Advertised Masculinity
I’m still rummaging through my ad archives and feverishly scanning parts of my massive collection. Lets see how advertisers represent masculinity (circa 2004-2005). NOTE: For more on masculinity, see the work of my hero, Jackson Katz.
1. Sexual. So sexually ravenous and energetic that they need protein-infused energy bars to handle all that action.
2. Hey, men are so horny that they try to get it at work. In the second ad sexual harassment becomes a joke.
3. Violent as depicted in this ad featuring brand names Tommy Hilfiger, Diesel and Puma. Note the open pornographic magazine on the floor. Timely in light of Robert Jensen‘s recently posted interview on pornography, masculinity, racism, misogyny and media literacy.
NOTE: Often, violence/aggression and sexuality are interwoven in the construction of masculinity. Search or click on the categories at left: violence, sexuality, aggression, masculinity for related posts.
4. Stoic, unemotional and/or uninterested in relationships. “Disposable, just like your ex.” Stuff Magazine, 2004.
5. The photo below the disposable razor ad is a picture that accompanied an article in FHM titled “How to Dump Your Ex.”
How is black masculinity depicted? (For links related to black masculinity click here, here and here and don’t frget to check out Byron Hurt’s full-length documentary, Hip Hop Beyond Beats and Rhymes)
1. No surprise, the theme of rampant and uncontrollable sexuality is prevalent. This image feels a lot more aggressive that many of the images of white male sexuality. Thoughts?
2. Diddy with 2 women, the mac. Sexuality. Again.
3. Dominance, aggression. Of all the images that I’ve seen, this one strikes me hard. This was an ad for Tough Jeans.
All these advertisements show three of the four aspects of hegemonic masculinity. Advertised masculinity is shown in magazines like Stuff Magazine and they all portray the “real” man as dominant, sexual, and heterosexual. For example, the sexual harassment ad shows a kind of dominance, and ads such as P. Diddy’s add and the Reebok ad shows sexual heterosexual manners, which are also in a very dominant manner.
Comment by Michael — April 19, 2010 @ 4:21 pm
Michael, great job identifying the aspects of hegemonic masculinity.
Comment by Melanie — April 19, 2010 @ 4:36 pm
I was thinking about our assignment last class when we were asked what were some characteristics we associate with men and some of the ones I wrote such as strong, tough, and stoic were clearly represented in these ads. You don’t realize that you get your ideas on “what men should be like” through the media and ads until you analyze the ads and see exactly what they are trying to show consumers.
Comment by Melody J — October 3, 2010 @ 4:54 pm
The first ad with the energy bars said it all about men and how they are portrayed as highly sexual creatures that get wiht a lot of women-at the same time even, possess great sexual powers, and need energy to coninue on this path. I find this rather comical, especially considering that if this were one female with that many males she would be called derogatory names while this man in this ad gets praised and worshipped.
Comment by Debora R. — October 4, 2010 @ 2:06 pm
The media has protrayed an image and stereotype about males and how they need to be that, real men out there that do not depict this image are clearly forced into this larger fictional character. therefore society believes that this is how men need to look and act. I kno i have met men that do not look or act even close to what the ads are protraying
Comment by Delyla M. — October 4, 2010 @ 3:11 pm
In each of these pictures, the women are depicted in predominantly subordinate positions. And these advertisements prove that through the mass media our society has shown men as powerful and authoritative while women as submissive and weak. In Reebok, Sean Jean, and Detour energy bar, the advertisers are creating a desire for the products and showing a dominant man in control.
Comment by maxine — October 4, 2010 @ 6:37 pm
I think the fourth ad, “Just like your ex, its completely disposable” took the cake. When I see these ads, I laugh and I find it funny. I know my brother would laugh if he saw these ads too. These ads aren’t meant to be serious, but comical. However, the more these ads appear in the media regularly, the more likely guys will purchase these products. It’s because it creates a familiarity and brand loyalty for men. In addition, even though these ads are funny the connotation beneath it is sexual and these ads are meant to tackle the sexual crave of men.
Comment by Joanne S. — October 4, 2010 @ 10:10 pm
Many of these advertisements have to do with sex and to show that a real man is a man that can get any and as many girls as he wants. It shows males as only sexual and violent beings that their sense of identity is based on their sexuality. Most are representing men as carnal and that a man should be a “player” in order to be considered a “real man”.
Comment by Sadaf Abrishami — October 4, 2010 @ 10:59 pm
The men featured in the ads are shown as the authoritative figures and to seem more macho they have more than one girl. These ads also remind me of the latest Reebok Easytone ads which feature 2 women jogging, one wearing shape-ups which the guy seems to only pay attention to the shoes and no the woman. When the guy sees the woman wearing easytones, he checks her out and not her shoes. This ad also shows the guy as the authoritative figure while the woman wears easytones in order to be checked out.
Comment by Dalal C. — October 4, 2010 @ 11:26 pm
These ads are nothing but degrading and disrespectful to women. I’ve noticed that all the advertisements, in exception to the last one, have such unimportant images of women. But then again, to be a “real” man, women have to be treated like sexual objects. Viewing all these advertisements at once really impacted and offended me, whereas if I had just come across one of these ads, I probably wouldn’t have noticed really.
Comment by Sharon R. — October 5, 2010 @ 12:19 am
I find that these ads are attempting* to appeal to sexual interests of men. Society has instilled in men for so long that they should aspire to be dominant and aggressive sexually; men now desire and aspire to become that. I think that some men can fall for the stereotypical roles (black men are more aggressive then white men, or are sexually different in terms of the type of aggressiveness) and try to identify and see themselves in those pictures as sexually dominant, which advertisers think would be a turn on for men.
Comment by Hasan Gondal — March 23, 2011 @ 12:12 pm
[…] bullet wounds. As the urban style, slang, and lifestyle took flight and became more popular, the hypersexual black male became the media darling. Similar to King Kong, they were depicted as a threat to their […]
Pingback by Swag as a Commodity « All Black Everything — May 28, 2011 @ 5:02 am
Its seems like such an obvious trend but for some reason I never really noticed it. I mean i did notice the overly sexual tones of many of these types of ads but now i know more about them and what they mean.
Comment by Shawn S — June 1, 2011 @ 10:51 pm
It’s no surprise that statistics show no decrease in sexual harassment and violence against women when ads like these make them seem normal or make them out to be funny. When in reality, it is no laughing matter. Instead of making a joke out of it, maybe industries could use such advertisements positively.
Comment by Tiffany Majdipour — October 9, 2011 @ 11:37 pm
Not only are we fooled that we have only a couple of options of how we want to become as a person at an early age, we are continuously reminded of this in our adulthood as well. Men are taught to become an aggressive, unemotional and sexual, pretty much, animal when they grow up. Not only does it influence them but it influences females too. Many girls and boys are influenced by media only because the common idea of media is that what’s being showed is known to be ” normal” or even “cool”. With that in mind, females and males strive to become what they perceive. Not taking in to account that what they are perceiving is misleading and only there for money making purposes, not to make you a better person.
Comment by Tandis Shams Fard — October 10, 2011 @ 2:24 pm
It’s pretty overwhelming and scary to see all these ads together at once. After reading the article, I was reminded of the fact that men, just like women, are being sold to through the use of stereotypes that society places people in. If a guy wants to be “a man” he has to follow the guidelines. How can he do that? Through products. It guarantees you a hot girl in bed and grants you acceptance in the culture. The idea is truly sad and pushes gender equality even further away from reach.
Comment by Natalie Hoorfar — October 11, 2011 @ 7:53 am
Every ad has a woman (or women) in a submissive position, and a man in a dominating position. From these ads it seems like masculinity is represented by women and how well they are controlled; it’s not simply about being buff anymore. This post is eye-opening, if I normally saw these ads I wouldn’t question it which shows how numb our society has become to sexism.
Comment by Biana B — October 17, 2011 @ 4:32 pm
I had to glance real hard at the second ad. Is it actually promoting a sexual harassment CLUB? Such a thing really exists? The ad got me perplexed for a bit because usually, people would be demanding a stop to sexual harassment. This ad is doing the complete opposite, encouraging the act. If I am correct, the ad is telling its audience to “have it your way,” and in small parentheses, “for a small fee”. Perhaps the ad is hinting the encouragement of prostitution as well?
I always thought that Old Spice used extremely masculine concepts to advertise their products. It’s always about “looking like a man, and smelling like a man”.
Comment by Bridget Tang — October 17, 2011 @ 11:22 pm
These ads tend to portray men as the primary sex whereas women are subordinate. Men are put into a positive light whereas women are disrespected. These ideas are more than often displayed by media to degrade women. Although these ads are meant to be jokes, they promote the wrong message. The women in such ads are almost always displayed as sex objects. These ads may show what a “real man†is, but they certainly do not show who a real woman is.
Comment by Sahar S. — January 9, 2012 @ 5:31 pm
The ad about the secretary is absolutely disgusting. I recently had a coworker who was being sexually harassed and didn’t want to say anything because she didn’t want to be “that girl”. Sexual harassment isn’t a joke, and too many people think it is. Wimmin shouldn’t be afraid to speak up because they think they will be outcast and thus stigmatized. This ad not only exhibits that ideology, objectifies wimmin, and insinuates that said secretary will be okay with it “for a small fee”, but also encourages such behavior.
Comment by Breanna K — January 10, 2012 @ 6:48 pm
The objectification of women is a message that has been displayed in magazines, billboards, and on television. It is frustrating to know that the majority of people do not have a problem with this. This is a problem because it maintains the concept of women has objects that can be used and tossed away. Rape culture, as displayed in the horrific “sexual harassment club†ad, is linked to this objectification and it needs to stop.
Comment by Skye G. — January 11, 2012 @ 3:32 pm
Just recently my English 21b class went into depth with Advertising and how they appealed to women and men. How they dehumanized women, and made men look to be violent but amazing. Ads make you want that particular scene captured by the camera. Such as 3 hot women in bed with you and a empty SKYY Vodka bottle on the table. You swear like your really going to get that by buying the bottle. It’s unfortunate that some ads take this route and portray a scene making women as objects that you can just dominate and take over sexually and violently. It’s scary being a girl, not knowing what a man is capable of. You won’t know whom to trust anymore.
Comment by Sarah R. — January 11, 2012 @ 9:07 pm
The majority of these ads all portray women as objects. Society has deliberately made this known throughout the world. Also, when looking at these ads, you can see that each ad presents the male as the dominant figure, depicting that women are seen as just a form of pleasure. I don’t know about anyone else, but for me I highly disagree with that idea. This is why, the moment one may hear about rape, or sexual assault, is because of the fact that men believe they have to live up to the hype and up to the stereotype of believing that they can take advantage of all the women in the world and not be scrutinized for it. I feel that there is no sense of respect and admiration for women as people and as equals. I have grown up in a household where respect and the way you treat people is valued highly among all things. Seeing the way that society has now portrayed women, and seeing the way that most men abuse women is very disheartening, and disgusts me.
Comment by Eleazar Capuz — January 16, 2012 @ 1:26 pm
The media always portrays men as sexually aggressive studs who drink, shoot guns, and have sex. I hate seeing ads like these. It makes me really upset because young boy are being exposed to this idea of masculinity and think they have to be that way. They even think it’s funny, I have known men who are like this. The ad with P Diddy made me think about male rappers. They rap about having sex with girls and guns. Their music videos always have half naked women shaking their butts everywhere. This is such a bad example for young boys who listen to their music. It’s teaching them that in order to be a man they have to be like this and treat women like objects.
Comment by Jessica — January 31, 2012 @ 6:59 pm
As a male I feel these advertisements mess up the real idea of a real man. Children are exposed to this kind of material everyday thinking it is the way to go. A real man does not need to be sexually involved with different women, or if he is he does not need to display it to the public. That is what is wrong, more secretive things that children should not be learning about until they are mature enough to know right from wrong and whether or not they choose to do it are being displayed to the public. Now these days a child grows up thinking that is how he is suppose to live his life in order to be accepted into the public and be dominant. Honestly I feel none of the men in the ads or real man, a person who has to show off his dominance is insecure, and that is what I believe is another reason why men try to dominate women sexually and aggressively, because they are insecure and weak themselves.
Comment by Payne T — February 1, 2012 @ 8:10 pm
When I look at these pictures, I wonder if that add has been produced, processed supervised and or published by a guy? These look to me to be man hating ads. And guess what? Teenagers are copying these and even going one step farther, practice is to the max. They downgrade the women and treat them very badly. I find this to be bothering, because I respect women a lot. To the point that my girl friend’s friends say there is something wrong with me, and I’m either too good to be true or there is something wrong with me.
Comment by MATAN P — February 6, 2012 @ 9:47 am
Wow! These advertisements are so disturbing, yet men are taught that this is to be a “real manâ€. I found none of these ads appropriate or promoting healthy relationships or self-love. They all give off the idea that to be a “cool†man you must 1) have a lot of sex, 2) with multiple women at time, 3) then dump them and never think about them again, 4) then go hang out with your buddies and watch some more porn and 5) then go off and casually harass someone and 6)kill a person possibly. It is terrifying that that is what men are taught is right. No wonder there are so many rape reports, murdered victims, and angry men. Images all around us are telling men that they need to do these things to be considered a real man to show masculinity. If want to raise healthy, respectable and loving men then we need to reconsider what we shove down their throats. Women partake in this idea of a patriarchal man too by supporting the dehumanizing of women and encouraging men to act “tough†through violence. I am sure that the team behind these ads are males, but I’m sure that there are also some women behind them too. These ads also struck another cord with me, the idea that to be a real man you must be heterosexual. All of these ads promote heterosexual relationships as the norm and that leaves out anyone who is not heterosexual. It is no wonder that there are so many depressed people out there that feel they don’t “fit in†and that is only because society says that only heterosexual relationships are accepted and looked up to. – D.O.
Comment by Destiny O — February 21, 2012 @ 6:15 pm
It is interesting to see these printed ads as I do not often read magazines so I am usually not commonly exposed to these types of ads. One thing that I noticed, however, was that I was more shocked by the violent ads than I was by the sexist ones. The worst one in my opinion is probably the one that condones both – violence against women in the workplace. Advertisements are just something that you do not often pay attention to in day to day life, and so it is a really good experience to be exposed to ads in an academic manner that promotes understanding. Our media is just so saturated with ads like these, ads that promote the stereotypical image of male masculinity, ads that are also degrading to women. This is the problem that I have a hard time coping with, that we live in a society where a company can get away with posting an ad about the so-called “sexual harassment club.â€
One thing I was wondering is why do we think these ads represent male masculinity? Why is it that we promote the image of the “player†that gets two girls, such as in the Diddy ad? Why is it considered masculine to look like a zombie with cuts and blood everywhere as in the last ad? Our society’s view of what is and is not masculine has become so skewed that we have thrown away basic virtuous human values.
