How does the consumer system create a stereotypical idea of gender?

This essay will explore how the consumer system perceives gender and how it uses tools to distinguish stereotypical attributes for men and women. It will specifically focus on television adverts to do this.

‘Consumerism is one of the clearest ways in which we develop and project a lifestyle. Again, this is a feature of the post-traditional era: since social roles are no longer handed to us by society, we have to make choices – although the options are not ofcourse unlimited. ‘Lifestyle choices’ may sound like a luxury of the more affluent classes, but Giddens asserts that everyone in modern society has to select a lifestyle, although different groups will have different possibilities and wealth would certainly seem to increase the range of options.’ (Gaunlett, 2008, p. 111) As a consumer you do not only buy a product you buy the implied image that goes with it. Images are everywhere all around us our subconscious mind devours them and they define the way which we live and aspire to live. The process of gender role socialization starts in the early years in the family home and continues through the education system and into the world of work, reinforced by media representations. ’ (Kidd, 2002, p. 177)

Consumers make choices and pass them onto their children from the minute they are born they are taught gender roles, parents unconsciously make stereotypical decisions as they paint the child’s room either blue or pink, purchasing a doll for a girl and a toy car for a boy. Television the electronic babysitter has endless advertising which contains stereotypical gender messages boys are seen to be building, and playing video games, they are shown as strong, aggressive and adventurous. Girls are seen as gentle and affectionate.

A stereotype is a generalization or identity we associate with a certain person. We create these stereotypes based on something we have seen whether it be in images or the media. These stereotypes are formed by the way the person acts dresses or even the career they have chosen. Stereotyping is based on prior assumptions and is often created about people of specific cultures or races. John Berger states ‘Images were first made to conjure up the appearances of something that was absent. Gradually it became evident that an image could outlast what is represented; It then showed how something or somebody had once looked – and thus by implication how the subject has once been seen by other people.’ (Berger, 2008, p. 10) This is correct that in a sense once we have learnt someone’s occupation or religion we make assumptions on their character, postcode and their wealth, i.e. people assume politicians have two homes and exploit the system and claim expenses they are not entitled to. This stereotype has been perceived through the media because other politicians have committed the same thus ‘ tying them all with the same brush’.

‘Gay and lesbian characters have started to gain a certain amount of acceptance within the TV mainstream, but remain relatively uncommon in movies.’ (Gaunlett, 2008, p. 98) A cruel stereotype that is portrayed by the media specifically in films or television programs is the wrong generalization of homosexual people. Bullies or ignorant people feel the need to voice their opinions and generalizations. ‘A still growing development within the social sciences is queer theory, which provides a valuable critique of the heterosexual assumptions of much theorizing about gender. Those who adopt this approach analyses the social practices whereby heterosexuality dominates in our wide range of institutions, as well as charting gay, lesbian and transgender lives and experiences.’ (Beynon, 2002, p. 55) An example of these stereotypes that are identified in programs or films is the belief that a feminine man who would take care of him self and take pride in his appearance would be classed as ‘gay’. In the media ‘gays’ can be stereotyped as deviants, as evil or devious, who have a lot of guilt about their sexuality.

Women wrongly will be assumed if they are larger, muscular perhaps, more athletic or choose to have shorter hair they will be called a ‘lesbian’ these stereotypes are seen in the media. ‘Gay’ men who have been portrayed as well groomed and feminine will also be stereotyped this is the same for women. Some people think being homosexual isn’t normal and frown on it as its thought to be not the norm this stereotype has been handed to us because we are informed from the media and from our culture that the ideal family is a man and women with their perfect children and house.

A number of authors have considered that the consumer system and society offer us examples of what the perfect relationship is like, Woodward 2008 Gauntlett 2008, and Berger 2008 For example Woodward states ‘Although as individuals we have to take up identities actively those identities are necessarily the product of the society in which we live and our relationship with others Identity provides a link between individuals and the world in which they live.’ (Woodward, 2000, p. 7) A strong stereotype, which we see in the media, is the perfect/ideal family. We see them all the time whether it is on an advertisement for a family console or a supermarket advertisement. This is further supported by what Gaunlett states in his book. ‘Many other forms of popular media offer images of what good relationships look like, what constitutes attractiveness, and what makes life worth living. Characters in films usually have clear goals, which we are expected to identify with. Magazines offer specific advice on how to impress and succeed.’ (Gaunlett, 2008, p. 117) These ads have been clearly crafted with selecting the perfect candidates’ for this amazing family being mother and father usually two children plus one of each sex roughly the same age and an adorable family dog. The family we see will always be hysterically laughing and joking around having the best time ever. The advertisements, which heavily focus on family time, are overly used at Christmas. You have the setting were the mum will be wearing an apron in the kitchen preparing the vegetables and being completely organized the father will be carving the turkey being manly because that’s what the men do. The family settings created on these ads will more than likely feature the large extended family all sat around the dinner table with party hats and full of joy. The stereotype that is the perfect family is the family we all aspire to be. We want that joy and happiness at Christmas people want the perfect family at Christmas time more than any other time of the year. This is aided by ‘The publicity image, which is ephemera, uses only the future tense. With this you will become desirable. In these surroundings all your relationships will become happy and radiant.’ (Berger, 2008, p. 14) This is what Berger states being in this environment you will be happy.

