Gender, Identity and Advertising: Blog Tasks :)

Read this extract from Media, Gender and Identity by David Gauntlett regarding the changing representation of men and women in the media. 

1) What examples does Gauntlett provide of the "decline of tradition"?

• Traditional views of women as housewives or being low-status workers has now been replaced by the image of feisty and successful 'girl power' icons 
• The masculine ideals of toughness, self-reliance and emotional silence have been replaced by a new emphasis on men's emotions, need for advice and the problems of masculinity 

2) How does Gauntlett suggest the media influences the way we construct our own identities?

Gauntlett suggests that the media influences the way we construct our own identities because of media products like magazines that promote self-confidence and provide information about sex, relationships and lifestyles in order to help people feel more comfortable with who they are. Other media products such as television programmes, pop songs, adverts, movies and the internet also provide us with a form of guidance that we might then reflect in ourselves

3) What does Gauntlett suggest regarding generational differences? Is it a good thing that the media seems to promote modern liberal values?

Gauntlett suggests that there are generational differences regarding views and opinions towards certain discussions- for example, people born in the first half half of the 20th century have less tolerance towards homosexuality and they tend to be less sympathetic towards unmarried couples living together compared to their younger counterparts. As the digital age has come about, the media has been able to promote more liberal views which allows younger generations to be more open-minded and more accepting towards all kinds of people 

4) Why does Gauntlett suggest that masculinity is NOT in crisis?

Gauntlett suggests that masculinity is not in crisis because it is changing- he says in men's magazines there is an "obsessive relationship with the socially constructed nature of manhood". When the biggest seller of magazines (For Him Magazine) showcased a more caring and generous representation of masculinity there were no signs of 'crisis' in the magazines or the readers

5) Does advertising still reinforce the "conventionally rugged, super-independent, extra-strong macho man" that Gauntlett discusses? Offer examples for both sides of the argument from the wider advertising industry.

• Advertising still reinforces the idea of the "conventionally rugged, super-independent, extra-strong macho man" that Gauntlett discusses in media products such as perfume adverts (like the Carolina Hererra 'Bad Boy' advert where there was a representation of men as dominant and independent)
• Advertising also subverts the idea of the "conventionally rugged, super-independent, extra-strong macho man" that Gauntlett discusses with adverts such as the Gillette "The Best Men Can Be" (where the typical stereotypes of men have been rejected such as being violent from a young age in order to speak out against toxic masculinity)

6) Gauntlett discusses the idea of 'girl power' and offers examples from music and film. Does advertising provide evidence to support the idea of 'girl power' or is the industry still reinforcing traditional representations of men and women?

Personally, I don't think that advertising provides enough evidence to support the idea of 'girl power'  because the traditional representations of men and women are still being portrayed. Although modern adverts are trying to subvert the stereotypical representations of men and women, there is still an underlying sexism that causes women to only be seen as successful if they are made to look sexualised 

7) Do you agree with Gauntlett's argument under 'Popular feminism, women and men' where he suggests that younger generations are not threatened by traditional gender roles and are comfortable with social changes? Does advertising provide examples either reinforcing or challenging this idea that younger generations are more comfortable with changing gender roles?

I agree with Gauntlett's argument that the younger generations are not threatened by traditional gender roles and are comfortable with social changes because social media has allowed more liberal opinions in the younger generations so they are more understanding of social changes and nontraditional stereotypes. Although younger generations may have more traditional parents, they tend to interact with people their age more so they are surrounded with like-minded people. Advertising does show examples of reinforcing that younger generations are more comfortable with changing gender roles with the John Lewis 'Let life happen' advert which depicted a boy dancing around his living room wearing make-up and a dress- this is something that is not likely to be accepted by older generations who are used to more traditional views 

8) What examples from advertising does Gauntlett provide for the changing nature of gender in society (from the section on Judith Butler's Gender trouble)?

• When discussing the changing nature of gender in society, Gauntlett talked about the sexually charged but androgynous imagery promoting the CK One fragrance 'for a man or a woman' which had reminded viewers of the similarity of genders which hinted that it wouldn't matter which of the attractive male or female models you chose to desire
• Other adverts (such Impulse deodorant and Kronenbourg lager adverts) playfully teased heterosexual desires only to reveal that the lust object was more interested in their own sex, pointing audiences to the unpredictability of sexualities

9) Why is advertising such a good example of the 'contradictory elements' that Gauntlett discusses with regards to the mass media? In other words, how does advertising continue to both reinforce and challenge gender stereotypes?

Advertising is a good example of the 'contradictory elements' that Guantlett discusses with regards to the mass media because it is extremely diverse and different parts of the media put out a range of different messages that may contradict each other. For example, women's magazines always carry out a particular message because they are aimed at a diverse target audience. However, contradictions are important because the multitude of messages being depicted offer an open realm of possibilities 

10) Finally, Gauntlett makes a clear case that things change and modern identities are increasingly fluid. What is your opinion on this debate - do you agree that the media reinforces the changing attitudes towards gender and sexuality in society?

I believe that the media reinforces the changing attitudes towards gender and sexuality in society but the representation is not dominant enough yet to make an impact on the years of stereotypes that have already been drilled into the minds of society. However, if the media carries on representing changing and modern identities, people will start to be more accepting of these attitudes. The media holds a huge impact on people's opinions so if they carry on representing these kinds of messages, people will soon start to accept the changing attitudes towards gender and sexuality in society too