Comment by Logan S. — February 24, 2012 @ 3:57 pm
It was really interesting noting that there is a difference between advertisements with White men and those with black men in them. The advertisements trying to represent black masculinity, especially the Reebok one, shows the black man as violently forcing himself onto the woman. Meanwhile, the ads depicting White men, such as the energy bar, show several women lying with a man without a care in the world. It is as if women enjoy being submissive to men. Well, in our society women are expected to obey men and not ask too many questions. If a woman does question her circumstance, she is labeled as being “bitchy.†Yet, men are portrayed in ads and the media as being able to get their way no matter what, even if it means degrading and harassing women. For example, the ad about the Sexual Harassment Club is really disturbing due to everything negative it portrays. This harassment ad is telling men and all who come across it that it is okay to do what you want with women, even if you have to abuse and coerce them. Being a woman, I feel offended every single time I come across these types of ads. Unfortunately, nowadays it is as if one cannot get away from such negative images because they are everywhere I turn or go. It is frustrating how our society has such an obsession with reinforcing harmful behaviors of dominance and aggression through the media.
Comment by Jennifer H — February 26, 2012 @ 11:58 am
From perfume, to jeans, to music CD’s, it seems evident that sex sells. What is our world is coming to? I don’t know. It reminds me of Robert Jensen’s book Getting Off. He writes something like the pornographers have won and are helping the world become dangerous for women, children, and men. Although there is no actual sex act going on in these advertisements, the ad is pertaining to being sexy and getting sexual, while womanizing the female just to be the dominant male, once again. I believe that these masculinity ads will continue to get stronger and bolder because they are making a ton of money from it. Do you think they care about what message they are sending regarding masculinity and femininity? I think not.
Comment by Salina G — February 26, 2012 @ 1:00 pm
I have seen the video by Byron Hurt that discusses the emasculation of black men. As an Black female these images disturb me because they are inaccurate depictions. With the other ads, it is aware that women are used as props in order to sexual influence the consumer. I become curious as to why these women would allow themselves to be photographed as material. In the Sean Combs ad, there are two women in bed with him, content with the monogamous idea of a threesome to influence one into purchasing the fragrance. Surrounding the idea of masculinity, the male gains respect and acknowledgment as a “Real man” when he can prove to be buff and portray himself as a player. Men validate other men by their ability to materialize women.
Comment by Brandy S. — March 2, 2012 @ 1:57 am
Violence and sex….this is what all these ads portray to the public. It also in so many poses describes the ethnocentrism of masculinity. Where men are in control humiliating women’s worth. There is also no doubt about gender identity. Men expose their chest as a sign of manhood and strongness, women expose even more than men hence the pornographic magazine exposing a women’s buttocks. We see these ads on a daily basis that it does not phase us at all. What does sex have to do with a protein bar? what do two half naked girls have to do with a perfume ad? There are so many subliminal messages in commercial ads that it becomes natural in people’s lives as we come accross them. It is vulgar and demeaning to women because not one ad places a woman as dominant, smart, and nurturing. If this is our present, what will become of the future for the next generation?
Comment by gloria — March 3, 2012 @ 2:53 pm
These images have been placed in various settings such as: billboards, magazines, websites and other media outlets that some how many viewers not look at these images very passively. Since our society has been bombarded with numerous ads like the ones above it is no surprise we have a society that boys believe it is okay to shot another kid in school or that girls believe its normal to participate in sexual activity at a young age. The youth is only re-enacting the images and ideas that are placed in their daily lives. Ads like Diddy’s showing that its okay to be in bed with more then one girl-promotes that monogamy is irrelevant. What does nudity and the idea of a three some have to do anything with perfume? Or the ad promoting sexual harassment is okay and acceptable. Ads like those above are raising a society that is showing women are inferior to men and that men are the dominant gender.
Comment by Venezia R — March 5, 2012 @ 11:35 am
Personally, these ads were disturbing to me. Women are portrayed as objects that can be taken advantage of and used to sell items with their “sexy” body & outfit. The ads show men as dominant individuals. I was disturbed because there are thousands of talented people in the world that could design an ad that portray women in a more positive aspect but yet we end up with these type of ads. Why is that? It is unfortunate because our youth look up to artists such as P Diddy and are influenced by things portrayed in the media. What type of messages are these ads sending to our youth? we are in need of ads that does not depict violence, sex or women being inferior to men. Yes sex sells but there are other ways that things can be sold as well. It is time for creative minds to gather and come up with a different solution because this is not it.
Comment by Takisha B. — March 9, 2012 @ 9:41 pm
After looking at these ads, and reading the descriptions on each one I can say I am disgusted. I know we look at these advertisements sometimes wishing our boyfriends or husbands look like these men that look very dominant, and represent a big part of hegemonic masculinity. I had done a paper on this in my previous class, and I had learned how these advertisements are a big role in our lives. We always go into a grocery store, and first thing we see on the stands are magazines with images on the cover of men and women who are posing with perfect bodies. Sometimes we are intimidated, and we think to ourselves why we can’t look like that, but we have to realize that all those images have been photo shopped. And the message the media is trying to say is that masculinity sells, and men who have extra dominance than advertisement will sell. Even in commercials, we never see a short fat guy advertising body wash, we see a young tall, masculine handsome man. When it comes to me, I can’t lie I like that a man looks bulky, but my husband is the exact opposite of that. He is my height, and average built. I tell him sometimes he needs to bulk up like the ads I see on billboards like other men, and then I realize that doesn’t matter. As long as he’s happy with the way he looks, then I will be happy, and I love him for who he is in the inside, not what he looks like on the outside.
Comment by Marianna B. — March 15, 2012 @ 12:45 am
The sad part is that ads like these are so prolific, and as a result the average person sees nothing wrong with them. Growing up in a capitalist, patriarchal society, ads like these are continuously shown to us that we become comfortable with the messages they convey. Portraying men as dominant, aggressive and tough, and women as, submissive, and sexual.
Comment by Jose — March 19, 2012 @ 6:12 pm
What stuns me the most out of all these advertisements is not just the message that is being thrown out there – that men are acceptably horny, aggressive, and stoic in American society – but that men actually buy into these advertisements and buy these products, completely unaware of the tactics thrown at them.
Comment by Jasmine Y. — March 22, 2012 @ 9:13 pm
I didn’t understand ad #2; what was that even an ad for??
At any rate, I wonder what goes on behind the scenes of these ads. What is the process for creative direction? It’s funny how – just like in women’s ads – the same formula for what is masculine is used again and again. Women don’t have much flexibility in these ads either; they are usually referenced with sex or violence. She’s getting screwed in any of the situations!
Ad #1 in the black masculinity ads struck me the most. The word “stop” and the poses of the people make it look so much like a PSA for rape… the only discernible difference is the facial expression of the woman. Although she isn’t showing pain or anger, she looks indifferent or almost drugged!
Comment by Noel L. — March 23, 2012 @ 5:18 pm
These ads are disgusting. These are just a few of the horrible ones out there. Even though these are aimed for males there are all kinds of ads that are aimed for females that are equally as bad. I really wish that when people see these ads they understand the true meaning of them. I wish more people were aware of the sexism that is sold in these ads. The portrayal of man in these ads is not in any way attractive, and hopefully more men will realize that.
Comment by Melody A. — March 24, 2012 @ 10:47 am
dominance is extremely prevalent in these pictures. the mass media further exaggerates the conception of the patriarchy we live in. through showing pictures like Diddy having two girls in his bed and razors being disposable like women, the audience notices that women are nothing but men’s tissues, to use and throw away when finished. if enough men look at these pictures, they will think that being unemotional and using girls for their pleasure is socially acceptable and even praised for.
Comment by Chantelle A — March 24, 2012 @ 2:13 pm
I found all of these advertisements to be unsettling, but by far the most inappropriate ad was the shaver, “Disposable, just like your exâ€. I don’t find it funny, nor do I think it represents men in a fashionable light. I constantly find ads trying to depict men as controlling their women and sex fiends. As if every man is horny and his main objective of the day is to get laid, whether he’s at home or work. Advertisers have no boundaries; they will go to any length to sell sex. One ad that I was surprised not to see in this article was that of Axe Body Spray, which tries selling their deodorant spray by depicting women flaunting over men who wear the scent. In the Axe commercials, once a man puts on the spray, women all over start running over to the man and harassing him. Another theme I have seen in advertisements was rather racist. It depicts African American males dominating white females. One ad in specific that I can recall was when Lebron James posed in a Vogue magazine cover, holding Giselle Bundchen, while yelling and dribbling a basketball. I remember the uproar it got, but I am surprised that none of these ads have been pulled for their obscenity.
Comment by Ben B — March 25, 2012 @ 12:59 pm
First of all: yikes. I can’t seem to remember having seen ads like the very last one in any magazine I’ve read. I’m trying to decide whether I haven’t actually seen one before, or simply haven’t noticed something like this before, which could very well be, especially when in a society that is constantly bombarded by advertisements. Honestly, the other ads do not surprise me very much (Sexual harassment club? Kinky. And of course all black men dream of cornering some white chick in an elevator!) since I have seen ads like this before, but that very last one got to me.
First of all, what kind of message are they trying to send? “Come get yourself your very own murder jeans! Blood washes out the first time or your murder jeans are freeeee!” Second, I’m pretty sure you would never see an ad featuring a bloody white guy with a knife, short of those for the movie American Psycho. White people are just as likely to murder someone as a black person. And third, it’s interesting that they have also managed to sexualize this ad. He’s bloody, but hey, there are some nice abs under all that blood. And his pants are unbuttoned as well….”is that a knife in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?” Honestly, most of these ads don’t appeal to me. But I can see how they would appeal to most “manly” men. They really do say a lot about how highly valued masculine traits truly are in today’s society.
Comment by Richard Escobar — March 25, 2012 @ 8:12 pm
The ads with sex prevalent are all over the internet, TV, stores, and billboards. These are used to attract the attention of the male population, and as a male I can say that it works. Unfortunately that stereotype is one that is true. Violence is more a male attribute than female, with that being said the last add for tough jeans is pretty striking. This ad stands out, but I am not positive it actually sells the jeans. The idea that men are supposed to be aggressive, sexual, determined, and “on top of the world” is in each of these articles. The most shocking thing, yet widely accepted, is the idea of women being disposable. As in the disposable razor ad, its as if women, who are very important in the social structure are easily tossed away.
Comment by Mohit Sharma — March 28, 2012 @ 2:36 pm
These photos seem very extreme but these messages are everywhere. The one that struck me most was actually the P.Diddy ad. I was not surprised by him being in bed with two women in an ad. What disturbs me is that the woman in front not only has her head down like she has been beaten, but can’t even look at the camera like P.Diddy and the other woman are. It is almost like she is so ashamed she cannot bear to look at you. That is disturbing because so many conclusions can be drawn from it. I mean I know it is an ad, but it almost appears to be a rape scene. The other woman and P.Diddy drugged some poor innocent girl and raped her. And now she is so ashamed she cannot even face the world. The other violent portrayals are obvious but this ad has subtly toward the worst. I also do think that the “black ads” are more aggressive than the “white ads.” I think it is interesting to ad that most of the “white ads” do not show faces. I wonder what the meaning behind that is? Maybe in focus groups consumers said they like an ad to make you feel like you can place yourself in it. Where as those viewing the ads with faces who like the ad want to mimic the person in the ad.
Comment by S.Lockey — April 6, 2012 @ 10:35 am
Men are definitely looked upon as sexual creatures. Their appetites seemed to be protrayed to almost on the animalistic side. Dominance is the key aspect in these ads and the baring of the shirt shows the primal side of the male form and male persona. The ads with african Americans seem to appear a little more brutal than the white ones and that is not the case at all. Every race of man is able to be brutal.
Comment by Eternity Holloway — April 10, 2012 @ 9:44 am
The advertisements portray men just how a real man should be. In many individuals eyes men are dominant, womenizers, and sexual. As a result, those are the attributes that a man tends to have. One of the advertisements portrays men as agressive. There is also one where diddy is with two women. One thing that I noticed was that all of the advertisements above show dominance. I also noticed that most of the ads involve men being sexual and women are just followers. THose type of adds are usualy targeted to males. For the same reason men are dominant, sexual, heterosexual, and agressive. The women are viewed as symbols and the male leads or usually runs the show.
Comment by Maira Pacheco — April 14, 2012 @ 11:10 pm
When actually being told to really look at the ads, it’s actually quite shocking. The overall themes of these ads were that men are dominant sexual beings and the women are submissive to that. What’s upsetting is that ads like this aren’t just in the magazines, but they are everywhere you look. Billboards, bus stations, television, and the internet all have ads that depict the same overall theme. Men are depicted as being masculine, in charge, and sexual and the women are there being depicted as someone on the side being submissive who is there to please the man. Unfortunately society views this as the norm. These kind of ads set up this false idea that men are suppose to be that one way and that women are suppose to be that way. In reality, it doesn’t come to close what women and men should be. We are in the 21st century and sexism is still alive and constantly being ignored, and again the norm because of ads like this being put out and giving the message that it’s ok to do this, that’s what’s suppose to happen. I’ve seen ads for tennis shoes on posters near bus stops, with the women naked except for the shoes. Again the idea is showing women as nothing but sex symbols and that sex is ok to sell in society. All of these ads bothered me in some way. The disposable razor ad is kind of upsetting because it’s telling the men that women are disposable, teaching that it’s ok to be uninterested and not really care about the relationship. Another was the sexual harassment ad, instead of treating it as something serious which it obviously is, they made a joke out of it and also very sexual. The last ad for the jeans was also a little disturbing because it shows a man who is very muscular, holding a knife, looking possessed, and with blood on him. This again demonstrates aggression in a man and dominance. If everyone started to pay better attention to the ads that we are subjected to day after day, maybe society would change the norm of sexism to it not being acceptable.
Comment by CandaceR — April 15, 2012 @ 4:15 pm
Understanding from past education on advertisement, it is still shocking how these ads still can have some subconscious effect on you, even though I am conscious about what’s going on. These ads in general portray women as objects, sex toys, and over sexualized. It makes youth want to be like these women, and makes the male youth want to be like these men “players.” Adverting is a multimillion billion dollar business, so I change in these ads will be coming anytime soon.
Comment by Kevin Moore — April 19, 2012 @ 8:53 am
I am aware of the hegemonic masculine traits being expressed in these ads. I’m not going to reiterate what everyone has already said. Sexual harassment should also NEVER be tolerated ladies, NEVER.
I just wanted to point out that all these shitty advertisements are for shitty products. Old Spice should stick to deodorants(which aren’t that great either) and the Detour protein bars taste like ass (believe me,I know). I can’t recall any memory of somebody saying,’Check out my sweet Tommy Hilfigers/Pumas/Reeboks’ I didn’t know people still wore them. Also, I thought P. Diddly was dead and his cologne smells like dirty ass. That is all.
Comment by David A. — April 22, 2012 @ 1:51 pm
All the advertising ads that are shown in the pictures feature all the hegemonic masculinity that we and our children are expose to. Boy’s start to believe that a man should be strong, aggressive, and patriarchal because that’s what they and others see. African American men are perceive has aggressive and though so they have to fulfill this role or they will be looked as weak and made fun off. I think if society does not do anything about the issue it will continue to happen.
