"If we turn attention to some of the participatory dynamics in leisure and everyday
life which see young women endorse (or else refuse to condemn) the ironic normalisation of pornography, where they indicate their approval of and desire to be pin up girls for the centrefolds of the soft porn “lad mags"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDzGgaugb2s&feature=player_embedded
“Individuals must now choose the kind of life they want to live. Girls must have a lifeplan. They must become more reflexive in regard to every aspect of their lives, from making the right choice in marriage, to taking responsibility for their own working lives,and not being dependent on a job for life or on the stable and reliable operations of a large-scale bureaucracy which in the past would have allocated its employees specific,and possibly unchanging, roles".
"The new young women are confident enough to declare theiranxieties about possible failure in regard to finding a husband, they avoid any aggressive or overtly traditional men, and they brazenly enjoy their sexuality, without fear of the sexual double standard. In addition, they are more than capable of earning their own living, and the degree of suffering or shame they anticipate in the absence of finding a husband is countered by sexual self-confidence. Being without a husband does not mean they will go without men."
“It might be more accurate to remark on the keen interest across the equality and popular media (themselves wishing to increase their female readers and audiences), in ideas of female success.”
"she confides in her friends, she keeps a diary, she endlessly reflects on her fluctuating weight, noting her calorie intake, she plans, plots and has projects. She is also deeply uncertain as to what the future holds for her. Despite the choices she has, there are also any number of risks of which she is regularly reminded"
This fits in with Bridget Jones Diary as the protagonist is a female - reinforcing the changes made from back in the days, where women today are seen as equal and worthy of the central character. Also this is true, that it helps increase female readers and audiences as it could be personal identification or a feeling of dominance and equality.
1. A more positive look at post-feminism
I have ranked this in first place as it shows that equality has come a long way and that equality has more or less been achieved between the two genders however not 100%.
2. Post-feminism as backlash to feminism
Women have in some aspect gained control in terms of doing things their way however by feminisim being completely achieved would lead women to be unhappy “because it has made millions of women unhappy, unfeminine, childless, lonely, and bitter”.
3. The ambiguity of the prefix
this is ranked in third place as a majority of society members argue that equality has been fully achieved which isn’t quite right in my opinion, though it has come a very long way.
4. Post-feminism as a colloquialism
this is ranked as last – as they associate men with hatred. This article gives the wrong impression of females and portrays them as man haters.
The representation of women can be positive: challenging the roles and expectations of women or negative: reinforcing a patriarchal society. This essay questions how and why these representations are constructed in an advert for Gucci Guilty Perfume and Stella Artois beer.
Firstly the Gucci advert is in widescreen which connotes a dramatic cinematic experience to engage its audience. More attention is gained by the female character first seen in the text and her protagonist is signified through this. The protagonist has female dominance which is signified through the use of colour- everything is in black and white while her hair is gold/blonde. This colour connotes gold, power and divinity signifying her importance in the text.
The use of intertextuality in this text will appeal to a particular audience. The film references a great deal to the neo film noir Sin City, with the use of colour and the female dominant femme fatale character. Sin City appeals to a male audience due to the action genre, this trailer could also appeal to the same audience due to the intertextuality. In terms of the Uses and Gratifications theory, a female audience might realise and accept the protagonist in the text is a form of escapism and also a male gaze, by theorist Mulvey, and therefore might aspire, from Young and Rubicam's 4Cs, to be the object of male gaze too.
Though the protagonist is an object of male gaze, it could be suggested that she sexually objectifies herself to tease the audience. The protagonist puts her leg into the frame of the shot. As she puts into the frame, it signifies self objectification, allowing the audience to fetishise her body. Another shot, a high angle, of their sexual activities signifies CCTV and spying which is voyeuristic. The fact she is on top signifies her control of the situation for both the male character and the audience.
Not only does the protagonist exert her feminity through self objectification she also presents herself as an anarchic character signified by adopting male stereotypes. The advert begins with a long shot of an unknown character speeding down the motorway, which stereotypically would be expected to be a male character. However, the audience's expectations are challenged when a medium shot of the driver shows to be a female.
