Tide: Cargo Shorts are the New Pink

Recently, I’ve noticed a commercial airing for Tide laundry detergent. In it, a stereotypical suburban mother comments on her young daughter’s fashion choices – she likes to wear hoodies and cargo shorts instead of pink – and when the mother uses Tide to successfully remove crayon stains from her daughter’s clothes, she laments that “it’s really too bad.” When I first saw this commercial, I was really bothered by it. If the mother’s disapproval is any indication, the message the commercial appears to be sending is that all girls should like pink and play with dolls. And even more disturbing is the implication that girls who don’t wear pink and play with building blocks might become lesbians (and that if the child was to grow up to be gay, the mother would be disappointed about this).

And yet, the more I thought about, I began to actually like the commercial. I appreciated that the commercial doesn’t reproduce the stereotypes of young girls (and really, women in general) that perpetuate the media. Instead of the typical image of a little girl dressed up in a fairy princess costume, we see a different identity for young girls, one that would normally remain invisible. The mother is at the very least kind towards her daughter and compliments her talent, even if she wishes she was more feminine. The commercial also shows that gender roles are social constructions that are learned, not part of our inherent biology. If anything, the commercial sides with the daughter, because it is the mother who looks foolish for wanting her to fit into societal norms (and for not wanting the stains to wash out of her daughter's less-than-girly clothes). If only toy companies would follow suit and open up their marketing to young girls beyond Bratz dolls.

Of course, the effectiveness of the commercial is extremely limited. As several bloggers pointed out, if the commercial is supposed to be satirizing suburban values, then it doesn’t do a good job of getting it’s message across. And the daughter doesn’t speak up for herself, so we are essentially only getting the mother’s point-of-view. So while the message of the advertisement is ultimately undermined, and the execution is poor, I can at least respect it for attempting to produce something new.

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.