David Gauntlett states a person can feel a sense of failure if they cannot achieve the body of their dreams ‘Media images are likely to have some impact on how people view there own bodies it would obviously be better if unhealthy skinny models were not promoted as icons of beauty by fashion magazines. However, the industry asserts that, regardless of what readers say, images of thin models are ‘popular’ and will sell magazines’. (Gaunlett, 2008, p. 202) This is a prime example of how the media uses stereotypical women to advertise these expensive but necessity products. The most beautiful and skinny women will always be used to advertise women’s products as the consumer system heavily focus’s on the advertising to sell things, they need the right models to be an example of these amazing beauty creations. The manufactures of products whose primary aim to get as many sales possible won’t use someone larger or someone who is not as attractive to promote their product because the consumers want to look at attractive people/cars and this applies to everything we buy.

Women are stereotyped as active and independent. They believe in taking pride in one’s appearance, which is very important for success. Just like how advertising uses the most attractive women to promote their products, at makeup and skin care counters, in every department store, female assistants with flawless skin look immaculate, and smell great, this is where stereotypes are the most obvious, its very unlikely you would find a male member of staff, helping you choose a product. ‘ Every women knows that, regardless of her other achievements, she is a failure if she is not beautiful the UK beauty industry takes 8.9 billion a year out of women’s pockets.’ (Gaunlett, 2008, p. 85)

Another example of stereotyping women is how women are perceived as needy and desperate. Gauntlett states ‘A common assumption about women’s magazines is that they are all about ‘how to get a man’. The magazines are accused of suggesting that a man is the route to happiness the implication is there for that the magazines are reproducing a smartened up version of the old fashioned idea that if women manage to be sufficiently lovely and fragrant then they will be fortunate enough to have a man come along and sweep them off there feet. Making their life ‘complete’’ (Gaunlett, 2008, p. 199) Warren Kid further suggests 'Women are taught how to behave; that what we understand by 'femininity' is the product of culturally learnt behavior rather than the result of biological pre-programming.' (Kidd, 2002, p. 19) Women are left feeling inadequate and disappointed that they do not have a partner that they are a failure and they do not live up to society’s expectations of having the perfect relationship.

Strong stereotypes are also given to men. John Berger States ‘Publicity increasingly uses sexuality to sell any product or service, but this sexuality is never free in itself; It is a symbol for something presumed to be larger than it: The good life in which you can buy whatever you want to be able to the buy is the same thing as being sexually desirable.’ (Berger, 2008, p. 144) Men aren’t always used in the same way women are in advertising the gaze changes.

‘Where the female model typically averts her eyes, expressing modesty, patience and a lack of interest in anything else, the male model looks either off or up. In the case of the former, his look suggests an interest in something else that the viewer cannot see - it certainly doesn’t suggest any interest in the viewer. Indeed, it barely acknowledges the viewer, whereas the woman’s averted eyes do just that - they are averted from the viewer. In the cases where the model is looking up, this always suggests a spirituality..: he might be there for his face and body to be gazed at, but his mind is on higher things, and it is this upward striving that is most supposed to please’ (Chandler, 1982) The males that are featured in these ads are muscular and manly. Quite often men in suits are also presented this gives the stereotype of the hardworking man who is successful. The consumer system portrays the males to be inferior, the alpha male this is done cleverly through also using women In the same ad been dominated by the male. In comparison to advertisements for women’s products some men’s adverts use only women to sell their products such as adverts like lynx giving the stereotype of men wanting women and sex if they buy into this antiperspirant they will become the dominant male.

Another example would be how men are stereotyped to be robust and sturdy, and how women are weak in comparison. Such as careers for example, it’s very rare to get a women who enter the army as a bomb disposal expert, as its more of a dangerous job people assume that men are the most fitting for the role. One of the most obvious examples would be a referee as they are usually men. This has been fed to us through the media and the consumer system that football is a man's sport and is to be enjoyed whilst drinking beer in the pub. Where there are no women to be seen. ‘Gender roles and stereotypes held in society at any one point in time are rooted not primarily in the cultural tradition, but more importantly in the society’s contemporaneous division of labour between the sexes. Women are viewed as suited for the specific social roles that women typically occupy and men are viewed as suited for the specific social roles that men typically occupy.’ (Eagly, 1987, p. 24)