In contrast, women are negatively represented in the Stella Artois text. The most obvious editing technique used in the advert is the split screen: one side shows the female getting dressed and the other side is of the beer getting "prepared". This use of split screen signifies that neither the beer nor the woman know they have been placed side by side. This puts the audience in position of control as they can voyeur the woman, in a socially acceptable way. Audiences may identify this control as patriarchy, and also identify with the unknown male character whose presence is felt within the text. This text then reinforces the idea of a patriarchal society and that women are subordinated by men.
Not only does the female share the screen with the beer, but the screen is split equally between the two "objects" which connotes the woman is equally objectified to the status of beer. It is suggested the audience is male due to the female and beer subject. Though the advert is targeted at men, it also negatively stereotypes men as people who have little respect for women which however is a dominant representation.
A range of close up shots of the female are used to fetishise her body. There is a close up shot of the female's leg slowly and elegantly rising from the bath tub. On one hand this could signify femininity and her control over it which is the oppositional reading. However, the more dominant reading is that her legs are an important part of the female body and connotes a male audience who can voyeur her body.
The text near the beginning of the trailer says "the preparation" which is an enigma code as the audience question "what event is the preparation for?". It is signified through the shots that the woman and beer preparation is for the male through the use of action codes. Action codes of both the preparation of the woman and the glass of beer are the same.
Women are represented as people who prioritise their looks and appearance, and this ad reinforces this ideology. Action codes including close ups of her: brushing her hair, doing her make up and putting on heels strongly represent women as image conscious. It could be said that the advert reinforces this representation, which is always seen in the media. Funnily enough, it could also be said that the media itself is the cause of this representation as this ideal, perfect woman is always represented in the media, and women feel they have to aspire to it.
In conclusion, both texts females are the protagonists and are sexually objectified for male audiences to fetishise and vouyer their bodies. However, while Gucci’s advert’s protagonist controls her sexuality through self objectification, the Stella Artois’ protagonist is objectified by an unknown but present male character.
In the Gucci’s ad, there are many examples in the text that signify the protagonist’s female dominance, but it is arguable whether this could be seen as a positive representation. The dominant reading is that the protagonist exerts her female dominance over the male challenging the historical patriarchal society and even subordinating males as easily manipulated and easily tempted by women and sex and this would favour feminism. However the oppositional reading which would favour the ideologies of the Stella Artois advert, might be that females can control their sexuality, but it is still for the male gaze and male dominant society.
First Ad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SrqSc-GHS0&NR=1&feature=fvwp
In Parisienne YSL: Kate Moss Commercial, women are clearly sexually objectified. This is shown through its sexual narrative as the woman behaves as if she is being pleasured. This can be considered self objectification as it is evident she is willingly taking on this role and choosing the way in which she behaves. The way in which she is dressed connotes the sexual narrative however gives a negative representation of women as it may suggest using this perfume u can smell sexy and pull someone in for the night. However the use of non diegetic sound of the woman breathing also gives off negative representations as it portrays women as sexual and frustrated. However the clip where she puts money in her dress, also gives off a negative representation. Not only does the colour black of her dress connote an evening night in, as black is considered a colour worn at night to a party, but could also suggest she is a prostitute, as she slips money down her skimpy black outfit. This again portrays women in a negative role. Functionalists such as Parsons would reject this ad and argue it shows inappropriate behaviour and goes against the typical codes and conventions of the ‘ideal’ woman, who is naturally the housewife or the caring mother rather than a hooker. The use of low key lighting also helps suggest a night of pleasure as it emphasises her sexual expressions. It can also be considered she is portrayed as dominant, as she is only allowing you to see what she wants you to see, for example a pink silk cloth covering her gives her the power of not revealing the whole of her body, therefore can be seen as a sign of dominance. Her expressions may also connote a femme fatale characterization as she looks evil by squinting her eyes which is a stereotypical convention of an evil character. Yet she also comes across as very manipulative through her expressions and the direct eye contact she makes with the audience. Which may represent her powerful nature or in a sense her sexual dominance. It could be argued the ad gives us a sense of voyeurism, as sexual behaviour is not publicised however as the audience, we are over looking at what she is doing therefore could argue the ad uses a voyeuristic technique. This ad would appeal and attract the male audience as its primary audience by the ‘male gaze’. This is shown through the sexual fantasy’s it may evoke within men as they stereotypically enjoy to watch such things.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP8GWz1ZMGk&feature=related
