Nanak Foods AlooTikki

This commercial reinforces the realities surrounding romance and ‘keeping women in their place’ in a unique way in comparison to most other advertisements we see; through the use of young children. The dramatization is something we can all relate to at some point – boys enjoying themselves, fully engaged in their activity (video game) while the girls sit quietly, passively, most likely bored (u can catch the one girl on the love seat yawning). They are waiting for the boys – reflective of ‘waiting for Mr. Right’ to come along … and how does she get and impress Mr. Right? Not through her intelligence or poise but through the eyes of his stomach. When the opportunity comes up for the girls to engage with the boys (when the one boys speak and says ‘Im hunry’) the girls jump up in excitement to not only free them from their boredome of sitting aimlessly watching the boys playing video games but this gives them the opportunity to do something nice for the boys – for what? The girls also cut the boys a deal, essentially belittling them as not only girls but as people in general. The doubt from the boys signifies most encounters we see together with opposing sexes. I link this to innocent until proven guilty – the men are hesitant and doubt the females ability until shown otherwise. We are taught from things like this that we as women are constantly being judged and marked in order to hold any merit with our counterparts. There is clearly a racial difference in the commercial as well as it is for a traditional Indian dessert AlooTikki and some of the actors involved are of this racial descent. This proves to me that these ideals surrounding romancing setbacks of gendering differences is not just a Western ideal but crosses boarders into other cultures and religions. How discouraging to know these are all stigmas shared and practices world wide. Certainly it is unfortunate to see such young actors and actresses being the objects for this commercial as it demonstrates the teachings of this romance divide at such a young age! When we are bombarded with these teachings and ideals at such a young, vulnerable, and fragile age it is easy for it to become embedded, understood, and practices and leaves little room for change or more importantly the knowledge to know this is going on and that it is wrong.


-ace55kg

I want her/I want to be just like her.....

Many of these restaurant and/or food ads continuously use woman who are younger, white (usually blonde). I don't always see the romance in the traditional sense but I do see romance how men would like to perceive it and prefer it plus I see the ideals that women are always trying to live up to and emulate.

So men see one thing what they want a woman doing to them while women see a pretty blonde girl who can get away with eating a burger and not worrying about weight.

The famous "got milk" ads completely taking a natural process and function of women and hyper-sexualizing it. Big (probably fake) breasts that women think they need to have to be attractive.

Who would have thought Perrier could be so sexy, women drink it if you want to look just like her and men find those women with a green bottle in their hands. (looks sort of similar to a beer bottle.....) In this ad her clothes are melting right off of her, you don't even see her entire face, maybe because that is not important to a man , her brain but her body is.

While this isn't for a specific brand I feel like ads liken women to food too much, something to be devoured and consumed. You eat with your eyes first so they play to both males and females in the same ad with different messages. This one is unusual as they are showing a women who is not white but she fits all the other ideals. So the word romance conjures up images of candles and roses, that is a societal generated ideal while romance can and is very much geared towards sex. Many ads play on the female eating something that looks very phallic and there are various other connotations that can be drawn from these food ads that are very sexual. 

Boing!!

What do birthday’s mean to you? Me? I think of balloons, cake, presents, and friends. What about if its your husbands birthday? Society tells women that an ideal present for your hubby would be to dress up in sexy lingerie and do something nice for your man…and I’m not just talking about breakfast in bed!.

This commercial starts off with the man in his bed, there’s sexy music in the background, candles lit and he’s lying on his back. His voice is also trembling like he is VERY excited for something…He calls out to his wife and asks her if “she’s ready yet”. She replies “I’m only doing this for your birthday!” – as though its her duty. The viewer would expect to see her walk out in a sexy outfit, because that’s what the ad implies.

TADA!! It’s an Arby’s commercial so she walks out (sexy & slowly) with the food. My favorite part of the commercial is when the Arby’s logo Pops up, BOING!! But wait; watch it again, what does that remind you of? And if you look closely its actually shaped as a penis! “Me likey” he closes with…ew?

This commercial is a perfect example of how it puts women in their place. It shows them that they are supposed to please their man, even if it’s something that they don’t necessarily want to do.

Thanks Arby’s now I know exactly what to do to please my man on his birthday! (Since of course, that’s what its all about!!)

- Molly

One of my greatest obsessions in life is old television commercials. I am convinced that I was born in the wrong decade, and as such I have quickly become immersed in the culture of old television commercials. One of my favorites is an old margarine commercial that puts 'Mother Nature' in an interesting place indeed.

Short sweet and simple. An amusing take on how mother nature feels about the idea of a man made food spread can imitate, or even be better then the butter that her hand creates. She obviously flies into a 'hysterical' rage at this and takes it out on the unsuspecting forest.