Comment by Yuliana R — April 25, 2012 @ 11:35 am
All these ads make me angry. I feel that as aware that we are on reving up sexual images to sell products we cannot get the message across to advertisers on how demeaning it is to women to constantly shove these images in our face. For instance we see the advertisement for Reebok, a shoe company, they are not only selling their show they are selling an image of a black man almost forcing this white woman into sexual submission for his pleasure. She is pinned against a column almost helpless. That is exactly the kind of image I get in my head when I see a Reebok shoe. The razor advertisement claiming that the razor is just as disposable as your ex girlfriend, with the image of a girl sitting inside a trash can justifies the thought that women are objects. We are not necessarily another person you speak to, share intimate moments with or even share a life with. We are objects you dispose of when we have reached our shelf life (just like a razor). This is definitely not a healthy way to advertise to men or women.
Comment by Nancy Rodriguez — April 25, 2012 @ 11:44 am
It is true the media depicts all these black males as strong, sweaty, built, and aggressive. The practice of this is homoeroticism, were black men are portrayed as naked, strong, greased up, with god like bodies, and all tatted up. Some examples are LL Cool, 50 cent, Lil Wayne and other rappers. These black men almost always come out teasing the camera with their shirts off all greased up. However, rappers aren’t the only ones that advertise masculinity. The commercials from Bow Flex always show their men all built up, greased up, and as if their muscles gave them everything to stay alive. But then again we all know Bow Flex was not the result of many of these guys’ muscles as it was proven by Ronny from Jersey Shore, who is already built, to advertise one of these machines. It was funny because Ronny’s phrase was “If you want to look like me use Bow Flex†hello, Ronny was already built. That is just one of the many things this masculinity advertisements do, they get built men to inspire other men to think if they are built and sexy everything would be given to them especially the girls. Another example is the commercial for Axe body wash their slogan is “Even the angels will fall.†Really?
Comment by Jovanna G — April 25, 2012 @ 6:31 pm
I am not really surprise by these advertisements, it seems like that is all they do, and that they enhance masculinity. Perfumes for men are the ones that do that the most; you normally have these ads of masculinity and then the product that they are selling is all the way at the bottom. I am actually scared of what advertisements have done to masculinity because there are so many cases of women missing and found rape, strangle and dead. Since advertisements are trying to add having young girls look older, now we see more cases of children being raped, abused, killed, or missing. Advertisements have creating monsters and it is scary to see what will happen next.
Comment by Tania — April 26, 2012 @ 4:46 pm
Before taking a pop culture class in college, I never noticed how inappropriate ads were. Through the process of cultivation, the media manipulates the masses into ignorantly playing into these images, and believing that they are normative. Advertisers cleverly create our culture through narrow themed images. These images of sex and violence fool us, create a false sense of reality, are dangerous, and ultimately sell products. It’s scary realizing that the media can mold you, socialize you, and change you. These advertisements subconsciously brain wash our culture everyday, and most people are unaware of the media’s ill intentioned techniques. Under patriarchy, men are told that they must be strong, powerful, and masculine. Women must be subordinate, young, beautiful, thin, and flawless, not to mention white. Because the media operates in a passive fashion, many individuals do not realize how unrealistic, and unobtainable these images are, yet they are still expected to meet the standards. Consequences follow, where men are pressured to demonstrate masculinity, and dominance, and women are sexualized, abused, and only praised for beauty. Women are also more likely to be depressed, have low-self esteem, and even suffer from eating disorders. Until the media is stopped, individuals will continue to suffer from its greedy wrath.
Comment by Deirdre D. — April 27, 2012 @ 2:32 am
First off, I can’t stand P. Diddy. I can still hear his mid-90s jams resonating through my mind, pretentious and fame hungry. Besides this he is one of the several campaigns featured that show to reinforce heteronormative stereotypes within our culture, perpetuating dominance and submission between the sexes, sexism, patriarchy, violence, and the list certainly goes on. People are beautiful, special, unique; while these advertisements are a hindrance to viewing people’s differences and negating human emotions, feelings, situations as individual; lumping up the categories of life as either this or that. These advertisements play one people’s weaknesses as they cater to elicit the emotions into a yearning to represent, to push one to encompass what the images depict and the lifestyle being sold. People are so out of touch with what’s intrinsically within that they are willing to let the media perpetuate and dictate their lives, as there is no longer autonomy in portraying beliefs that are diplomatic, unless they are educated to understand how trivialized their lives have become. It’s a sad, Ad world.
Comment by Byron — April 28, 2012 @ 11:43 am
I think that advertisements typically mirror our patriarchal society; men are depicted as tough, aggressive, violent, unemotional, and sexual. Women, on the other hand, are shown as hyper-sexualized, weak, and overly-emotional. There is never a happy medium, and the power between genders is never in balance. This reinforces gender roles for many men and women; these ads reinforce the idea that men are supposed to be aggressive and sexual, while women are supposed to be taken advantage of. It seems crazy that people buy into these ideas, but sex obviously sells better than anything else… Ads like these probably won’t be changing or going out of style anytime soon.
Comment by Kyle Rudell — April 29, 2012 @ 3:19 pm
These ads advertise masculinity in a violent, sexual, aggressive way that is degrading to women as well as men. Men are being portrayed as horny sexual predators, and women as sexual objects. These ads are enforcing and encouraging, three sums, sexual harassments, and violence towards women. Advertising masculinity is done in a disgraceful and disturbing that keeps on being encouraged in magazines and its going to far.
Comment by Erica — April 29, 2012 @ 4:26 pm
Men in ads are seen big, strong, powerful, without emotion unlike the women ads where we only see certain body parts along with the product they are advertising. men in these ads are portrayed as very sexual for instance the first one shows that if your a man you need that energy bar to have sex with all those women in bed. The ad with diddy also shows women in bed with him and shows him powerful and in control. Women in ads with men are shown helpless or harrased in a sexual way, or being disposed afterwards like in the razor ad. These ads reinforce some of the problems we have in our society alwready, and by companies putting more of them out there to sell their product doesnt help the situation.
Comment by Luis G. — April 30, 2012 @ 12:00 am
masculinity in these photos make them superior towards women and also that men have that upper hand in sex. These photos are either about sex or violence with the women being the “victimâ€. Us as the society has just become used to men being able to do more and get away with it and women not. We are used to men being the dominate one, but the advertisement shouldn’t always be about sex or violence. Sex does sell and this is why we use it.
Comment by allison — April 30, 2012 @ 2:19 pm
I think once again the media is using images to portray the male masculinity within the culture of dominance. I think the picture about the sexual harassment club promotes the wrong message in which it influences people to fantasize about such negative actions. The images with women portray women as sex objects and the images of men are portrayed with a sense of power and arrogance. The product being promoted does not correlate to the sexual images shown, one again it reinforces the idea that sex sells. Overall these images creates fantasy’s within the minds of individuals thus influencing them to imitate or act on what they see.
Comment by Oscar M — April 30, 2012 @ 2:29 pm
As a man, it’s embarrassing to see these ads. The thought that women are trash, or easily disposable just hurts my heart. The visions that are displayed create a mindset to young to old men that it is okay to objectify women, use and throw away, and that having multiple partners is a part of life. These photos are a sad sight to see and hope to never see them in the future.
Comment by PhilipW — April 30, 2012 @ 6:26 pm
Most ads portray women as inferior or in control of men. In the ad with Diddy in it, the woman has her head on his lap which isn’t only suggestive but shows that she is under his control. In the image with the razor the caption is seriously disturbing. It’s no wonder that men treat women so poorly when advertisements refer to women as “disposable.” The second ad is the most demeaning to women. It makes it seem like women are temptresses and certainly must make some men believe that when women say “no” they in fact mean “yes.”
Comment by Michelle A. — April 30, 2012 @ 9:30 pm
These advertisements are definitely demeaning not only to women but to men as well. They advertise the idea that men are allowed to be promiscuous with women and then dispose of them when they are no longer desirable, like objects and not people. Alongside this also portrays the negative connotations that all men are sex animals that use and abuse women while still trying to hold a masculine, strong front. In my opinions it is really offensive and outrageous that these kinds of ads are actually used to advertise products because the ad companies seem to want the public to see people as objects themselves. They show a double meaning in regards to how little women matter while the men take it all for granted. In reality the ads advertise bad relationship morale and the wrong ideas behind sex roles. It allows for men to treat women unfairly and for women to fear the intentions of men. Not to mention that they also show the stereotypes of what masculinity and femininity should be like for both men and women. They are degrading and completely the wrong message that anyone should be putting out on the streets for youth and adults to be seeing in their lifetimes.
Comment by Jon K. — April 30, 2012 @ 9:52 pm
All these are articles shown is what a men is expected to be in the eyes of society. Strong, muscular, seductive, unemotional and the list goes on. The qualities that are displayed are things that men aspire to be but not many men can attain it. It is a fantasy that we live in and one that objectify women as sexual instruments that can played around and it is shown that it is ok because that is what men do when in reality it is the last thing that a man should be but in the eyes of people this fantasy is believed to be what is desirable therefore it is the right thing which is sad to see.
Comment by Denisse Teutla — April 30, 2012 @ 10:48 pm
It’s so sad to see how masculinity is depicted in today’s media. While women are told to be fragile and sexy, men are told to be tough and embrace a life of random sex wherever they can get it. Men are told to view women as just props, things that will satisfy their sexual needs and nothing more. Relationships and emotional connects are nowhere to be seen in media; but rather random sex, whether it be welcomed or not, is the way to go for males. Not only are men told they are supposed to be highly sexual, but they are also told that violence comes hand in hand with being a masculine male. Violence, especially violence against women, is highly sexualized; men are told it’s sexy to be tough and use violence as a means of communication. For men of color these stereotypes are highly exaggerated, men of color are told they are highly sexual beings that are with multiple women at a time in order to satisfy they’re sexual needs. Men of color are also told violence is key and pain, blood, and weapons are tools for life. Basically for men of color they are depicted as violent and sexual animals, not regular human beings. It’s so unnerving to see how media has told men they should act in order to be perceived as masculine “real menâ€.
Comment by Scarlett G — May 1, 2012 @ 10:34 am
Yes. I really wonder how men keep up with their daily lives and at the same time handle all that action, women, violence, and sexual avariciousness. And look at all those women who are falling at men’s feet, and coming from under the sheets… And look at those weapons these men carry! Wow! These guys are really up to something. It is absolutely ridiculous and scary at the same time how masculinity has become a cruel joke for the regular “Joe the Plummerâ€â€¦ What I wonder is what is stopping men from really going out on the streets and acting out those fantasies? Or I guess they already are: look at Zimmerman… he just went and shot some young kid, or look at the treatment of women. What good can come from “molding†men in this way? And what about the visual definition of “passion†as a threesome?
Manipulating gender in this way is perhaps a method to sell clothes but at the same time it is damaging to the psyche of men and women. Not only advertising companies tell us what to wear but how to act and feel.
In regards to the male’s “uncontrollable sexuality†portrayed by all these ads, when are we going to start seeing women defending themselves against men instead of surrendering to them? I guess there is no budget for such campaigns. They just wouldn’t sell, unless it is the woman who holds the gun, and the men are the ones kneeling and coming from under the sheets or being pushed against the wall with their pants down, and so on. If “people know this is fantasyâ€, as those behind the profitable porn industry claim, what is the purpose of it? The only answer I can come up with is to pander to the male ego.
Comment by M. R. Salvat — May 1, 2012 @ 6:40 pm
The women in these ads are objectified, seen as disposable and trash to just be dumped or thrown away. The black men in these ads subscribe to the stereotypes…violent, over sexed, and criminal. These ads are degrading. These ads make it look “sexy” and “normal” to be treated this way and to treat others this way when it is not. More people need to complain to the advertising companies to try to stop this type of advertising. I for one am going to be paying more attention to what is portrayed in the media and make sure my children see it for what it is.
Comment by Tina Brenner — May 1, 2012 @ 9:23 pm
Masculinity is an interesting concept since there are so many ways it can be depicted. Since these ads chose to go in a more sexual, violent, and “manly†route it is easy for men to get the wrong idea about masculinity. Why does masculinity have to be about sex, or being ripped, or anything of that nature? Doesn’t it seem a little over the top to actually think that in order to be a man you need an energy bar that will give you the pleasure of multiple women, or shaving with this razor will get you to have an ex-girlfriend, implying that you will be surrounded with many other women. This picture of being tough, built, popular, sexually appealing to women is exactly what these ads are trying to portray, when really these ads don’t set a good example for the ideas of masculinity.
Comment by Kincaidw — May 1, 2012 @ 11:18 pm
It is upsetting to see ads that represent women in such inferior ways. These ads represent how the media forces the public to see what it means to be a ‘real man’ and a ‘real woman’. Ads like these are causing our men to accept the examples that are shown to them as reality. Advertisers continue to depict extreme stereotypes of men and women roles. These ads exploit what it takes to be a ‘real man’, meaning they must show dominance, aggression and the need for sexual pleasure at any cost. It is horrifying to see how women are being illustrated as nothing but sexual objects for men to fight over and claim. They are placing the image of women to be submissive, easy, and disposable. Not to mention how ads are entailing men to use their products like they would with women.(like the ad above of the razor). Advertisers have gone too far. The messages of these ads images have become more vigorous than the actual product being advertised. It seems that it is more important to demonstrate violence, dominance, submissive women, and women as just sexual objects in instead of actually selling their product. All of this while teaching men this is what it takes to be a real man. It is horrible to see these ads representing men and women in such ways. Ads like this are desensitizing issues women face in their lives such as rape, sexual harassment to domestic violence. These are all just ads for products, but they sure are signifying several realistic issues happening to women today.
Comment by Elizabeth D. — May 1, 2012 @ 11:22 pm
All these ads show distinct views of dominance, sex, and violence. Sex is more depicted through each ad than anything but the constant degrading of women is obvious. The disposable ad is directed toward women and that they’re are just objects that can be replaced. Ads should not condone or express this nature of sexism in society as it is a clear sign of inequality and degrading. These products continue to get sold and distributed no matter how insulting their ads are and its not okay. Women should be much more respected and not be so degraded in every societal aspect.
Comment by Michael Champieux — May 6, 2012 @ 11:12 pm
Once again like in most ads women are seen and used as sex objects to make the men look powerfull, dominante and heterosexual. This ads show masculinity what “real” man show be like accoding to the society; violent and dominant. In most of this ads we can’t tell what the main purpose of the ad is, what are they trying to sale? all we could see is sexism, males and part of a women not even her entire body. What the sale is life style, the value of the male and what they could be and what they could have. The messages of this ads just give men more power and women more self esteem that creates more problems to our society.
Comment by Gladys S — May 7, 2012 @ 12:26 pm
It is really interesting to learn more about how the ads extremely gender bias. Growing up as a kid and looking through magazines, I never realized what the meaning of ads were. Taking a gender and sexuality class made me think twice everytime I look at an ad. I look for more than just what the product they sell but how it’s being presented before thinking about purchasing that product.
Comment by AL P — May 8, 2012 @ 9:28 am
I think the influence of patriarchy in advertising has exploded over the past two decades simply because of the reach advertising has today compared to a century ago. The rise of the internet and television has made advertisements so much more effective than they ever were before. This give advertisers a great opportunity to sell products by selling the current norm, in this case patriarchy and the hyper-sexualization of females.
