly, chauvinistic.
I agree with everyones comments on this post. I must also admit I never really payed attention to these kind of commercials involving men. Its funny how women issues are always right there poking women in the face and women notice it right away, but when its time to notice mens issues we are literally blind to the issue when its right in our face. This just goes to show that sexism isnt just against women but against men too. Honestly I think these commericals are saying men arent capable of making dinner or dressing the kids and its a womans job. Society has corrupted everyone into categorizing what a mans role should be and what a womans role should be. Lets just face it sexism is never gonna go away who are we kidding!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone else find it interesting to see that the post that has garnered the most comments is the post about sexism against men? As I read your wonderful comments, it seems to me that we may want to think about clarifying a definition for "sexism" and go from there. Importantly, consider whether and how sexism "against men" and sexism "against women" are actually two sides of the same coin so to speak...one that essentializes not only gender roles, but heterosexuality and heteronormativity.
ReplyDeleteFinally, I would ask you to think about this: if men do suffer from sexism (and they very much do), in what ways does their suffering differ from the experiences of women?