This typical view of 'mother nature' is nothing new, she has been portrayed as a Grecian goddess with a heart full of barely concealed rage when it comes to defiance. this motif of mother earth has shrouded women from its arrival. It is expected that this mother earth loses her logic just as any other rational woman would, given that situation. It labels women as hysterical and idyllic creatures waiting for the right moment before breakdown...

Butter, anyone?

Comment for Daddy needs some more lasaaaaagna!

You are only allowed so many characters in a comment so i had i had to post my comment to 'Daddy needs some more lasaaaaagna!' in a new post.

The husband is clearly telling his wife she's doing the right thing (serving a good dinner).  Her place is in the kitchen and she is to 'perform' well in there. The husband and child sit at the table and eat while the wife caters to their needs. The advertising company uses romance as a selling technique to remind women that they need to be beautiful and sexy in the home while doing her domestic work and chores. The women 'melts' to her husband who seems to be a typical breadwinner husband waiting for his wife to prepare and serve him is daily meal. This ad is one of many that has been 'inspired by the paternalism of the ideology of mass culture' (Hollows 71).  Women are hooked on that housewife ideal thanks to mainstream media and our male powered society.  The hollows text we have been reading says 'if 'housewives' can be weaned off their addictions to romances and soaps and read feminist books, they may overcome their 'false consciousness' and join with their feminist sisters in the struggle to overthrow patriarchy' (Hollows 71-72). This to me means that if women realize that the romance novels and other romantic fiction they are continuously reading and believing in is actually just a ridiculous ideal then they maybe women will be able to reject typical advertisements directed at making their 'place' one in the home. Advertising compere use romance in their ads to make women's role just like they hear about in the romantic novels. Women readers of the genera haven't been trained to see that romance isn't actually the most important thing in her life But, women are use to reading about happy male dominate families in their novels so when they see advertisements with the same ideals they believe what they are told. This particular commercial would reinforce the stereotypical role of a women as belonging in the home. She is shown as the cook of the dinner, and the one who picked out out the cheese (must have done the grocery shopping). She's in a clean house and the husband is waiting at the table with his child for dinner to be serve. This set up of the family has become 'normal' to society. Romance novels, chick flicks and soap operas have all reinforced this typical role women play. They have used the novels, films and shows as an escape of their daily domestic lives, so when advertising companies use the 'romancing technique' it is easy for women to fall for them. When women don't get to see women dominated activities their imaginations don't allow them to think of better for themselves. The advertising companies has only allowed women's abilities to be recognized in the home(as a cook, cleaner, act). This commercial also demonstrate women must also be sexy and 'melt' for their husbands. That 'melting' look she shows may be suggesting that the husband has the power to 'mold' his wife into the person HE wants her to be. Advertising companies use romance in their ads because half of the work of overpowering a women's mind was done by the chick flicks and romance novels. The companies know that women have been trained to think men are in power and their lives revolve around finding the perfect man and doing whatever necessary to make him happy (she will do all the work in the home). They use this to their advantage and take the 'romancing the roles of women' to another level and include them in food advertisements and household product advertisements. This commercials overall message seems to be if you want to get recognition from your husband (you should want that because romance novels have told you to be happy you need to please your husband) you need to buy our cheese. You will be a happy women if you please your husband with a delicious meal. The woman then becomes sexy for her husband and feels great once the husband says she's done a good job in the kitchen (her place). This advertisement is clearly a great example of how women are tricked to believe they belong in the home. 

-Goldilocks

M&S

    This advertisement could be interpreted very differently as it emphasizes the roles of sex binaries through mainly verbal accounts as there is no actual actors within the ad.
I went through a number of these M&S ads and this was the only one I found with a female narrator – all others are spoken about by some generic British guy surrounded by  very light and fluffy, also generic music. Undeniably, this particular ad, with the female speaker, plays a very sexual, ‘mood setting’ music. It is unmistakable to notice that such adjectively used words as extra virgin olive oil”, “tender rump steak and, “wild blueberry” are emphasized while describing particular foods being depicted. Comparatively, when the male is describing his food there is no stress on such innuendos. This type of reality could be explained by the dangerous fantasies Hollows discusses in chapter 4; and her suggestion that we are mindless, passive consumers. We are being fed this in all aspects of our lives as female (and I suppose feminine) beings. The suggestions of these foods are being objectified comparing that to all females (in the context of the female as a ‘feminine’ character) in general. Firstly, in order to listen (not truly, but on a second hand basis) we must sell ourselves to the male audience/gaze through overwhelming sexuality. Secondly, the images selected reflect and resemble the differences of femininity and masculinity – and example of this is strongly proven during the dessert portion of the ad; the descriptive and suggesting portrayal of the dressing of the dessert with melting chocolate syrup acts as a seductress (the women) for the audience (male) to gaze and fantasize over. Take the reality out of the food itself and allow imagination and fantasy to take over.  As discussed in the readings, romance is an ideology that is unchanging which leaves people not only accepting this but hindering their ability to distinguish reality from fantasy. Such mindless commercials like such are rarely questioned and although we may feel as though we are essentially unaffected by them, they continuously instill and confirm age old frame works of romance and gendering binaries allowing little room for personal interpretation and resistance. 
Additionally, I feel as though i was able to better critique this commercial given the fact that i had others with a male narrator to compare it to. Thus supporting my argument around binaries surrounding reoccurring romance roles.