I think it is interesting to discuss the differences between black and white men in advertisements and sexuality. A few years ago there was an advertisement with Lebron James holding Heidi Klum (I believe) in one hand and a basketball in the other. The ad was almost a direct copy of the posters from the original King-Kong films and was almost directly suggesting that black men were sexual animals. It is difficult to go through any form of media without being hit by these messages.
Comment by Aleksey R. — May 9, 2012 @ 6:21 pm
I have to say that the ads “catering” to men are almost as horrendous as the ads directed towards women. Men are shown to be in control both sexually and in every day affairs (so to speak). Pursuing multiple partners is not only accepted but lauded showing sexual superiority. This all stems from the biological component of men trying to spread their seed to multiple women in order to spread their genes and DNA as much as possible to create more offspring. Respect for women is also frowned upon especially prevalent with the ad about razor blades saying “just like your ex is completely disposable”. I was especially disturbed by the ad promoting sexual abuse in the workplace not at all different from the 50’s where male bosses would make passes at their female secretaries who always seem to go along with their advances. The portrayal of black men and their sexuality is also deeply offensive showing black men as vastly more commanding and sexually aggressive than white men aiding the “once you go black you never go back” stereotype showing black men as beasts who cater to women’s wild, barbaric,sexual side.
Comment by Melody Sabet — May 10, 2012 @ 1:18 pm
At first when looking at these ads, I was mad at how they were suggesting that women were disposable objects. But then after a few seconds, I started to get upset at what these ads are suggesting to males. It upsets me because it’s teaching the younger generation that it is okay to be this way or that they should be that way. And if they aren’t, they aren’t masculine enough. I have a younger brother who is 17 years old and I hope that he won’t be affected by these ads. But the thing is, it isn’t just these ads that are feeding these same messages to teenage boys like my younger brother, but in movies, shows, and music. It’s everywhere, this idea that men must be strong, have multiple partners, and be aggressive. And it’s upsetting not just for the message it’s teaching young males, but the permission it’s giving them to sexual harass, use women and then dispose of them, and to have multiple partners at one time. It’s also upsetting because it’s teaching women that they should allow for this kind of behavior from men, because it’s just part of their “nature.” It’s the reason women allow for men to get away with acting aggressively towards them, or to use them for sexual activities because these women think they can’t help themselves. It’s just part of their masculinity.
Comment by Melissa M — May 10, 2012 @ 11:59 pm
I noticed that most of those advertisements protray women as objects, and objectifying women has been a key factor of subordinating them. Society has made it common worldwide too. The media normally displays men as agressive and manly. With this image, comes sexuality. Men are seen the same way in the bedroom as they are out of it. I think this takes away from what it means to be a man because people are out trying to replicate what they see in the media. Not only are the men buying into this, but so are the women. Women are believing that they need to be desired sexually in order to be beautiful or relevant, and I think its terrible.
Comment by Jason Guanlao — May 11, 2012 @ 3:00 am
These advertisements show what the world thinks of women. Subordinate, disposable, “trash”, etc. Women would not be depicted this way if the creators were not certain that their audience would enjoy the view. I get angry when I see the ads that show women half-naked with multiple men looking at her asif she is nothing more than a sexual object/toy. The world apparently believes that men must be strong, sexual, and aggressive because it is a part of their character. This idea of masculinity really needs to be shut down. It only allows for women to be further devalued.
Comment by Britjette M. — May 11, 2012 @ 10:06 pm
The images in this blog are among many of the images we see on a regular basis. The advertisement of masculinity shows all kind of images of what it takes to be a “man†or it is accompanied by some derogatory comment or image of a woman. Looking at the “Sexual Harassment Clubâ€, there is an image of a man what looks like an attempt for him to harass her. He’s coming up to her from behind over the copy machine, pulling her waistline. He is showing that he is tough. If a regular man is to see this advertisement, he would also think that the man in the ad is taking control of the women. The disturbing part about the ad is the ‘harassment’ word. In the ad they make it seem like harassment is okay, it seems as if someone to go into work, it would be okay for a man to come up behind a woman and have his way with her. By classing the ‘Sexual Harassment Club’, key word club it makes someone seem as if they are cool to be in this particular club. Looking at the P. Diddy ad, one would think that all real men have two women in bed with him at all time. To be a real man is to be a player or a mac. In the ad it show that by wearing this particular cologne, you can because a true player. This image completely shows the women to just be objects. They are treated like and look as objects just as equally as the cologne. If you have this particular object ‘cologne’, you will have these objects ‘women’. The ad advertising the razor, “Just like your ex, completely disposable†gives the message that women are disposable. After you done using them for your own purpose you can just throw them out. To be a man and show masculinity is to be able to dispose of women.
Comment by Glynda Givens — May 12, 2012 @ 9:51 am
It’s funny how overly suggestive advertisements are nowadays and how common place they have become. In the two of the depicted advertisements they even promote that a man requires their energy bars because “you can never have too much of a good thing†or “life without passion is unforgiveable†Sean Jeans Cologne. In fact, after just flipping through magazines throughout the house I find how gender biased this advertising agencies are. So ill be thinking twice about buying a product just because of the advertisement. Furthermore, I found “Ten Things Men Can Do Prevent Gender Violence†by Jackson Katz, PH.D an important list to keep in mind when in countering gender violence. This goes on around us every day.
Comment by Albert Q — May 12, 2012 @ 11:14 pm
Advertising companies try to lure Americans into buying things by the sole use of sexual appeal. Certainly, sex does attract many people in today’s culture. It seems that it is becoming the norm to use sex as a tool in advertisements. Not too long ago, sex appeal on TV and in ads was considered immoral and even illegal. Furthermore, it has a detrimental impact on today’s youth. Sex in advertisements is still immoral, and should be restricted to a certain degree.
It seems like every time I drive on a major highway and look at the billboards and the advertisements that are on them, I am usually in awe of the pictures the advertisements possess. Whether it is a beer company, cigarette company, or a car company, they always seem to have some form of sex in their advertisements. When I turn on my television and flip through a couple of channels, I am always sure to find either a show or a commercial that contains sex appeal. Many times sex in an advertisement may have nothing to do with the commodity the person is trying to sell. Yet, sex seems to grab many people’s attention and is able to sell the product by itself.
The worse problem with this is that young kids are being exposed to these explicit ads. Young children are influenced easily by what they are exposed to. An example of this is the Pro Wrestling Federation. It has grasped the attention of young children and is becoming one of the biggest events to watch on TV. The problem with this is that they use beautiful women so kids will be interested, and the wrestlers say and do things in a sexual way. These kinds of shows are supposed to be watched by mature people that can understand what they are doing is wrong.
Comment by Ani S — May 13, 2012 @ 1:47 pm
The media always portrays men as the aggressive studs who drink, fire weapons, have sex, and make money. This type of controversy makes the female audience really upset because their sons are being exposed to this idea of masculinity and think they have to be that way. The ad with P Diddy has “sex sells” written all over it. They rap about having sex with females. Even music videos always have half naked women shaking their butts everywhere. This is such a bad example for young boys who listen to their music. It’s teaching them that in order to be a man they have to be like this and treat women like objects.
Comment by VicG — May 13, 2012 @ 4:08 pm
It is obvious that stereotypical views of masculinity are portrayed in modern day advertisements, but do they have to be so obvious!? Mostly all of the ads showing women show them in submissive, inferior positions while the males are shown as powerful & aggressive. One of the women in the P.Diddy ad even has her head in his lap, illustrating complete power for the male & complete submissiveness on the part of the female. The idea of “masculinity” overall reflects society’s demands on males to be overly macho & domineering. It is made even more evident by the portrayal of men in ads that have nothing to do with men or women, but make obvious distinctions between the two as far as levels of power. It’s unnerving to think that these images are normalized through advertisement. After reading this article it will be more of a priority of mine to decipher the messages behind these ads.
Comment by Corrin M. — May 13, 2012 @ 5:37 pm
Masculinity depicted within the media whether is be displayed on television, magazines or billboards are images of what a “typical male†should be in society, especially in a patriarchal society. Characteristics such as strong, dominating, and showing no attachment. Most advertised masculinity have one thing in common, sex. The majority of the pictures shown in this post were men with multiple women, pornography or violence which is proven to have a connection with what we view as “masculineâ€. It is unfortunate that people of all ages are exposed to this false depiction of masculinity. The media that show these images of men with multiple women can give the assumption to young men that it is normal and acceptable for them not be in a monogamous relationship and can is okay because P.Diddy is doing it. Also, one advertisement that I found offensive was the one that made sexual harassment as a joke. Media is powerful to society and definitely has an influence to many, I believe media should be put into good use, not brainwashing our youth and society to this false image of what men should be.
Comment by MaryD — May 13, 2012 @ 6:29 pm
In advertising sex sells. It’s very common to see commercials and billboards promoting something new and turning it into something sexual. Carls Jr. commercials for one are always in the media being questioned because of the sexual content. It appears that these companies feel that they will the only way they can be acknowleged is if they throw sex into it.
This shows bad examples and show that women are only ment to look and act sexy. As a young girl seeing these commercials the media is telling her that this is what it means to be beautiful. So, now at the age of ten they care about their weight and how other people see them. That is so wrong and it needs to stop. But of course it’s easier said than done.
Comment by Simara Williams — May 13, 2012 @ 6:39 pm
Based on these ads, a real man treats a woman as his sex object. The sad thing about these ads is that they were directed and planned to depict just what they did. “Sex sells” though, or at least that’s the idea. It would be interesting to see if a brand, usually known for racy advertisements, would change their campaigns to be PG13 or even G rated rather than the R we are used to seeing, and track their sales to see if they drop. I would feel safe betting that their sales wouldn’t drop.
Comment by Avery G. — May 13, 2012 @ 7:44 pm
These advertisements portray men as they have always been portrayed. The advertisement is trying to sell us their product, but using sex appeal. For example, most of these imply men are only interested in sex. Advertisements also imply that if you buy their product, you too can end up with all the women, be successful, or look physically attractive (sexy). The women have no relation to the product, and is shown just because they are attractive and as a sex appeal. These ads also depict the power men hold. The women are submissive and subordinate to men. The men are shown to be masculine and have control of the women in the advertisement.
Comment by DannyM — May 13, 2012 @ 7:51 pm
All these ads display women as submissive and weak. These ads prove that media in our society always show men as powerful and authoritative. So its no surprise that statistics show there is no decrease in sexual harassment and violence against women. I can see how ads like these make males feel that this normal behavior and made to be comical and not at all insulating to women.
Comment by Vanessa Ochoa — May 13, 2012 @ 7:56 pm
I never looked at these advertisement this way. It makes men seem like perverted animals and black men even worse. It set a horrible standard. It make women look even worse. These ads are also setting an acceptable standard for women.
Comment by Amber S. — May 13, 2012 @ 9:23 pm
This article is interesting. I never realized how many ads are so sexual. Also, I didnt realize that so many articles show men in such dominant positions and females as dependent. However, I do believe all the ads are doing there jobs because we all know that sex sells.
Comment by Vincent McGhee — May 13, 2012 @ 9:32 pm
Masculinity has become a disgusting subject in our present day society. What once may have been considered a simple adjective that describes a man to be muscular and powerful is now being portrayed as meat. Men and women are both being drawn out characters that resemble meat! Men are seen to only be buff or without a shirt, and women are their little sidekick of candy. Women are being shown in little to no lingerie, and looking excessively sexy in moments that don’t even call for it. All the sudden a woman looks perfect and like a sex bomb in every picture of every moment of everyday. This is ridiculous. I wish photos would surface that would show more real men and women. Women can be sloppy, and chubby and have bad hair days and saggy boobs. Not every woman has the perfect perks of a size DD cup with the perfect full red lips. Mass media, which I have come to really hate, shows men and women in all the wrong lights. Men have become the poster child for “horn dog” and women have become their “bun!” The only AD’s i see now are only sexual. I rarely see AD’s that would impact me or make an actual difference on my life. The only difference it makes is on men, and it gives them a “raise.”
Comment by Anna Kleyman — May 17, 2012 @ 6:50 pm
The topic of gender within advertisements happens to be one of my favorite areas of subject in the class. During Fall 2010, I took a Women’s Studies 30 class, which focused on women in media and pop culture. It was the first time that I had ever analyzed commercials, advertisements in magazines, and billboards. It was the most eye opening experience that I had in a while, and was one of the main reasons I gained so much passion for this subject. As a 17 year old at the time of the Women’s Studies 30 class, I was used to glancing through Elle and Cosmopolitan magazines and seeing advertised masculinity. I never realized that ways that women and men were portrayed within these magazines to play up their gender. Being socialized into patriarchal society, it was seen as a norm to view those types of ads in the magazines and therefore I did not realize how women were seen as sexual objects. It is quite ridiculous how the idea of masculinity is played up so much in these ads, because it just supports the stereotypical idea of a man.
Comment by Giselle A. — May 27, 2012 @ 7:25 pm
It was very interesting to learn about gender and sexism within advertisements. The film Killing Me Softly taught me a great deal about different themes such as women’s bodies becoming objectified, focus on breasts, and that your worth is depended on the way you look. It was very eye opening to learn that we as a society are being fed these advertisements that are sending us a corrupt message. Because we are so oblivious and accustomed to ads with these types of messages, we are subconsciously learning what the media expects people to look like.
Comment by Pauline T — May 29, 2012 @ 10:46 pm
These ads are disgusting to me even more know. I have always seen something similar and just never realized what really got to me about these ads, but after taking a Women’s Studies class I know exactly what it is. These ads make it okay for men to be assholes who can cheat and be the bad wrong person in all the wrong ways. Men and women think that this is just how guys are and are supposed to be. Ads make up so much of the world so we are going to take those messages in whether we want to or not, so we have to eliminate it. Society’s idea of masculinity and femininity is screwed up.
Comment by Sarah Vincent — May 30, 2012 @ 11:27 am
The themes that were addressed in Jean Kilbourne’s “Killing Us Softly 3†are: female beauty (perfection), powers of photo shop, constructed images, objectification, focus on breasts, plastic surgery, the ugly get ridiculed, aging, weight, obsession of thinness, blonde hair / blue eyes, girls hiding / body language, sexy, deformity, sexualized children, intersection of pornography, heteroflexibility, internalized oppression, girls are suppose to be sexy but virginal, sexualizing the product, devaluing femininity, and /or promoting violence. Sadly, these themes emerge in today’s advertisements. When first glancing at these advertisements I would think nothings wrong… everything appears normal. But when you really take a good look you see everything that is wrong with society. Black people are given animalistic characteristics- being too sexual (hello racism). These ads don’t even try and sell a product. The product is just being sexualized.
Comment by Mary Marrone — May 30, 2012 @ 12:10 pm
I am deeply disturbed by advertisements in all ways — they have become such a deep part of our subconscious that we barely even notice them any more. It’s even worse that ads so clearly promote gender roles, and these sexist ads are everywhere around us, teaching us subconscious lessons that affect the way we treat others. As an avid fan of Mad Men, I’ve begun to analyze every ad I notice more and more and kind of unravel the thinking that goes behind it. Almost every ad shows a girl either sexualized, victimized, or subordinated to a man; every man is a superhero, a pimp, powerful, and sexual. To the media, women are just as disposable as razors, and are simply accessories on Diddy’s bedframe. It’s time we start speaking up.
