http://youtu.be/oip36NSwQXc
Watch this video. What does the commercial imply??
Take note:
1. What task is being performed? What is the "value" of that action.
2. Who is performing which tasks?
3. Whose voice do you hear during the commercial? What are the roles taken by men voices and women voices?
4. Who is the commercial selling to? How are they doing it?
What do these things suggest about the roles of men and women?
There are several variations of this commercial, the one that made me post is actually not like the one I posted, but it's similar. In mine, a sponge (voiced by a man) commands the woman to pose her beautiful hands for him. Afterwards, he emphatically encourages her to "enjoy" doing the dishes since it's making her skin soft and smooth. No one escapes the male gaze, especially when capitalism itself relies upon categories of people to pander to.
This commercial is very interesting because it is implying that only women do the dishwashing! Also, that women should submit to the Male Gaze and have their hands stay nice and moisturized. I used to have a boyfriend and he and his dad were the ones who washed the dishes at their house, so you can't tell me that only women do that kind of work. I guess the commercial is implying that women should be the ones doing the housework, but that they are expected to look really nice and glamourous at the same time!
ReplyDeleteAgreed - After watching this video, I definitely got the impression that women are expected to do the dishwashing. This also got me thinking about other commercials for household items. The same is true for all; whether it be a mop, window cleaner, or even Hamburger Helper, women are always the ones that are portrayed using or cooking the advertised product, implying that it is the woman's job to do the cooking and the cleaning.
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