-ace55kg

Daddy needs some more lasaaaaagna!

In this video, it shows a sterotyipcal family (mom, dad, child) ... Of course the mother made dinner and serves it to her husband and her child (who also happens to be male).. The husband starts to speak Italian and the women starts to melt and act like a little school girl, when she sort of takes the food away from the kid to give into her sexual urges to her new sexy "italiano" husband I almost died.. I love this commercial haha.

Sex Sells...To women too??

      When I was presented with the task of researching food and restaurant advertisements and how they “keep women in their place” in terms of sexuality I immediately thought of the Kim Kardashian blow up sex doll sold at Spencer’s. This isn’t just an ordinary sex doll it has pictures on the box of her eating burgers messily (while of coarse remaining “sexy”). I researched commercials for this interesting sex doll and I came across this commercial for Carl’s Jr. cranberry apple grilled chicken salad. As mentioned in a prior post for a different commercial its borderline soft core porn, it takes place on a bed, her cleavage is out, then she continues by saying “The best things in life are messy, but its fun to get clean” and heads for a bubble bath…this all to sell a salad!! At first glimpse I assumed this commercial was strictly intended for a male audience, then I questioned in today’s society it is stereotypically the girls reaching for the salad so why wouldn’t they have Kim eating a big juicy burger? Then I thought could this commercial be intended for both? The male strictly for viewing pleasure… But why women? Could it be because many women look up to Kim and see her as what men want (big chest, small waste, big butt)…Could women (subconsciously) think that if they were to eat this salad they could too look like this?
     Before taking this class I never thought twice about these vulgar advertisement. I just always went back to the famous line “sex sells”. Doing this research makes me question…how are many of these commercials even allowed to air??

-Molly

Week 1 Feedback

Hey Pop Culture group!

There is some really great analysis of how food is gendered, women sexually objectified and meat manly so far. You will need to make sure that you connect those ideas back to the assignment question about romance: how romantic tropes are used to sell things [review the Hollows chapter on Romantic Fiction carefully, she very carefully lays them out for you] and to keep women in a subordinate social position. E.g.: love is more important than eating what one wants in the subway ad; see my comment on the retro Pepsi ad; etc. Just make sure that the very good analysis your doing already gets directed to the assignment question.

The Doctor

A declaration of French Fried Independence

As I write this blog post, I sit in my kitchen chomping down on french fries fresh from the Golden Arches. My room mate had a bad day and asked if I would like to accompany him on his tryst to the golden arches, and I figured it would be a good idea for research if nothing else. After we got back, I began browsing youtube for commercials of the food we eat so much of. One that struck my interest is the Burger King ad "I am man"  a mockery of the 1973 single 'I am woman'.

In this 'manthem' the man in the beginning proclaims with a flourish that he is done eating 'chick food' and is going to go get himself a whopper. Men follow him in droves as they too realize their desire for meat. And in a flurry of punching one another, and throwing a minivan over an overpass, their hunger is finally quenched with a flame broiled whopper. An amusing take on fast food, except for the fact that I can eat burgers like they're going out of style. And unlike the man proclaiming his freedom, I have never eaten quiche, what proclaims the lettuce and fruity foods he is eating 'girly' exactly? It categorizes men and women in two very different categories, based on the types of foods both genders supposedly eat.

It ensues that the type of women able to eat a whopper would categorized as 'butch' thus undesirable, far too close to the men that we are attempting to feminize with salad. It is a preposterous idea, I have gone through vegetarian periods in my life, but at the same time, there sometimes is nothing better then sitting down with a well cooked steak and a glass of wine. The idea that fast food is gendered is silly until ads like this one come out, and it becomes more apparent the 'gendered' nature of food. And yet, as I sit here, chomping down on my big mac, and slurping it down so ladylike with a coke, I feel oddly masculine. Will it stop me from ordering a whopper next time at Burger King? Probably not, but it makes you wonder how their messages have hit home.

As a sidenote, the song this commercial is based on, was known as the song to symbolize the year of the woman.

Because according to BK the mans struggle for meat is so similar to the womens movement, that men forced to eat salads need to stand up in the hordes, and fight for their right to hydrogenated oils and processed meat?  Most definitely.

