Everyday we see and hear advertisement for many different products, and most often these ads are geared towards a certain gender. Since we see these ads so often we may not even notice how obvious these gender roles are. Take for example, Miller Lite, a beer company who advertises mainly to men. If you’ve seen the recent Miller Lite commercials, they often involve a couple where the man obviously loves his beer, but his love for the girl is questioned. It seems as though Miller Lite does not consider the fact that women drink beer too and therefore should not be advertised to only men. Along with the commercials, other Miller Lite ads again, are selling the product to men as they mostly feature skinny, nearly naked girls, or themes relating to sports.
Women are seen in many of the Miller Lite ads. These are not just average women either; these women are often skinny, in bikinis, and are sending a sexual message through their body language. In some of the images it isn’t even clear what the product is, as the logo for Miller Lite is smaller in the corner and the main aspect is the woman. Our society has become one such that “sexuality provides a resource that can be used to get attention and communicate instantly” (Jhally 253). Not only do the sexy women attract men but also they are often seen in pairs in a sexual position. This then gives the man the impression, if he buys this beer, maybe he could be with a women like this. It could also give him the idea that these types of women only like men that drink Miller Lite. It is not always the sexual women that are in the ads, but sexual references as well. Many men will find these sexual references amusing and then feel the desire to drink this beer. Women will not necessarily pay attention to these ads, nor will they feel the need to buy this product, which again proves how this product is selling to men.
Along with women, the majority of men love sports. Thus, what better way to sell a product to men than through the use of sports? As stated by Jackson Katz, “Men’s magazines and mainstream newsweeklies are rife with ads featuring violent male icons, such as uniformed football players…” (356). Though Miller Lite ads do not necessarily use the violent male icons they do use sports in different ways. In one ad, it is a competition between Miller Lite and Bud Light, with Miller Lite winning. This competitiveness is a trait we often see in men, who love to see “their” team win, in this instance showing Miller Lite is the better team. Miller Lite also often has their ads including the sports team of the area on bill boards, so for instance around this are you can often see signs for the Philadelphia Eagles along with Miller Lite. Again, this is a correlation between the man’s favorite team and thus implying Miller Lite should also be his favorite beer. Obviously Miller Lite believes they should be marketing to males, but would their company change if they marketed to females as well?
Works Cited
"Alcohol Ads Aplenty in Teen-Read Magazines." Marin Institute. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.marininstitute.org/Youth/ads_teen_magazines.htm>.
"Billboard - Miller Lite Win Tickets on Flickr - Photo Sharing!" Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/runway27r/3952352455/>.
"Body Parts I." LTCC Online. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.ltcconline.net/lukas/gender/pages/partsa.htm>.
"Demotivational Posters - The Miller Light Girls - Two Reasons To Drink Miller Lite Beer Kitana Baker, Tanya Ballinger, Beer, Babe, Sexy, Boobs 47514." Demotivational
Posters : Newest Photos Photos 1-20 of 55490 Photos. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.motivatedphotos.com/?id=47514>.
Dines, Gail, and Jean McMahon. Humez. "Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity: From Eminem to Clinique for Men." Gender, Race, and Class in Media: a Text-reader. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage, 2003. Print.
Dines, Gail, and Jean McMahon. Humez. "Image-Based Culture: Advertising & Popular Culture." Gender, Race, and Class in Media: a Text-reader. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage, 2003. Print.
"The Linguistics of Taste." Web. 19 May 2010. <http://flowtv.org/?p=215>.
"Miller Lite." Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. Web. 20 May 2010. <http://www.camy.org/gallery/display.php?GalleryID=1561>.
Miller Lite Home of the Original Lite Beer. Web. 20 May 2010. <http://millerlite.com/commercials.html>.
"MONDO BIRRA - Gli Sfondi Con Tema Birrario - Beer Wallpaper - Sfondi Birra." MONDO BIRRA PUNTO ORG- Un Sito Pieno Di Risorse Dedicato Al Mondo Della Birra. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.mondobirra.org/sfondom.htm>.
Hey Alyssa,
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you kept referencing the ads in your paragraphs. As a reader it makes it a lot clearer the points you are trying to make when I have these other images that I can fall back on, and is something I wish I did more of in mine. Also, I really liked the ads you chose. I know for what you were trying to prove, there were probably plenty ads to pick from, but the ones you did select really highlight the point you are trying to get across in your body, and I feel I can just look at your collage and get a good idea of what the rest of the paper will be about.
In terms of things to improve, as much as I liked your collage I would have liked to have seen more of the sports examples you were talking about in your third paragraph. Also, this is not really something I thought could be improved but just a point that came up when reading; I know in class the discussion came about regarding examples of masculine ads that are underlyingly (totally made up that word) violent. So couldn't some of the ads featuring sports players be looked at as so, since they serve as this powerful, dominating figure in the ad?
Alyssa-
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with alex's praise for your post. It turned out quite well overalll!
One area with room for improvement is your thesis' clarity/specificity. Try to articulate that the ads utilize and reinforce masculine ideals to sell beer (as opposed to merely marketing the product as "for men").
:0)
Jessie