Athletics is a convincing example of how males are perceived to be the stronger sex. In figure 1 ‘The American Football – The tougher football’ is advertising an American football team. The advertisement cleverly uses a rugby ball placed in the sportsman arm in replacement for his muscle thus giving the impression his muscle is huge. Beynon states ‘ In epics, adventure and sports films the male body in connotative of power and strength, celebrated as manly spectacle in opposition to womanly gentleness and beauty. At its extreme it can be sexualized and eroticized, either openly’ ‘The male body is eroticized for the admiring eyes of women and the approval of men and is rarely eve now displayed in homoerotic terms.’ (Beynon, 2002, p. 65) This stereotype created by the advertisement is that men who play football (rugby) are huge and muscular that they are very strong and very tough. The media plays on existing identity not only do we see this stereotype in advertisements but this stereotype of large muscly males are on the television playing sports. ‘Media and communication’s are a central element of modern life whilst gender and sexuality remain at the core of how we think about our identity’s. With the media containing so many images of women and men, and messages about men, women and sexuality today, it is highly unlikely that these ideas would have no impact in our own sense of identity.’ (Gaunlett, 2008, p. 1) Everyone wants to have that perfect body and physique. This proves that stereotypes do influence the consumer’s life.

In figure 2 this specific BMW advert the stereotype changes slightly instead of men perceived as physically powerful alpha males. They are perceived as the boyfriend/husband every women dread. A man who is only bothered about cars and material ‘man’ things. Gaunlett states ‘Men are therefore addressed as consumers – traditionally the role of women although here it seems that ultimately it is a sense of masculine pride which is to be bought.’ (Gaunlett, 2008, p. 172) This advert in itself does not need to play upon existing stereotypes we already believe in because the ad is bluntly portraying it to you its done so by using a man and women in bed together and a magazine featuring a BMW car over the women’s face. This advert uses extreme methods to get the point across that even in bed with this beautiful woman the man is still more interested in looking at the car. The slogan added to this ad is ‘The ultimate attraction’ therefore meaning there is no higher attraction than this car and he is uninterested in the women. Lee states ‘There are different versions of this manipulationist position with the variations concerning the degree to which the consumer is a willing if naïve participant in the process and the specificity of the intentions implanted in him. At one extreme there is the claim that consumers have their buying habits directly controlled through subliminal techniques’ (Lee, 2000, p. 57) This advertisement is a perfect example of subliminal messages being sent to the male consumer. Men will be influenced by this advertisement and buy into the brand because driving a BMW or a nice car makes you feel of masculinity and superior.

In figure 3 this particular advertisement, which is also for a car, presents us with a common stereotype about women, this style of advertisement uses the stereotype that women are poor drivers and need a car that is especially designed for the ‘inferior sex’. The image of the women in the advertisement from her expression biting her lip, gives the impression that women need a car that is simple to drive because they lack intelligence. ‘‘The image of woman that emerges from this big, pretty magazine is young and frivolous, almost child like, fluffy and feminine, passive, gaily content in a world of bedroom and kitchen, sex , babies and home. The magazine surely does not leave out sex, the only goal a women is permitted is the pursuit of a man.’ (Gaunlett, 2008, p. 54)

‘Representations of gender today are more complex and less stereotyped than in the past. Women and men are generally equals in the worlds of todays TV and movies although male characters are still often to the fore. Women are seen as self-reliant heroes quite often today, whilst the depiction of masculinity has become less straightforward, and more troubled. Advertising, and the broader world of stars and celebrities, promotes images of well-toned and conventionally attractive women and men, which may mean that everyone is under pressure to look good. Although women are additionally coerced about makeup, and subjected to even greater paranoia about looking thin.’ (Gaunlett, 2008, p. 97) It is true that if you look back over the past fifty years of advertising and the media, society’s prejudices and stereotypes have changed in the media, now if something is written or said, that the consumers don’t agree with, they demand it be removed (i.e. from a social network site) and expect an apology. Although beliefs and attitudes have changed somewhat with regards to women in the workplace, they are still not paid equally, society has a long way to go before men and women are portrayed equally with respect, by the media. We will continue to see sexist advertising as we live in a society that has bought us the designer label, and once we have acquired the label we aspire to have more in order to secure our place in society, therefore the media will continue to use what it can to sell its product. ‘The various media of modern society such as film television and newspapers – each function like a hypodermic needle to inject a given message to their audience what is introduced into the ‘bloodstream’ of consumers is the ‘want’ for a particular product or service ’ (Lee, 2000, p. 57) Our ‘roles’ have been passed down from our families and then cemented by the media for decades, we will continue to dress our new baby’s in either pink or blue, now with the trend to find out what sex baby your having, the mother to be is already planning her blue or pink baby shower, so the scene is set before we are even born, and the guests at the baby shower try to buy the best designer outfit by Ralph Lauren, as Designers know that there is such wealth to be made in baby and children’s clothes as it speaks volumes to everyone who sees the baby and notices what its wearing, regardless of the fact that it will be outgrown within weeks, it will be ever such a slow process to change.

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