Men Eat From Mars, Women Eat From Venus

It’s always bothered me the way food is gendered on television commercials. Advertisers make it seem as though only men eat hot dogs and burgers, while only women crave all things chocolate. But the queen of gendered foods is without a doubt yogurt. This past summer, I noticed a commercial advertising Raspberry Cheesecake Yoplait Lite airing all over the place. In it, a woman opens up a refrigerator in her workplace and finds a cheesecake. She debates over whether she should take a piece: “I could have one large slice and jog in place as I eat it.” Her female coworker comes by and takes the cheesecake-flavored yogurt, saying she’s been craving it all day, which prompts the other woman to follow her choice. Immediately after watching the commercial, my first thought was: “I would have eaten the cheesecake.” (You can see the ad for yourself here):

In the world of commercials, women are always on a diet and battling over what they should and should not eat.  What’s most unfortunate about food commercials like these is that they showcase how much women are still judged primarily by looks, because food commercials that target men rarely address their appearance, or are sold as products to help them look better. Implicated in these commercials is that there is only one way for women to be beautiful (being as skinny as possible), and the way women are portrayed in these commercials makes it seem as though all women are vain. And because of commercials like these, women are criticized for what they eat more than men in the real world. When I go to a restaurant and order chicken instead of a salad, or I’m the only female in my college’s cafeteria eating a pizza, I feel as though I’m somehow being judged (even though most of my female friends would do the same thing).

The fact that primarily women are targeted by advertisers for low-calorie foods also makes them more susceptible to eating disorders. The National Eating Disorders Association believed that the Yoplait commercial contained language that was “problematic for those who have eating disorders or those who have a predisposition towards developing one.” Even more troublesome is that the woman who considers eating the cheesecake is already pretty skinny. In response, Yoplait pulled the ad from further airings. And while I’m glad that they did, there are still so many ads for food that portray women in stereotypical and harmful ways. Instead of gendering food, advertisers would probably make more sales if they stopped dividing their potential consumer base in half. Or maybe that’s just me.