"Media stereotypes are inevitable, especially in the advertising, entertainment and news industries, which need as wide an audience as possible to quickly understand information. Stereotypes act like codes that give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group of people—usually relating to their class, ethnicity or race, gender, sexual orientation, social role or occupation."
Source:http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/
I found that stereotypes in the media are very powerful, especially gender stereotypes. In an Electrolux commercial with Kelly Ripa, we see her cooking and cleaning after a long day at work. She is cooking for her daughter and friends while washing dishes and washing laundry. I feel like this is stereotyping women because she is doing everything around the house. Kelly is the one who is entertaining the guests while the man isn't even in the picture.
ReplyDeleteHere is another sexist advertisement
link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVgHrV9H-8k
-Vicki 2013
Generalizations are used in advertisements to reach the largest possible number of people. So, naturally, they will target "the norm", or the stereotype, rather than the exception.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I saw an advertisement on MTV the other day that was trying to convince young adults to get a higher education. The commercial was basically an African American man standing in a dark urban street, wearing the classic side-turned hat. He was practically yelling out of the TV, "You're sitting on the couch and wasting your life away!"
This makes a huge generalization that people who watch MTV are lazy teenagers. Not all MTV viewers will fit this stereotype. But it's undeniable that many will. The ad tries to reach the majority, and in doing so makes a big generalization.