Part A: Advertisement Summary

This advertisement was created in the late 60’s and early 70’s. It was created by the company
“Van Heusen” promoting ties. It is captioned “show her it’s a man's world” and below it explains
that ties are only for men, how they sell different designs and how men should be telling their
wives that it’s a man's world. On the ad you can see a woman on her knees serving a man
breakfast while he’s in bed wearing a tie and you can see the various ties they are promoting.
The main theme of this advertisement is the inequality of genders and sexism.

Part B: Trends in The Media

Three cues that apply to my advertisement are clowning/exaggeration, coy behaviour, and
superiority. Clowning and exaggeration apply to my ad because the media is portraying her as
passive while he is shown to be strong. It is unrealistic for a woman to be on her knees serving
her husband breakfast. She is being clowned because in the ad it is captioned “show her it’s a
man's world and make her so happy that it is” they are trying to indicate that a woman will be no
more than a housewife and that she should be grateful for that. Another cue is superiority.
Superiority is shown in the ad considering she puts him on a pedestal by kneeling and serving
him. You can see from his actions and facial expression, he is pleased to be treated like a king
while he looks down on her. To the media, she looks more like his property than his wife.
Women are human beings, they should be treated with the same respect that is given to a man,
but that’s not the case. The last cue that is shown is coy behaviour. Coy behaviour is shown by
the wife, how she is turned away from our point of view and is blushing. It reinforces that women
should have the impression on people of showing that they are shy and modest. Gender roles
play a huge role in ads because women are expected to act and be a certain way due to their
assigned sex. It is expected to be that way because of how society influences all of our actions
and decisions.

Part C: Anthropology, Psychology, or Sociology Theory Connection

State and explain the theory

The theory of “Gender as Feminine and Masculine Personality” is the concept I chose in the
topic of Gender Issues. Nancy Chodorow believed that the social learning theory explaining
gender differences was too simple. Her theory was that gendered personalities that develop at
an early age because women are the primary caretakers of the youth. This causes the male and
female infant psychic development to be different. For example, a mother and daughter
relationship is different from a mother and son relationship because they are more likely to
identify with each other than the opposite gender. Unconsciously, a mother influences her son to
psychologically individuate themselves by developing rigid ego boundaries that can lead to toxic
masculinity. What does rigid ego boundaries mean? Being a closed off person, no one can get
to them physically and mentally. This is why boys are expected to not express their feelings and
not open up because of having a prominent woman figure raising them. Chodorow’s perspective
comes from Freudian’s psychoanalytic theory but it also differs. Feminine and masculine
personalities play a significant role in women's oppression because they make females overly
attentive to the needs of others, and men being emotionally deficient. Nancy Chodorow’s
solution was for both parents to be equally involved in their child’s life to avoid developing an
individuated sense of selves without being overly detached. This would eradicate common
gender stereotypical behaviour (Feminist Perspectives on Sex and Gender, 2.2)

Connect the theory to issues with gender representation in today’s media

The media plays a huge role in our lives, unknowingly it influences how we live, act, and make
decisions. At a young age we are taught barbies are for girls and trucks are for boys, pink is for
girls and blue is for boys. We hear sayings often in the media such as “boys will be boys” or
“you throw like a girl”, since when did being a girl become an insult? Men are portrayed to not
show weakness or emotion, that aggression equals dominance, and that women should be
viewed as objects or property. All of those characteristics equal toxic masculinity (Erika
Cisneros, 7) TV programs often depict men as confident, powerful and high status in popular
movies like Robocop and Lethal Weapon. The leading men in these movies embody the
stereotype of extreme masculinity and being sexually aggressive (The Influence of Media on
Views of Gender, 2). The media is what creates these stereotypes, it’s advertisements that
influence us on what women can’t do that a man can do, it’s tv shows and movies teaching men
how to act, creating toxic masculinity. Gender performance is determined by society. At a young
age, such as preschool, they begin to learn how to “perform” a gender. As they approach their
teen years they begin to understand heterosexuality and dominance over women’s bodies to
claim their masculinity, then it is repeated for others to take notice and to become more
confident within themselves (Erika Cisneros, 11). A video i would recommend to watch is
“Always #LikeAGirl” commercial. This video shows how women are viewed from the perspective
of both genders. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs

Part D: Reflection - Positive Change

We all strive to be better people and to make a difference in the world. Gender stereotypes are
harmful because it puts limitations on people just because of their gender, it’s discrimination and
a violation of human rights. Here are a few ways we can make a positive impact on male and
female trends in the media. Normalize men for showing emotion. Showing emotion is not a sign
of weakness, men are supposed to be “aggressive” and “dominant”. Normalizing different body
types is another one. Women are often expected to have an hourglass body because in the
eyes of the media, that is what is ideally “perfect”. All bodies come in different shapes and sizes,
we shouldn’t feel insecure in our own skin. Focusing on getting a “bikini body” and not being
happy in your own skin, can take a toll on your mental health. At home, another way to make a
positive impact is sharing the workload. This is important because it goes against the social
norms of how women are housewives and how the husband goes to work to financially support
his family. By doing this, it ensures both parents are equally sharing responsibilities. Which their
children will learn about the value of gender equality and essential life skills. Lastly is promoting
the cause on social media. One post, one share is important. Some people believe that they
don’t make a difference whether they choose to share a post or not. Educating yourself on
Gender Issues is just as important because you can also educate others.