Comment by Lyndsay A. — May 30, 2012 @ 1:33 pm
While looking at these ads, one truly grabs a sense of male dominance over women. Words like “sexual harrassment, disposable, have your way” and images of women being throw into dumpsters, multiple women in bed with one male, and essentially sexualized, really speaks to us as a society. Because we do indeed live in a patriarchal society, women and men are socialized, thus these advertisements emphasize and exaggerate those gender roles. Males are seen as superior while females inferior, and this is taken and seen as normative in our society. Through these ads, not only are men seen as ultra superior somewhat monsters, but it sets a standard for women in that they are taught to fit the sexual and weak criteria with men.
Comment by Yasmine T. — May 30, 2012 @ 2:37 pm
The dominant, mainstream ideas of a “real man†are shown in all of these advertisements. The photo that was most shocking to me (not that all of them weren’t) was the one of the women in her undergarments in with her hands out in a needy venerable position sitting in a trash can. The photo just frustrates me, if the dude that published it, would he still publish this image if it were his mother or sister? I highly doubt that. We all know that sex sells but going this far is degrading to me.
Comment by Bryan A — May 30, 2012 @ 3:40 pm
Common themes that prevail within advertised masculinity include sexuality, toughness, aggression, heterosexuality, dominance, pimping, and violence. When society thinks of a ‘real man,’ words like ‘brave,’ ‘tough,’ ‘heterosexual,’ ‘dominant,’ ‘bread-winner,’ ‘sexual,’ and ‘unemotional,’ come to mind. This description of a ‘real man’ is similar to the way men are being portrayed in the ads above. The media portrays men and views them as superiors. It is disturbing to me that women are being objectified and dehumanized even in a razor ad for men by comparing the “DISPOSABLE (1. intended to be used once and then thrown 2. able to be dispensed with; easily dismissed 3. readily available for the owner’s use as required)” razor to an ex GIRLfriend. It is also upsetting that if a man doesn’t behave in such a way as men are advertised to behave they are called negative names.
Comment by Talia Y — May 30, 2012 @ 4:48 pm
Under the system of patriarchy, masculinity has always been emphasized. Masculinity is defined by violence, sexual activeness, aggression, emotionless, etc through the media and advertisements. The media begins cultivating these ideas in our our society, into our generation so people view masculinity as described through the media. From the media they take these lessons and apply them into their real life. Until we change this notion of masculinity, females will continue to be viewed as objects of sexual satisfaction and violence.
Comment by Deepicka Mehta — May 30, 2012 @ 10:12 pm
I will never understand why men think that since they are men, they can rule the world. They are born with an instill feeling of domination and power and in many incidents, thiey over use or don’t use their power effectively. This ads are examples of how ads, so simple seen above, are found around us and we don’t say anything about them. I learned in Women Studies 10 that subconsciously we are getting affected by the images we view on a daily basis. Men are seen as abusive and power hungry and in any shot seen with a women, the women is shown as week and vulnerable. This is a never ending cycle that must be broken because it will ruin our future generation.
Comment by Sharona M — May 31, 2012 @ 1:21 am
These ads represent so well how we see men/women depicted and represent within society today (this was even proven during class when everyone had to describe what they though a “real man” and “real woman” was). Honestly, it all really disgusts me when I really look at it, but for me, I usually choose to ignore things such as ads and commercials by not watching/acknowledging them. I don’t like shows that represent out society in a ignorant or narcissistic way and so while I cannot directly do anything about them right now, choosing not to watch and care about those things within the media, is all I can do.
Comment by Dylan B — July 2, 2012 @ 10:43 pm
Actually it kinda scares me to think most males think like that in our society. But its everywhere you see it in music videos to where men want dominance or are aggressive mentally not only physical. Its a masculinity advertised in the media for marketing and oppressing women its a mentally that runs from the media to our culture society. Its saying for men its cool to be sexual and be mentally aggressive towards children and women and not have emotions for anybody. Its all how they are advertising for young men and whats fine to do in our society. But i think its more of a marketing brainwash where they want guys to buy their stuff and guys would get the same thing the ads show where the corporations want to make more money in their industry but its still wrong to me.
Comment by Yanira S — July 4, 2012 @ 10:04 pm
Men are portrayed as buff, aggressive, unemotional, horny, sexual predators. In other words, your ideal “real man.” Women are shown as inferior, disposable, submissive, and weak. The women are shown wearing close to nothing, if anything at all. These ads are all meant to focus on men and what will grab their attention toward the product being sold. It’s awful that with their marketing ideas and all the money they spend towards advertisements and research, this is the best they can come up with. These ads are degrading and humiliating to women, and thus continues spoiling the minds of our society.
Comment by Nadia A — October 3, 2012 @ 2:51 pm
These advertisements only objectify women and empower men, thus supporting patriarchy. I find these advertisements ironic because they are enforcing the sexual double standard, that men can be sexual and are given positive reinforcement to do so while women receive slut shame for engaging in their sexuality. All of these advertisements promote the three out of the four attributes of hegemonic masculinity. Men are dominant over women; they are sexual and are straight. These advertisements also demonstrate two out of the four characteristics of emphasized femininity. Women in these advertisements are heteroflexible and heterosexual while being sexy, sexually available and sexually objectified. As long as these advertisements continue to plague our society, we will be our youth the message than men and women should behavior in this grotesque fashion, thus empowering men and lowering women. Even ignoring these advertisements is not a strong enough measure because they enter our adult subconscious mind. Imagine the adverse effects it has on impressionable children!
Comment by Nathan R — October 6, 2012 @ 1:51 pm
These ads perpetuate the hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity ideas prevalent in our society. The men in these ads are incredibly sexual and dominating. They are so sexual that they need more than one woman in a few of the ads. Their dominance is not solely directed towards women but it also indirectly conveyed through the use of weapons and guns. A man has power the same way sex has power the same way a gun has power. All of these ideas are perpetuated to remain in society as long as they are prevalent in advertising. The women in these ads are incredibly insubordinate, especially in the ad in which a scantily-clad woman is disposed into a trash can and the ad featuring P. Diddy. The ad featuring the music mogul/business man features one woman behind in, in the background, as just another woman in his bed. The other woman in the ad, has her head in his lap, face void of emotion or thought. She is inferior to Mr. Combs, who is, by the way, wearing nothing but a sheet over his groin. This ad is different from the others featuring Black men. There is no violence in this ad like the others or overpowering in this ad. It is much more subtle in its message. However, P. Diddy isn’t like the other men in these ads; he is a celebrity and had some sort of privilege in that violence is not a characteristic used to sell in his advertisement. The most interesting part of these ads is that they are not selling the product that is featured; they are selling sex and this is because the media and companies know that sex sells and it sells well.
Comment by Negin S — October 14, 2012 @ 8:53 pm
It seems that not much has changed since the days of the Roman Empire. Masculine violence and sexual domination is just as prevelent now as in th days of conquest and rape. Really, it is our fault for not objecting more strongly to such ads, and for consuming them. Until we stop internalizing values that are contrary to the deeper dimensions of our humanity, we will only further perpetuate the perverse values that are our inheritance.
Comment by MansourR — October 25, 2012 @ 5:58 pm
It’s no surprise that statistics show no decrease in sexual harassment and violence against women when ads like these make them seem normal or make them out to be funny. When in reality, it is no laughing matter. Instead of making a joke out of it, maybe industries could use such advertisements positively.
Comment by PanteaP — October 27, 2012 @ 11:52 am
The link between violence and sexuality that is constantly advertised as normal makes me very angry. “The sexual harassment club”? “Have your way with your secretary”? I don’t even have the words to how horribly offensive this is The media glorifies violent and abusive behavior, connecting it to virility and sexual fervor, and uses it to constantly objectify women. Disposable just like your ex? It’s treated as a joke when in reality it is a seriously harmful mindset. What is worse yet, though, is that there are morons out there that use these ads to defend their violent and abusive behavior. I was going to write more in this comment but I am so angry I literally don’t have words.
Comment by Tiana R.Q — November 1, 2012 @ 3:50 pm
It really surprises me that to this day, there are ads out there that are still portraying women in such a way it looks like they are simply being used as a prop or useless item for the ad. Why would someone ever even think of allowing any ads like these ads above? Yes, it might attract some douche bags that might laugh at the ad and stare at it for an extra 10 seconds, but overall its inhumane. Using women in this way makes me upset to see that advertisements like these are promoting these types of behaviors. My biggest concern is what children might assume when they see ads like this. It can really affect them and cause a negative impact on their view of themselves (if they are young girls) or of women (if they are young boys). Hopefully there were many complaints against these ads and other ads like these and these big magazine companies don’t allow these sexist ads any longer.
Comment by BrittanyP — November 8, 2012 @ 12:22 pm
These advertisement are a clear expression of what a “real man” is, a real man is sexual with multiple woman as partners, the ability to be violet and dominant. These ads are closely link to the ideas of a hegemonic masculinity as well, yet mainly cause issues with sexual harassment at work and men feeling less manly if they do not participate in these “real man” activities. This shows woman as hetero-flexible and extremely sexy necessities to have or indulge in. This damages the views of individuals in society, probably why we live in a patriarchy society.
Comment by Daniel S — November 9, 2012 @ 5:21 pm
Wow, this is overwhelming! Before this class, I didn’t really notice whats going on in all these ads. I thought that I could tune them out, however Im realizing that these messages are registering in my subconscious. Its common knowledge that the media- especially advertisers, have a huge impact on women; through this class i can now men are victim to some of these pressures as well. That makes me sad 🙁
Comment by OliviaW — November 12, 2012 @ 1:20 pm
I think images like these sets stereotypes for males and women. All of these advertisements depict all the three aspects of hegemonic masculinity we discussed in our class of what it means to be a real man. Men are not only depicted as dominant over the women but they are aggressive and violent against them as well. They are also depicted as sexually active. As for the women they are displayed as sexually available when want them and they are seen as sexual objects they can dispose of anytime. I believe that all of these images bring about an expectation of what it means to be masculine, which plays a major role on how it affects many men who try to display or act masculine, which to me is undefined.
Comment by JoseB — November 18, 2012 @ 4:32 pm
Professor you did an awesome job showing the hegemonic masculinities. These ads, in regards to the media, define what and how a real man should act and be like. A few weeks ago we had an in class discussion in which we discussed the traits of a “real manâ€. Characteristics in which we talked about such as sexual, strong, and dominant have all been portrayed in these advertisements. These advertisements prove that through the media, society sees men as powerful and sexual while women are weak and easy. I disapprove of all these ads because women definitely do not like men this way. Men are portrayed horribly in these ads.
Comment by Edwin S. — November 25, 2012 @ 9:53 pm
Looking at all these ads I noticed how they all represent women as an object. Society has done this concisely as well. In the ads, you can see that gender roles play a huge part. The male is a dominant figure, and the women are seen as a sex object. Children are exposed to ads like this everyday whether it is on a billboard, television, or even school. Which then a child thinks that this is the way they should be. I find it sad to say that when it comes to media, sex sells. And they are doing a good job at making the world a dangerous place.
Comment by Yael K — November 26, 2012 @ 7:03 pm
I’m overwhelmed looking at these images. Not only are women portrayed as objects, but they are also downright insulted. They encourage every stereotype there is out there, AKA hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity. The ADs that picture women are identifying them as items for sexual pleasure. Sure, she’s really hot but you’re done with her so here she is in a trash can–literally. In fact, throwing her out is just as easy as throwing away a razor. It seems these ads all follow a consistent theme, just as the images of black males are consistently violent.
Comment by Michelle G — November 27, 2012 @ 12:13 pm
When advertisers represent masculinity a number of repeated themes appear. The film “Killing Us Softly 4†discusses advertising’s image of men as having the repeated themes of men being objectified but having more power, sex is less important to men, and men appear with dismembered women. In the Tommy Hilfiger ad, all the men are objectified by being shirtless yet they still show their power with a gun and the fact that women are just seen as an amusing plaything in the form of a porno. The P. Diddy picture also illustrates this theme because although he is shirtless, he just conquered two women. Finally, the last picture shows a shirtless, sweaty man but he is still powerful because he has a knife and looks like he just got out of a brawl or is about to with the fist he’s making. The first picture shows sex is less meaningful to men because he is in bed with three other women instead of being monogamous. The second picture also shows this theme because the man is just sleeping with his secretary while on his break then he goes back to work. The pictures with the razor and the ex girlfriend in the trash don’t pertain to sex but they illustrate how women are disposable objects to men and we are not valued. Lastly, the theme of dismembered women appears in the first ad by only showing the women’s legs, the second picture only shows the woman’s butt and thigh, and the third shows a woman’s butt. By the advertisers choosing only to focus on a small part of their bodies it turns women’s bodies into objects and takes away our opportunity to be seen as a whole person. All in all, advertisers are reinforcing the stereotype that men are supposed to be stoic and treat women as objects, which could have harmful implications such as promoting violence against women.
Comment by Andrea C — December 3, 2012 @ 1:03 pm
After all the problems with sexual harassment, rape, gang violence, these are the examples of the advertisements that provoke them. We as a society allow the media and big companies to continue this. issues like this are not a joking matter and should be taken more seriously. Advertisements portray women as disposable sexual object, while men are shown as more dominant and powerful figure. A good example of this is the three men on the bed with a gun. These advertisements are downgrading humiliating to women.
Comment by Kevin Y — December 3, 2012 @ 6:50 pm
In all these ads men are in power they are the decision makers they are not depicted as vulnerable, passionate, sexy objects. Even though they are muscular they make it seem as a normative since men are seen over and over again in this society to be the stronger one compared to women. Yet, what captivated me was how they were shown as aggressive ready to assault any women. The ranking system in this society values men who are aggressive and muscular ready to prove their masculinity with assaulting anyone who questions them. Looking at the opposite end we see women being portrayed as the easily disposable object that is just used for pleasure and then wished to disappear. In the real word there is a double standard for sexiness. Men are allowed to be sexy – or not- society see this attribute as a positive reinforcement of their masculinity but when it comes to a woman being sexy they start to stigmatize her saying words like “slut” even though ads like these suggest women to be sexy.
Comment by ElizabethR — December 3, 2012 @ 8:08 pm
No wonder the young women and men of our generation is (excuse my language) fucked up. No matter where we go we are consumed by media, so obviously media is going to influence us in a big way. But not in a good or a positive way, but a negative way. Media is showing men that men should be dominant, sexual and aggressive to women. While what women are seeing in the media is that we should be submissive ones and that we are the sex objects. And this is my opinion but the media is saying that you’re a real man if you get women, but to me that’s not a real man. That’s a man-whore but guys don’t even get offended if you say that term to them because all they hear is “player†and that they’re someone who’s dominant and powerful and that they can get some. While if you call a women a whore it means that we’re not faithful and we’re not “clean†because we go around sleeping with everyone. But isn’t that what guys do too, but why is there two different representations then?
Comment by Mita S. — December 4, 2012 @ 2:15 am
Right when we think women have made a lot of progress over time, we see this. The four factors of hegemonic masculinity is also shown, which are 1) heterosexual in manner & attire (all the men in these photos are shot with women to show that women are their interest) 2) sexual (the photos are all sexual shots) 3) dominant over women (the photos contain men in charge of women) & 4) paid labor (the photo at work shows dominance over the female making it known that he is more powerful). It is nasty to know that such behavior is going on in place such as the workplace where careers are fulfilled. Instead of working to decrease the sexual harassment against women, advertisements like this is what makes it seem okay to people to treat women this way and make it seem okay for men to act in these ways.
