Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Gender in the Media

 

            
             After several weeks of searching for the perfect advertisement for my Gender in the Media paper, I finally came across one that served my purposes perfectly. Not surprisingly, this advertisement, depicting a woman and a man in very traditional roles, was found in a wedding magazine. More specifically, Martha Stewart Weddings. Such magazines are popular with a very specific crowd: those hoping, dreaming, wishing, and planning for their perfect wedding. Who typically does this hoping, dreaming, wishing and planning? It is, of course, the bride, typically a woman in her twenties or early thirties. These magazines prey on the dreamers, and dictate what a beautiful wedding, and therefore, a fairytale marriage, truly is made of. .
             Most advertisements in this publication feature fabulous wedding dresses, the ultimate honeymoon locations, and stunning engagement bands. This advertisement caught my eye for an interesting reason; unlike most of the other advertisements, this one actually featured a man and a woman. A novel idea considering this far into the magazine I was beginning to question whether a man would even be involved in the wedding.
             It was harder than I had expected to find an advertisement that displayed what I considered an image worth evaluating. This advertisement is for the Gift Registry at JC Penny, and it does what few other advertisement companies (still) do; it depicts a man and a woman as extreme opposites in traditional roles. This paper will examine how these roles are developed; the models' physical appearance as well as the use of environment and surroundings, gives the reader an idea of what the typical male and female roles in a marriage are.
             In the foreground, it shows a typical engaged couple: a man and a woman (the woman, of course, has a large engagement ring on her finger). They are Caucasian and appear to be upper middle-class. This stays in keeping with most of the other advertisements, since the magazine's target audience is mostly in those same categories (though not necessarily Caucasian).


Essays Related to Gender in the Media