Unlike the first ad, this febreeze ad portrays women as very positive and as the ‘ideal’ woman. She is represented as the caring mother who wants her house to smell nice and stay clean while people visit. These are the stereotypical conventions of a traditional housewife. She wears light colours for example baby pink and white, which could connote purity as she purifies her house with frebreeze. She is also presented as a typical housewife/ mother and a person with self respect. This is shown by wearing clothes which hides body parts that may give out wrong or negative representations. All buttons of her shirt are done which connotes she is very homely and dresses appropriately. There is a positive representation of self objectification, as she objectifies herself as the ‘perfect’ mother and wife. This could be inspiring for young mothers or young women as they would want to aspire to be the ‘perfect’ mother and wife. Functionalists would be in favour of this ad, as this ad fully represents their ideologies of the traditional caring, loving housewife fulfilling the roles of a good mother and wife. The use of high key lighting sets a positive atmosphere in the ad as it brightens up the household which connotes positivity. Whereas the use of non-diegetic sound of a piano in the background compliments the friendly mise en scene of the traditional nuclear family setting a and happy tone to the ad. In this ad, women are also presented as the dominant and the men ad subordinate within the household. This is shown through the woman having complete control over her house, where she takes on the roles within the house whereas her husband is only shown answering the door to a visitor. Therefore this could connote the woman’s superiority within the home. It could also be seen that, the woman’s control over her house could be a reflection of her powerful nature and again follows the conventions of the traditional or ‘ideal’ woman of the household.
Colgate Ad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFydzXFcA-Y&feature=related
This is an example of a 1960’s advert on Colgate. Unlike other adverts from the 60’s misogyny is not presented in this advert as portrays positive representations of both men and women. This is shown especially at the end of the advert where both genders are posing together. This could suggest equality between the two as they stand together smiling, giving out joyful connotations. Another reason for why this advert may not be seen as negative is because the woman is not sexually objectified or presented as a femme fatale. Instead, she is presented as an angel with her delicate smile and sensible sense of dressing where there is no exposure of any sort showing there is no self objectification. Another example of the advert not being bias or presenting any negative connotations is through the equality shown on screen where they are both given an entry and with a matching sing along. For example; “When Judy Katy makes here scene” for the females entrance and “when handsome Harry joins the session” for the male’s entrance. This is another clear example of equality between the two genders and how the advert goes against the stereotypical femme fatale representations of women giving the audience a sense of naturalism. This may also attract the male gaze as she is presented as the perfect or ‘ideal’ woman, with her “cleaner breath, cleaner taste, cleaner teeth”. This is shown through her angel like behaviour. Functionalists such as Parsons and Durkheim would agree with ideologies being represented along with feminists such as Sue Sharpe as they would see equality being achieved between genders
Vintage Folgers Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kovsZZw0LwU&feature=related
Gender inequality and patriarchy is portrayed through this advertisement. The way in which the woman is criticised regarding her cup of coffee shows the patriarchal ideologies as he is presented as the dominant figure. This is shown by his posture as he looks down on his wife and dominates her by raising his voice, criticising her and compares her with other females. The way in which he slams his cup of coffee also stands as a male dominant representation as he is able to do whatever, wherever and however. The basic narrative of a wife not being able to fulfil the needs of her husband is a stereotypical representation of women always having to please their men. An example of this is where she makes the effort to trying to please him, fulfilling the typical ideologies of a housewife. Another example of her being the perfect housewife is when she is in the kitchen with her friend cooking and doing the household chores.
Flintstones Selling Cigarettes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWj9JBVOdbk&feature=related
This is an advert feminists would rather hate. It is a prime example of a patriarchal society where women are expected to do all house chores as well as take on the work of men such as D.i.Y and gardening as shown in the advert where Wilma is cutting the grass. This puts in place the typical ideologies of patriarchy, bias genders and men being dominant and women subordinate as they work hard and the men “chill”.
Gay Advert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAKYpUo18wU
This is a video representing gay people as the children call a man their “mum”. He is presented as the ideal “wife” as he is seen fulfilling the essential and most typical roles of a perfect housewife. The scene of where the two men kiss also sets the ideologies of promoting gay men. It shows that there is equality within society and Functionalists such as Talcott Pasons and Durkheim would reject this idea of homosexuality as they believe in the typical nuclear family.