Comment by Tiffany S. — December 4, 2012 @ 9:39 am
In todays society for advertising, sex and sexual jokes are an attention grabber. As I was scrolling down through these photos I remained on the photo with a women’s body exposed twice as long than a photo that showed a mans body. Seven out of these 8 photos are aspects of hegemonic masculinity. Most men and women prefer to see a sexy women other than a man with a harry chest and stomach. Although I dont think its right to advertise saying “Just like your girlfriend, completely disposable” its still an attention grabber and extremely funny, but though also degrades women.
Comment by Jimmy S — December 4, 2012 @ 9:40 am
These advertisements not only contain the four concepts of hegemonic masculinity but it devalues the women in them in the worst way possible. These advertisements encourage violence and sexual harassment towards women increases and make this violence towards women seem normative to boys. These advertisements send the message that young boys and men are suppose to be violent, aggressive, and dominant over women and even with other men. These advertisements are promoting murders, sexual abuse, and harassment to the world, which is not what we need. The rates numbers of women getting rape within their homes and out are already high the same for murders. What we need to do is not show these messages to future generations and find ways to eliminate them.
Comment by Gisela D — December 4, 2012 @ 12:16 pm
Advertising today thrives off of degrading women and showing men as what society deems masculine. If people didn’t think these advertisements were attention grabbing and acceptable, then advertisers would change the way they advertise and this wouldnt be an issue anymore. The last image was the most disturbing to me. A man holding a big knife and had blood all over him from most likely killing someone. That doesn’t make you masculine it makes you a psychopath and has nothing to do with jeans.
Comment by ZaneM — December 4, 2012 @ 2:04 pm
I hate how the media belittles women and empowers men using violence. The media always encourages violence against women. It’s sad that people are used to these images that they don’t see them as bad. These ads depict men as sexual and violent beings while devaluing women and dehumanizing them. Women in these ads are in vulnerable positions while the men are in dominating positions. The objectification of women is a huge issue that needs to be stopped. By portraying women as vulnerable and men as violent and powerful it gives young men the idea that it is okay to objectify women and be violent against them. Men think that those actions are what makes them real men therefore they go along with them and become the normative.These ads shows how unimportant women are in our society.We are seen as less valuable than men when it shouldnt be this way.
Comment by WendyA — December 4, 2012 @ 8:58 pm
In the media world they show that “real man” are strong, sexy, powerful, can get any girl and dispose them easy. Before taking this class I would droll over guys in magazines that had no shirt off with a sexy body. I would compare them to guys in real life as iI want them just like that. Its sad that now a days the only thing thats selling is “sex”. All advertsaments are basically selling sex in there ads and product. The way they down grade woman as easy to disposable as to get. Its a sad world, I wont look at the man in the ads the same way again.
Comment by Alejandra A — December 5, 2012 @ 3:05 am
These advertisements show different characteristics of hegemonic masculinity. Advertised masculinity is shown in magazines portraying what a real man is. Which is dominant, sexual, and heterosexual. For example, the ad with the black buff man holding a knife and bleeding showing his very strong and tough masculinity. As well as Sean Jean being with two women showing his sexual and dominant masculinity.
Comment by CharlleneA — December 5, 2012 @ 10:46 am
All these advertisements just show what male dominance is all about. What every man wants, muscles, beautiful women around him and power. Most of the men in the advertisements don’t even have clothes on as well with the women. It really down downs the women and puts the men on this type of high power. Which is crazy that this is what’s being advertised to society today and being accepted. When little boys see this all they see is violence, power and women, they are going to think is the way of a man which isn’t the way at all.
Comment by Oliver M — December 5, 2012 @ 3:48 pm
Looking through the different images and advertisements on this blog, I was disappointed to see that in order to sell products, companies use women or sex. Before I took this class or even before I saw the film Miss Representation, I can honestly admit that I hadn’t noticed this trend of using sex to sell. These ads shown aren’t only using women, but are showing that men are dominant. Many of these ads show a few aspects of hegemonic masculinity. The attributes that I noticed through these ads were the dominance, sexuality, and how men seen as heterosexual in manner and attire. The ad that seriously struck to these attributes was the one for Tough Jeans. It displayed dominance through the knife, blood on skin, and muscles. Sexuality was displayed by being topless. And wearing baggy jeans showed his heterosexuality in attire. Ads in general make women feel unimportant however the total opposite to men. Women aren’t just sexually objectified but insulted as well. The ad where a woman is thrown in the trash and the one where women are being compared to disposable razors are examples to show that women are insulted. Overall, the advertisement in this society isn’t something to be proud of.
Comment by Shaina M — December 5, 2012 @ 9:33 pm
These ads are all examples of hegemonic masculinity but the razor one definitely stood out to me. Advertisements usually convey a certain message in a way that is not too direct. The razor ad seemed to be a little too straight forward. All of these ads portray men as these dominant beasts who are only focused on sex. Sometimes it seems as though the entire media revolves around the desires and interests of men.
Comment by Shahriar Mangoli — December 5, 2012 @ 10:17 pm
I find it disturbing that our society finds these messages at all acceptable as advertisement. To honestly look at the base of what these pictures are, men having sexual domination, and to think thats completely normal for a SHOE ad is straight up absurd. I feel like society is so used to seeing men as these demeaning figures, that it has even become something boys look up to. Its not only unrealistic, causing expectations far from reality, but inhumane as well.
Comment by Segal M. — December 6, 2012 @ 12:53 am
Its frightening to consider that my brother would likely admire these advertisements for being funny and amusing but in all reality, advertisements like these cause the mediation we all dread and fear which leads to widespread fear by alienating certain masculine forms while establishing the perfect degree in others. I hope that soon these images will be barred out and instead replaced with androgynous views of marketing not specifically targeting the sexual desires of men and women but instead just selling a product and strictly that. I believe there will be a day where media socialization will not be nearly as rampant as it is today but its in our hands to set forth that change by actively critiquing and acknowledging the unrealistic form we see everyday throughout the world.
Comment by Hasunk — December 6, 2012 @ 2:14 am
When i view these ads attached to this article it takes me back to the term hegemonic masculinity which almost all of the ads relate to. I find it disturbing and immature that our brands actually put out all of the stereotypes related with masculinity providing a false picture for many minds who don’t know the true meaning. These ads promote being sexual, flirtatious, aggressive, and the disposal of women like its an okay or positive thing. I really hope that soon we all will recognize the harm of these ads and change them because they are polluting our brain with false images of masculinity. Which in the long run affects the youth, adults, relationships, marriages, and even just friendships. It is not okay to aggressive with women and i find nothing manly in that at all.
Comment by Kasaun Alexander — December 6, 2012 @ 8:36 am
Viewing these ads attached to this article it takes me back to the term hegemonic masculinity which almost all of the ads relate to. I find it disturbing and immature that our brands actually put out all of the stereotypes related with masculinity providing a false picture for many minds who don’t know the true meaning. These ads promote being sexual, flirtatious, aggressive, and the disposal of women like its an okay or positive thing. I really hope that soon we all will recognize the harm of these ads and change them because they are polluting our brain with false images of masculinity. Which in the long run affects the youth, adults, relationships, marriages, and even just friendships. It is not okay to aggressive with women and i find nothing manly in that at all.
Comment by Kasaun Alexander — December 6, 2012 @ 8:37 am
These advertisements are showing society what a “real” man is by using these products, acting like the men are acting in the picture, and looking like those men also. By doing so, they will get THE girl. I think that these advertisements are dehumanizing to women and make them look like objects and are being used. It’s not right to bring down women and use them as items just to make masculinity seem more strong and aggressive. The one advertisement that really bothered me was the razor and its statement: “Just like your ex, it’s completely disposable” because it just seemed as if this advertisement is making it publicly okay to dispose women and use them as if they were a razor when in reality they are individuals who have opinions, emotions, and self-respect.
Comment by Shannon Ha — January 21, 2013 @ 1:59 pm
These advertisements falsely illustrates the image of a “real man” in society. I believe that these images are not only overly exaggerated and unappealing, but it is also very degrading to mainly women. The razor ad caught my eye. This ad does not need a degrading caption in order to sell the product, if what they re selling lives up to the caption. I think that the media/ad companies should find a new route on how to market and advertise their products that doesn’t include humiliation of women and inaccurate portrayals. There are many other methods and ways to sell products through advertisement that appeals to the general public through things such as emotion, love, affection, or maybe toughness, but i don’t think that the ad’s above accurately represent their product and women.
Comment by Edwin P — January 21, 2013 @ 9:42 pm
May I point out that in every one of these adds show men as nothing more than cheating, lazy, horny or violent creatures who want nothing more than sex. That is blatantly untrue and demonises men, it is rare to see men as caring people which we are. As for beauty these men are buff and strong other adds will show men as successful or well off. Why? Because men who do not earn enough in this society are unatractive to women because they cannot provide for them (yes hard to believe I know). We all have issues but to say that these adds are only harmful to women is nothing but a lie.
Comment by Nick — January 22, 2013 @ 12:09 pm
May I point out that in every one of these adds show men as nothing more than cheating, lazy, horny or violent creatures who want nothing more than sex. That is blatantly untrue and demonises men, it is rare to see men as caring people which we are. As for beauty these men are buff and strong other adds will show men as successful or well off. Why? Because men who do not earn enough in this society are unatractive to women because they cannot provide for them (yes hard to believe I know). We all have issues but to say that these adds are only harmful to women is nothing but a lie.
Comment by Nick — January 22, 2013 @ 12:09 pm
This pretty much sums up the media’s portrait of masculinity and how we have all become used to it. This is so prevalent in our society that as I read through the article and looked at the pictures, there was no surprise in me. That’s how our society has become and the image of masculinity is exactly portrayed in the pictures. Masculinity is defined as being sexual, dominant, and aggressive. Black masculinity does not differ much from the general image of masculinity but the fact that it’s portrayed as more aggressive and violent. I personally feel clueless about this matter because I can’t think of why this has become the definition of masculinity and it’s even harder to think of a way to fix this.
Comment by Jun L. — January 23, 2013 @ 8:07 pm
In class we were asked to list some of the characteristics of men, how they show themselves to society. Practically everyone had listed the same things. A man shows themselves as strong, masculine, and stoic. When you look at advertisements that is all they are trying to portray. In every music video that is made there has to be a women being harassed by men. All they are trying to show is how sexual they can be. If they do not show all these things they will not be considered a “real man†in peoples eyes. When we see these advertisements we right away think how masculine men are and how weak women are. This is what is put into our heads by the media.
Comment by Daniella L — January 27, 2013 @ 1:24 pm
These ads are trying to sell the lifestyle of a “masculine man” man. The guy that gets all the ladies and the guy that the other guys want to be. it’s all bullshit but people buy these products because it gives them the idea that it will make them more masculine and in turn more attractive. These ads are giving two messages, the first is it’s giving guys a sense of power with these products, and the second it is giving the message that they can become the “bad boy” that women are attracted too. Its sad to know that ads like these are successful.
Comment by Alireza D. — February 3, 2013 @ 10:17 pm
“Real Men†are tough, they are strong, they are sexual. This lie that is all too often portrayed in the media is only serving to further harm our men. These images tell them who they have be, who they should be. If they don’t live up to the sexual prowess or aggression, there aren’t men. The media should have not decided the “gender†an individual decides to live in. These images serve to remind me how patriarchy does not benefit all men and how important feminism is for everyone. At least women have feminism, if they choose to it engage in it. But what outlet or social movement do men have to turn to when they don’t fit the socialized norms of masculinity. If they started a movement, no one would take them seriously, they would be dubbed wimps. These ads and demonstrates of masculinity make me think of my dad’s saying when I was growing up that “only man can teach his daughter to be a woman and only a mother can teach her son to be a man. While, this might be a bit of stretch, the general understanding and point of bringing into the discussion is who is teaching these men to be men? Furthermore, while I don’t support misogyny or sexism, or abuse towards women/girls of subordinate masculine’s at all, I can understand why it happens and its prevalence
Comment by Jewel B — February 4, 2013 @ 10:49 pm
Immediately what I had noticed after scrolling through these ads, was that it was full of sex and violence. The women and every single advertisement was wearing barely any clothing, and posing in a sexual way. Aside from the sex appeal, I noticed that white men and black men were portrayed differently in all the advertisements. The white men, for example in advertisement above, show that the women are lying all over the men as if it is their daily “thing to doâ€. However, in the other advertisements which are present, the black men are seen as extremely savage. For instance in the Reebok ad, he is violently forcing himself onto the young women. There are many other ways to create advertisements without being so “sexy†and being extremely vicious to a gorgeous young woman. The media depicts that it is totally ok to harass woman and treat them like they are a piece of garbage, or the mans slave. And it also shows women that men must jump onto a lady like the ads above, and that all attractive men must be strong and powerful. Clearly, the media is showing such a negative view towards their audience.
Comment by Yasmin F — February 5, 2013 @ 2:39 pm
When I look at these ads, the first thing that I notice is how they all portray the males as dominant sex while on the other hand, every woman in every picture is degraded as a human being. These ads may be intended to joke around but I do not find anything funny about comparing a woman to an object. Its amazing how often we are exposed to ads like those above that these gruesome images fly right by us. I would agree that one thing that this class has brought my attention to is the portrayal of women in advertisements, and I agree that the way which women are portrayed is very offensive.
Comment by Jonathan M — February 5, 2013 @ 6:00 pm
These types of ads are making the men and women we live with. It is teaching men to control women. They have all the power over them. They are the ones who decide what a woman can and cannot do.This is how society is. We just never realize it until some of these ads are put together like this because we are constantly bombarded with such ads. We see these types of ads every day, every minute of our lives. At the rate things are going, we will see a lot more ads in a single day as time progresses. This is devaluing women. It is saying that women are not worth anything and they can be disposed of at any moment a man wants. This is absolutely an outrage. Everyone needs to be more open minded and we need to stop following what ads tell us to do and think. We need to start thinking for ourselves to truly realize what changes need to be made. we need to think outside the box.
Comment by Judith S — February 6, 2013 @ 9:24 pm
I feel that these ads are nothing but degrading and disrespectful to women.Women are treated like sexual objects.All these advertisements offended me. We are not objects ,, we are not tools for men entertainment.
Comment by Ashley H. — February 7, 2013 @ 1:37 am
Looking at most of these photos really started to piss me off. Honestly looking at these makes me feel like there is a stereotype for males and that is to be tough. Yes i understand its to lure those people looking at these advertisements but still, “disposable like your ex”? That is so overboard and just rude. To me what makes someone a man is not that they are tough, physically strong, aggressive, or emotionless, but rather to be a gentleman, sweet, and independent.