Sushi Warrior

Keeping Women in their place

Women have have been used for year to advertise food, which gives connotations to woman at home cooking taking care of everyone else. For men this ideal gave them a sense of who they should end up marrying and spending their lives with, no one didn't want a girl who couldn't cook. Great example with this vintage cereal ad above, notice the man eyeing the buxom babe.

Things changed but maybe not for the better, the 60's saw the women coming out of the kitchens into the living rooms enticing the men with beverages.

These days anything goes suggestive, raunchy, sexy to the down right offensive. The following pics were just some of the few I found.

What is curious is many of these ads are fast food, burgers and such. So why is this? I think the percentage of men who frequent fast food joints is much higher than women and they need something to feel good about since they are ingesting so much grease!  This gives them the validation that they need. The ideas from when boys are younger and have the fixation with their mothers who generally feed and nurture them continue on into adulthood. So thanks for getting us out of the kitchen but for heaven's sake give us some clothes!!!

Just for fun....

Bakerella

Jessica Simpson - Pizza Hut Commercial

I found this video on youtube, and laughed so hard. I'm sure it came out after Dukes of Hazzard, the commercial is very funny.  Jessica comes out singing and dancing seductively and feeds some pizza to who I am SURE is an underage boy.  Obviously the commercial is geared to a younger male demographic (probably the highest rate of pizza eaters haha), just like the burger commercial with Paris Hilton, Pizza hut is using an attractive female celebrity to seductively sell their food, however, I think this time they may have gotten a little risky with the under-ager featured here, who clearly is so excited by Jessica feeding him he passes out (I wonder what his parents thought of this while sitting by him in the restaurant haha).  Again, this commercial is definitely for the male gaze.

B-Bloggin

Being fat = Low self-esteem, loss of boyfriend (for women, of course)

When trying to find commercials or ads related to romance and women, I came across an old Subway ad where they try to promote how much healthier their food is, compared to other fast-food restaurants. This on it's own is fine; however, in showing the negative side of greasy fast-food, they also push this negativity to being overweight. When asked what the fast-food meal comes with, the worker at this particular restaurant says that eating this fast-food will result in "...regret, remorse, a bigger waist, loss of self-esteem, loss of boyfriend..." (emphasis mine). In saying these things, Subway is implying that, if you eat fast-food (especially if you're a woman) you should feel guilty. You should feel horrible about yourself for giving in and eating something that might make you fat, because God forbid you offend others with your fatness. Oh, especially your boyfriend! Because eating fast-food, and becoming fat, will make him leave you. However, it's only men working at this restaurant, and therefore they are the ones passing judgement on your lunch choice. Better go eat at Subway, so you can continue to be admired under the male gaze, and so you're not left by your shallow boyfriend.

(Disclaimer: I'm in no way speaking against eating healthy - I do agree that eating healthy is clearly better for yourself and for your body. However, I also believe in health at every size, and do not feel that fat = unhealthy and skinny = healthy, and I do not think that anyone should be made to feel guilty for what they eat.)

Mr. F

Sexy Food?

When presented the topic of food advertising, I remembered  2 commercials right away.  The first, Paris Hilton's Carl's JR commercial is an uber-sexy example.  In the commercial Paris is washing a car, very sexually, and at the end she takes a bite out of a big juicy Carl's Jr burger.  After I watched the video, I felt like I had just watched the beginning of a soft-core porn scene, and the burger was the man that Paris was seducing - and then having her way with.  Then, after thinking more, I looked at is as woman being compared to a piece of meat (the video shows Paris acting "hot" and then at the end it shows the burger and says "now that's hot").  Paris Hilton is well known as a famous heiress that got famous by starring in a sex-tape with a previous boyfriend.  I feel like Carl's Jr used this, and in turn, tried to make their burger famous (haha).  I am sure after men watched the commercial they were very aroused (and suddenly very hungry).  One part I found very interesting was when Paris takes the hose and holds it by her groin area and turns it on, almost as if mimicking that of a male erection ejaculating, in this case it puts Paris in a position of "power," it takes her out of the role of the submissive/passive object. Then I wondered, is it the burger they are saying "now that's hot" to, or is it Paris EATING the burger that is hot - if that is the case then the commercial could also be targeted toward women (many of whom try to stay away from eating these types of food).  By showing a very sexualized, very popular celebrity eating their product it may make it "okay" for other women to do the same.  I would make the argument that Carl's Jr is objectifying women to sell their product, but it is kind of hard to make that argument when Paris clearly made the choice to act this way in the commercial.
All-in-all Carl's Jr took the saying "sex-sells" VERY seriously in this case, but don't you agree that Paris does make eating a burger look unusually "hot" ?

B-Bloggin'