Comment by Jonathan Y — February 14, 2013 @ 11:34 pm
I think that this article though written a couple years prior to “Fatal Distraction: Manhood, Guns, & Violence”, there is a definite connection. The portryael of women in the media in my epxerience is discuseed much more then the negative impacts of male stereotypes displayed in advertisements, television etc. Young boys and young men alike re getting bombarded with messages that tell them that their worth is in their ability to have power over another person, whether that be through violence, sex, etc. This is especially catastrophic when at the same time women are being told that their worth as a person is in their body, and that if a man is violent towards them he simply just acting out his “natural” male tendencies and therefore cannot be blamed.
Comment by Jessica P — April 2, 2013 @ 10:12 am
I have never come across ads simular to the ones posted here, but they definitely opened my eyes to the way these ads are portraying men. It is not necessary to show women in bed with a man in order to try to sell energy bars. They are trying to say that men need more energy for the amount of sex they are having. The second ad which I agree makes a joke out of sexual harassment is not acceptable. First off I do not think that professional women should be wearing mini skirts and fishnet stockings to work, but more importantly it is not okay for they to casually show a man touching a woman’s rear end at work. I also was offended by the razor ad which says it is disposable just like a man’s ex. A woman and a disposable razor should not even be compared. A woman is a human being. She should not be compared to an object. This clearly displays the patriarchal society we live in.
Comment by Ariella M — April 11, 2013 @ 6:52 pm
This article was insightful to me because it portrays men as sexual and disrespecting women, which leads to one of the major issues in society- sexual harassment. It is sad to say that these ads are everywhere, encouraging masculine hegemony and degrading women. The reason they are everywhere is because sex sells and people find these ads “humorousâ€. After reading this article and seeing these ads, I have a better understanding as to why our society is obsessed with sexism and power. This article is a perfect demonstration of society condoning sexual harassment and basically saying that because the media portrays it, it is ok. Sexual harassment is by no means acceptable and women are by no means objects for men to do with what they want. These ads are upsetting to see because they are teaching all men in society that this is the real image of a “manâ€. It is teaching them to be dominant, sexual and aggressive. No wonder there is ongoing sexual harassment everywhere and these men think they can get away with it because society shows it as “acceptableâ€. It is disgusting to see women as objects and under the control of men just to draw attention to a product being advertised. It is also sad to say that these products would not be sold without women being degraded or sexualized. These ads reinforce the stereotype that men should contain all four elements of masculine hegemony.
Comment by Danielle B. — May 24, 2013 @ 1:01 pm
Although all of these advertisements were disturbing to see, the thing that bothered me the most was the fact that I didn’t even realize that there was anything wrong with advertisements like these before reading this. The Sexual Harassment Club?… “Have your way with your secretary… for a small fee”… Really? And the Tommy Hilfiger, Diesel, and Puma ad with the sexually explicit magazine on the ground. I noticed a few other things in the picture that caused me to look twice; I noticed framed photos of cars which also socializes males into gender roles. I also noticed that the three men in the advertisement were far from chiseled. You would never see the female versions of those men in a magazine and think that it was a “normal” picture. The Old Spice razor commercial bothered me so much. “Just like your ex, it’s completely disposable; Love it and leave it; You may feel bad tossing it, unlike your ex†It’s so sad that women are compared to a disposable razor. This mentality of women being disposable is so common amongst men. And it should be noted that if a woman were to say that about a man, she’d be called a whore, slut, etc. This sort of thing is seen so much in advertisements and it’s become so normative that practically no one is bothered by it.
Comment by CrystalY — July 21, 2013 @ 10:49 pm
Advertised masculinity seems to be a big factor in the media now-a-days. If it’s not men pointing guns and acting tough, they are touching on what seems to be innocent women. In some ads they are not just touching them but it seems like they are hurting them to try to show that they have control over them. The people that condone Advertising Masculinity need to swallow their pride and think about the women that they are degrading in some of the ads that they leak to the public.
Comment by Qujuan F — July 23, 2013 @ 9:25 pm
Advertising Masculinity is seen more and more throughout the years and at the same time it is getting worse and worse. These ads are trying to show to men that in order to be a real man that they should have all the characteristics that are shown in the ads. Most magazines will show males being surrounded by many women or is also having a good body. This puts a lot of pressure are men to show that they are the center of attention and that they should be dominate. Many of the ads show women that are seen as if they are males property and this is a negative message sent out to many males. Some of the ads can be quite uncomfortable to see and will sometimes get women mad because this is not the image they want women to be portrayed because it is all a lie.
Comment by Kimberly C — July 24, 2013 @ 3:32 pm
Honestly Advertisements like these shown here are very good for the companies because its bring in more customers. these advertisements catch peoples eye and intrigues them to buy their product. Im not saying that these ads are saying that men own the women and are above them and all that stuff because thats what its showing and it is totally wrong , but for the sake of these companies any advertisement that can get the people to buy their product is what always wins.
Comment by Justin N — July 24, 2013 @ 9:04 pm
These images disgust me. I have seen so many images of women overly sexualized or dead like in advertisement. How could these images assert a man’s masculinity? Images like this are part of the reason why sexism is so prevalent. The women in these images are not wearing much clothing, you can can’t see their faces, or their in a submissive position. In addition the men are hyper masculine, they’re either buff or have weapons or both. By constantly seeing images like this men are socialized to see this as a norm and as a consequence enact act this out which is why you see so much violence related to boys and men. Society as a whole needs to be changed in order for people to stop fixating on how masculine of feminine something is.
Comment by BrendaR — July 24, 2013 @ 10:21 pm
It’s sad to see that how masculinity is advertised now-a-days. Not only does it make the women in the ads look bad, it makes the men look just as bad. All of them show hatred towards women making men look like aggressive, hating, sexual monsters. However that is not the point of the ads. The point is to make men feel more dominant and more empowered over women so they can buy the product. Maybe that product, whatever it may be, can make a man feel better about himself. Whatever it is, it needs to be stopped. It is disrespectful to women and men and its not fair to treat the women as if they’re not humans.
Comment by Matthew M — July 25, 2013 @ 12:02 am
From the advertisement we can see how patriarchy is carefully been structured under the table. They make sexism as joke like it is not a big deal so that we can just laugh about it and move on. Specially nowadays masculinity is the main charming point of men and I think it was been controlled secretly. But we must be critical thinkers and break down that ads really means.
Comment by Chul Woo Park — July 25, 2013 @ 1:25 am
Wow… these ads show the dominance of men and men’s beliefs/ issues in the patriarchy system. In these ads men are seen as powerful and dominant while women are in these ads for the man’s sexual pleasure. They consider women to be secondary and “easily disposable objects”, which makes sexism look okay in people’s eyes. Moreover, they consider women to be sexual objects for a man’s desire and that sexual harassment in the workplace is “ok,” which is completely wrong. Messages like this is what is telling a man it is okay to be violent to his wife and/or sexual harass a worker. In addition, it’s really sad that these ads need to provoke these kinds of messages in order to sell their object. If the patriarchy system continues this way and ads like these are placed who know what will happen to the generations to come…
Comment by Joanna E. — September 28, 2013 @ 9:29 pm
Although sexism is often attributed as being targeted to women and their rights, these ads all prove that this isn’t always the case. All of these ads present a form of sexism, and even racism. Men are confined to stereotypes of hyper-masculinity. They are assumed to be sexual and aggressive and they are rewarded with positive sanctions when they are with many girls at one time, as we are shown in the Sean John advertisement with girls sprawled all over the bed. The ads I find most troubling are the ones featuring black men, who are more often than not, depicted as violent and sexually aggressive in the media. In the specific ad with the black man covered in blood and exposing a knife in his hand, the stereotype about black men being innately violent beings is clearly on display. In the news, the crimes that are reported (what is shown to us, at least) usually involve men of color. We are socialized to fear men, especially men of color.
Comment by Chloe M — October 1, 2013 @ 9:59 pm
All of the ads in the article above are male dominated and sex oriented. They strongly encourage male dominance and objectify women as objects of sexual pleasure. Promoting misogynistic ideas in a dirty way, for instance, saying that it is okay to sexually harass a coworker, meaning you are hardly to face any consequences for that, (especially) if you are (hypothetically speaking) a CEO of some super successful firm. In addition, this type of advertisement promotes a â€false†type of masculinity in my opinion. Saying, therefore, that it is completely normal not only to sexually harass but also that it is completely normal to have polygamous relationships/sexual encounters. Needless to say, it makes a man stand out and look like a “real player†on the world’s stage.
The other ad compares a woman to a razor, saying “its completely disposable.†In other words, women can be disposed of, rejected, neglected, and treated poorly immediately after they lose their sexual value or a man’s sexual interest.
The Redbook ad I would consider a little more sophisticated than the other ones I read. It does promote masculinity and possibly fear as well, due to the stereotypes of people of color that have struggled for rights and acceptance in America’s young history. I did not even notice a trace of dominance and sexual objectification of a girl right away due to the illusion of a fairy tale and the romantic idea of multicultural relationships. His dark skin sparks that longing interest for something new, mysterious and possibly dangerous. A forbidden choice that still haunts us to present day. Him, covering her body shows his dominance over her, in a sexual way, and only, due to the belief that men usually lead. His hand around her waist and not next to her neck makes it seem less aggressive and more sensual. The girl seems to enjoy the situation and is in a comfortable position due to the Reebok shoes. The woman appears to be having a good time and enjoying his kisses. Is this an unusual combination a set up to miss the real point? The Sean Paul ad has a louder message of male dominance and strongly promotes women as sexual objects. It seems that advertisers repeatedly promote masculinity and dominance and do not acknowledge women as anything more than a beautiful trophy or a sex object. They portray women as people who are only interested in beauty secrets, shopping, chatting and staying in shape through obsessing about calories.
These ads should be interpreted as a reminder for women to continue to stand up against sexual harassment and stereotypes that advertisers use to identify women in society.
Comment by Olga M — October 27, 2013 @ 10:30 pm
For the first four ads the theme of sex is clear but I feel that as for the energy bar they just use the concept of sex because they know it will sell, since sex in ads is claimed as products gaining more profit. As for the second ad for sexual harrassment, it feels like they consider harrassment in the workplace a joke. This in truth devalues women and might give sexual harrassment that is reported less credibility. Overall, all of these ads promote male masculinity and their power over women. While women on the other hand are sexy and appear to be sex objects only part of the man’s pleasure.
Comment by Julissa C — November 11, 2013 @ 10:43 pm
It is amazing to me how some advertising portrays the masculine energy men are suppose to have. In most of the above images men are looked at as always strong and aggressive surrounded by women. This is not the everyday mans goal however but these ads continue to sell to the small minded individuals that partake in their merchandise. Until advertising gets its own type of FCC we will be subject to these types of gender stereotypes.
Comment by Andrew O — November 20, 2013 @ 7:10 pm
These ads feature themes of sex, aggression and male dominance. Ads like these are increasingly popular in our patriarchal society. Men and women are portrayed drastically different in advertisements which pushes the masculine and feminine gender roles. The ad in which the male in seen on a bed with two women is very interesting, if the roles were reversed and it was an image of a female with two males, the response would be much different. A female in that type of image would be seen negatively, but when it is a male he is praised for this behavior. Advertisements in general enforce societies gender roles. These ads in particular enforce male dominance in society.
Comment by Christine E — November 20, 2013 @ 10:29 pm
Sadly, the pictures were not shocking. I have seen such outrageous pictures all over the media. These pictures depict the stereotypical view on masculinity and though obviously not many people act like that in public, it is still advertised. In some ways the advertisements are an exact replica on what some men believe to be truly “manly”. I have seen young men who seem as though they are nothing like the advertisements say bothersome and inapropriate comments that sound much like something that is advertised. It is because of these forms of media that some think that it is okay to act this way. Not much can be expected to change if these ads are clearly sending an opposing message.
Comment by Bonnie O. — November 25, 2013 @ 6:05 pm
These ads really depict how male dominated our society’s viewpoint is because of how degrading these ads are to women. The one that really bothered me was the disposable razor ad describing another human being as disposable. Then the ad goes one step further by picturing a woman in a trash can and even more degrading she is half naked in underwear. Some of the ads show multiple women with one male enforcing the standpoint of a male dominated society specifically with sexuality.
Comment by ChristinaB — November 26, 2013 @ 10:05 am
The advertisements you posted show how males are socialized in this society. As I meet more people as I get older, I find out that there are so many men who are actually like “female”. Some males are more emotional and intereted in relationship. I think the depiction of such magazines and advertisements give males somewhat responsibility to become like those masculinity. I saw immature children holding a knife just to show how strong he is. Both genders have too much pressure to be idealistic men and female these days.
Comment by Jieun K — November 26, 2013 @ 4:20 pm
The hegemonic masculinity in these advertisements is very clear. We can see how the men are obviously dominating the women, they have guns and knives to show their masculinity and brutality, and they all have the “typical†muscular chiseled bodies (and of course do not have their shirt on to show their bodies off). Advertisements are one of the clearest things that show off societies expectations of what a man should look like. Women as well. Women in advertisements are portrayed as “cute†sometimes “innocent†and mainly there to look good and give the man physical pleasure. This seems obvious and horrible but when girls see these advertisements all they see is the girls perfect body and perfect hair and makeup and how they always have a man. This leads women to think they have to have that product to look like that, and have that man, which leads to unrealistic expectations because all advertisements have been digitally altered and so realistically, that perfection cannot be achieved.
Comment by Elizabeth C. — November 26, 2013 @ 4:22 pm
Advertisements such as these are the main reason men are often believed to be mindless sex addicts by many women, and this belief leads men to think that they have no choice but to conform to those beliefs to be accepted in society. Its is high time that these types of vulgar and pornographic ads be banned so that misconceptions that are prevalent right now can begin to fade. Unfortunately, the control of media by corporate moguls who will do anything for profit is a major obstacle. There needs to be a major overhaul of the system in which tycoons are able to control the way individuals and groups are perceived by the public.
Comment by Sepehr H — November 28, 2013 @ 2:14 pm
Subordinate women and animalistic males. These ads shown only perpetuate the male patriarchy that we live in today. Not only are they harmful to men and women psyche but also they send a clear message then men act and should act a certain way. In addition, since these types of ads are continuing to be cultivated around us, its no surprise to me that I see men and women trying to fit these roles around me. Often, I am confronted with aggressive and overly confident males, and in my personal experience I have met women that find it comforting that men should act aggressively and controlling towards them. To me, this continues to be disturbing because not only is it degrading to women it also provides a misconception that to be a man one must be aggressive, controlling, and dominating. Which I know is untrue.
Comment by Giovanni A — November 29, 2013 @ 11:22 pm
I come from a background that breastfeeding is seen as something natural and beautiful. My mother is a midwife so she has a lot of books on breastfeeding and no picture depicted show breastfeeding as an act of sexual fantasy or promiscuous intimacy. However, since we live in America the media is obsessed with boobs. So if given the opportunity the media will capitalize on that obsessions even if the subject matter is based on the act of breastfeeding. In my option, if main stream media promotes an image of breastfeeding as an act of sexual pleasure or promiscuity in order to seek and raise profit then not only are we degrading the beauty of a natural act we are also devaluing and dehumanizing something so vital to our survival. The act of breastfeeding.
Comment by Giovanni A — November 30, 2013 @ 12:09 am
Sadly, I am not deeply disturbed by these images. I think we’ve come to a point where we are so desensitized to images of hegemonic masculinity in so many permutations especially in ads. The power-over dynamic that patriarchy exists in, create an objectification, disrespect, and misogyny in these ads. Don’t get me wrong, I am highly offended by these images but I feel so unimpressed. The dynamics depicted in all the ads are ignorant, sexist, and overwhelmingly unappealing. However, the growing prevalence of images like this can only attest to the lack of a centralized education for men and women. It is no wonder that men can be so aggressively abusive and women feel so marginalized. It’s because that’s what is being forced upon us.
P.S. Upon looking at the images again, I was deeply bothered by the sexual harassment because, like you said, it trivializes and creates humor from this absolutely disgusting act. I guess I lied, these images are awful and I can’t be desensitized to them – I just tried to.
Comment by Albert A. — December 1, 2013 @ 12:28 pm
The advertisements shown clearly display male dominance. But throughout advertisements, there is hegemonic masculinity showing that women are inferior to men and should not having any control over their body. The first advertisement with just the feet showing is an example that if it was a woman with three men, the ad would most likely cause an uproar with the possibility that if women did such a thing she would be a “slut†and “whore.†All the ads presented displays gender stereotyping and sadly it’s shown in big name brands like Tommy Hilfiger. Even more terrifying is the depiction of black masculinity. For black masculinity the ads provide a more violent depiction of men and it shows woman to be abused and used for his sexual pleasure. Not only does this influence domestic violence, but it also overshadows the stereotype that women are just a mere piece of meat. Not only that, but the gender stereotyping is so dominant in the ads that causes readers a representation of what is not real, but causes individuals, especially women to lose self-respect.
Comment by Benjamin C. — December 2, 2013 @ 12:33 am
When I see these advertisements, I think about how common people see them every day and don’t question them. These images are factors that socialize people to believe that men are aggressive and powerful and that women are weak. Women are always seen as sexual objects and men are seen in multiple ways, but most of them are with men in power. It is troubling to know that both men and women accept these images so easily. Advertisements like these are an example of gender socialization because they reflect the ideals of our culture.
Comment by Gabriel P — December 2, 2013 @ 4:02 pm
All of these advertisements we empowering men by objectifying women, thus showing and supporting patriarchy in our society. I found out ironic how these ads were enforcing a double standard. So men are and can be sexual and are given positive reinforcement when engaging in their sexuality, but if women do so they are called sluts for engaging in their sexuality. These advertisements promote 3 attributed of hegemonic masculinity. The first is men are dominant over women. The second is they are sexual, and the third is that they are straight. These ads also show 2 characteristics of emphasized femininity. Women in these ads are both heteroflexible and heterosexual while being sexy, sexually available, and objectified. The message that is being sent to our youth is that both men and women should act in such a manner which empowers men and lowers women. These ads also reach such a deep subconscious mind that ignoring them is not enough.
Comment by Jason P — December 3, 2013 @ 1:35 pm
These ads do not only portray male dominance and the characteristics that males have to value in order to be men, but they also portray the behavior that men must carry out towards women. Women are seen as trophies for men. They are there for the pleasure and entertainment of men. Furthermore, if they are not what you want or if they choose to leave you, they are no better than garbage because they are “disposable”. It is insane that images like these are allowed to be created and shown to the public. Free speech is one thing but the fact that the influence from ads like these actually cause harm is another. I think the goal is to somehow prove that images like these do cause certain behaviors to be more present (such as violence towards women) and once that can be proven I think those in power will have no choice but to listen.
Comment by Nathan P. — December 3, 2013 @ 4:22 pm
Masculinity, or at least the picture the media portrays of masculinity is painted perfectly in this article. The sad part is, that society as a whole has become accustom to this and we don’t even look it over anymore and it comes as a surprise to almost no one. Society has evolved into true patriarchy and these ads, especially the one with the razor, mentioning that, “It’s disposable, just like your ex.†Doesn’t do anything other than degrade females as a whole and prove that misogyny is steadily staying the same, or even increasing with time. I feel as if our society is corrupted, and there is not really a way to completely fix this. However, I feel as if masculinity is changing with time. Who knows? Maybe one day the tables of masculinity and femininity will turn.
Comment by Michael S. — December 4, 2013 @ 2:49 am
Masculinity as depicted in these ads from the article all have reoccurring themes of sexism, dominance, aggression and sexuality. The ads depict women as sexual objects, for example in the protein bar add it shows a bunch of women under covers just to promote a protein bar. Then in the ad titled “How to dump your ex” shows a woman falling out of trash shoot in only her bra and underwear. The ads also degrade women such as in the razor ad it says “Just like your ex, it’s completely disposable” where it shows you could get rid of a woman as easily as a disposable razor. Also in one of the ad it shows a woman being sexually harassed at work with the caption saying “Have your way with your secretary over lunch for a small fee.” Then in the ad for Tough jeans is depicts aggression by showing a man covered in blood shirtless holding a knife. Most people don’t think too much about these ads because it has been something seen as normative and common and because our society is in a system of patriarchy it values these characteristics in men. No looking at these ad it just shows how women are degraded and how masculinity should be portrayed in a man.
Comment by Pablo D — April 20, 2014 @ 4:37 pm
One word runs through my head when looking at all of these ads, Hyper-Masculinity. Women and their rights are often what are being targeted in sexist ads, however these ads show otherwise. In these ads, men are the ones being targeted not only by sexism but racism as well. The stereotype that men are hyper-masculine assumes that all men need to be sexual and aggressive. These traits however result in negative sanctions if women are to posses them. Men on the other hand are applauded when with multiple women at once. They are rewarded with positive sanctions, as seen in the Sean John advertisement with two girls and one guy in a bed. Racism in these ads are what really get under my skin. Black men in these ads are seen as violent and sexually aggressive. In one of the ads, a black bulky man is taunting over the viewers with a knife in his hand and is covered in blood. The stereotype is obvious; it is implying that Black men are violent beings. Racism is not always so obvious. We constantly have news reports where men of color are involved in violent acts, however most violent acts involving white men are rarely show. We are socialized to fear men of color, and have more trust with white men. White men are part of the mythical norm and it is rare to see the media go against them.
Comment by Jasmin Lavi — April 20, 2014 @ 5:11 pm
All advertisements show and teach men that they should be aggressive, emotionally stoic, and extremely sexual. have honestly never realized the messages behind advertisements like these and with shame I must admit that before taking my women studies class, I would have blindly accepted these ads as normal and maybe even chuckle at some. These ads constantly being published in our society show how corrupt we have gotten that we just accept this as the norm and don’t even see the corruption behind this anymore. These ads all contribute to socialization and show society’s true oppression of women. Women in these ads are just seen as sex toys for men to play with and have sex with. That is it.
Comment by Stephanie Hua — April 20, 2014 @ 6:15 pm
Articles about masculinity not only make me mad, but they also make me quite sad, as a big sister to three brothers, and as a single girl dating men. These ideas of what men should be like are so horrible and are so negative, but men are actually thriving to fit into these ideals to be more manly? In my mind, those things would be the exact opposite of what a man should be like. It scares me, because no matter how much my parents and I encourage my brothers to treat girls with respect, cry if they need to, and communicate about emotions, there is only so much you can do before the media gets in the way and feeds them these absurd ideas. Movies, TV, Facebook, Instagram, and all kinds of ads are teaching them that they should man up and have loads of sex.This also scares me when it comes to the men I am dating, and the man I will eventually spend the rest of my life with. I can’t look at men the same, knowing that they feel like they have to be sexual, violent, and unemotional to be a man. Now whenever I talk to a man, I see all of the years and years of brainwash shining right through them, and it feels hopeless. They may never change.
Comment by Elena V. — May 4, 2014 @ 5:23 pm
I agree with the previous comment; ads about “masculinity” really are frustrating. No one, man or woman, should have the idea that power involves dominance. In each ad we are exposed to the man acting more “dominant.” Taking a look at the body image present by the women, it is vulnerable, while the men stand big and tall. The women are only there as objects, not even seen as human beings. Claiming that a woman is just as “disposable” as a razor truly is disgusting. Women are not just objects used for sex that are easily thrown away. I agree that masculinity correlates with violence and aggression, a problem extended by the media.
Comment by Vanessa R. — May 19, 2014 @ 10:58 pm
My reaction to these male ads is a sense of males sharing an attraction to females for sexual incentives. The razor ad devalues females by referring to ex-girlfriends as disposable. The first ad shows females legs under a blanked on a bed, making women seem more like sexual objects that you can have an infinite amount with no problem. For women, it makes them whores, while men are open to sleeping with as many women, which is looked upon with awe and respect towards males in response. Additionally, aside men being seen as players, they’re also portrayed as dominant beings that are promoted for violence.
Comment by Ariel M — May 19, 2014 @ 11:14 pm
Ads about men in today’s culture really encourage men to behave and think in ways that are unacceptable. They teach men that being very sexual, dominating, and controlling over women will be rewarded and most men in today’s culture believe in these messages. Two ads really got to me: the ad for the razor and the ad that made fun of sexual harassment. To tell a man that a razor is as disposable as his ex is very disturbing because men should never be told that any women is disposable like a simple object such as a razor. The sexual harassment ad is also very disgusting because it makes men think that sexual harassment is not a big deal when in reality, sexual harassment ruins many women’s lives. Women get harassed all the time and have to live the rest of their lives with guilt and shame that is undeserved all because a man dominated them and harassed them.
Comment by Matthew S — May 23, 2014 @ 9:35 pm
The question of the role and meaning of masculinity is strong in young men. Unfortunately, the mass media does not send the right message of what it means to be a man. We are regularly surrounded with messeges promoting the idea that masculinity is violent, dominating over women, pysically agressive, sexually domineering, and that anger and toughness are the only appropriate emotions for men to display. The common theme seen in advertisements aimed at an audience of men has half naked women in it, or a theme of dominance. It is time to change the boundries of what a real man is,
Comment by Rachel Moreh — May 26, 2014 @ 4:55 pm
Unfortunately, this post and most of the advertisements remind me of my brother and most of his friends. It is clear that due to the system of structured inequality we are constantly bombarded with misogynistic, sexist, androcentric, images that fully support today’s cultural ideologies. Men are socialized about sexism- it is almost a way of life. Men and advertisements such as the ones seen above prove that sexism is 100% tolerated, defended, encouraged, supported and CELEBRATED. This also sparks the idea of gender being a performance, “doing gender.” These disgusting images signify how men perform masculinity on a daily basis. As I’m typing this post I remember a time my brother was returning home from Golds gym, sitting on the couch looking at his selfies he has taken while lifting weights. I had asked him why he feels so inclined to go to the gym 6 days a week, if a certain size will ever be “big enough?” He responds by saying it is a part of being a man that I will never understand. The responds made my stomach turn but I am aware that although he has a brain of his own it is images such as the ones shown above that has completely warped the mind of young men like my brother. Media conglomerates are thriving today and as long as images such as these are providing revenue the limited range to which men can show their true selves will become non-existent. The white power structure is who to blame for perpetuating the hard, misogynistic, homophobic mind set we see today. The hyper masculine themes we continuously see will not stop unless we are able to educate the younger generations at an early age in hopes to form different images of “masculinity.”
Comment by Lacey A — May 28, 2014 @ 10:21 pm
It’s crazy how we don’t notice how ridiculous these ads are until they are pointed out to us. It is insane how this has become normative and we don’t even think twice about the message it is sending. This hyper sexual, violent and stoic theme that are racing through each page on a magazine are promoting and defining society’s definition of “masculinity”. Boys will think they are cool if they portray these exaggerated and purely ridiculous forms of advertising. Thats their standard of masculinity and what they have to compete against, that is what is teaching them what a man should act like and what a woman should be. In mens magazines women are toys, disposable and used just for sex. Of course rape, sexual harassment, and violence are a problem in this country, they are LITERALLY advertising these things just as their advertising their products.
Comment by Daniella S — May 30, 2014 @ 12:05 pm
These advertisements essentially only demean women and the give power to the men, which unfortunately supports a patriarchy. I think that these advertisements are funny and in their own way they work because we as humans have been socialized. A majority of the advertisements listed on the article enable men to be sexual deviants and promote them to show it off. It is true that if a man were to act sexually he is generally praised and looked highly upon and other men would wish to be in the same position. However, unfortunately a different light is shed upon women, if they act sexually they are considered sluts. All of the advertisements promote the well-known three out of four attributes of hegemonic masculinity. In the advertisement with the black man against a woman, the black man is not only shown in control but he is shown as a thug and in some ways looks very dangerous. As long as these advertisements continue to progress in our society everyone will see the world through a sexually conscious eye. Normally I would say that one should ignore these advertisements but I think we should do the exact opposite. We must control these ads before they cloud the young minds of others.
Comment by Daniel Nikravesh — June 1, 2014 @ 7:49 pm
These advertisements are sickening and do nothing more but put out the image that women are seen as an object and gives more power to men which supports patriarchy. These advertisements are at wrong because it gives men the power to think it is okay to be sexual, but then while it is okay for the man to be sexual the girl is known as a slut because she engaged in these sexual activities. These advertisements provide us with two of the four characteristics of emphasized femininity. The women who are shown in these advertisements are sexually objectified and sexually available, heterosexual and heteroflexible. For men these advertisements provide us with hegemonic masculinity. Some traits include that they are straight and sexual and that men are dominant and overpowering over women. If advertisements like these continue to exist our society will always be that women are lower than men and we will continue to give out the message to our youth that it is okay for men to behave this way.
Comment by Jennifer P — June 2, 2014 @ 1:30 am
The media portrays these a specific way because these are the gender socials of our society. Men in our society are “supposed ” to be raised to be aggressive, manly, and in the adolescent years, to have sex with as many women as possible. As I have said before, many of these companies will go to the extremes in the ads to make as much profit as possible. However, these ads have a ripple effect on society. When people see these ads, for example the Sean John ad, people will subconsciously think that it’s ok to seduce as many women as possible as this product will help you do that. Another example would be the Old Spice shaving ad, where they describe that a woman is just like a disposable shaver. I believe that this is very sexist as it destroys the image of a women. It creates this concept where woman can just be treated like a piece of garbage and not as a human being.Last but not least, the ad that most caught my attention was the one with sexual harassment. I believe that this ad should be taken down and not shown to the public because it makes a serious problem in our society not as serious. People will subconsciously think that its ok to hit on your co-worker on the job, which is just absurd.
Comment by Shahab Naimi — June 2, 2014 @ 10:12 pm
While some ads can cause humor, this is a very serious problem in today’s society. The fact that these advertisements make it out into the world demonstrate that masculinity behind it. Men are being portrayed as these womanizers and gods who have the right to do what they want with who they want to. I still believe that everyone should be respected, so the harassment ad was a bit disturbing as it can encourage someone to do the wrong thing. It portrays it as a normal everyday thing, when it is truly not. A man can not decide who we wants for himself. Women have the right to say no and that is how it should be, but now a days it is more of a woman should either say yes, or yes. Sean John ad can inspire men to try and go out and get as many women, because well if Diddy is doing it, then why aren’t you. These ads are ridiculous and just show the wrong and ignorant ideas that many men possess today.
Comment by Kevin Monterroso — July 28, 2014 @ 10:50 pm