An advertisement I have recently seen that says something significant about the ways genders are perceived is the Dove Life Cycle Song commercial. The advertisement describes the life cycle of a man and what is expected of him. The beginning starts with the lyrics “be good at sports, always look cool”. This shows that men are naturally expected to participate in physical activities in order to fit in. While saying this, the ad shows a boy playing football coinciding with playing sports, and a boy lifting weights to show “looking cool”. The ad is therefore saying that boys need to portray their physical strength in order to maintain a good reputation and to be liked. The next lyric is “be strong, know how to fight”, and then shows a boy boxing and knocking someone out. This shows that dominant and aggressive men are looked more highly upon than men that have certain feminine traits. “Trim the leaves and mow the yard” is then said, which is a duty of his after marrying and having children. Outdoor work is often thought of as a male responsibility because females are not expected to have the same physical abilities as men. The next lyric is “honey can you open this jar?” in which the wife says that to the husband. This shows that women are portrayed as dependent and rely on men to help them with tasks they are not able to do themselves because they lack the strength. Another lyric used was “if you hear a noise in the middle of the night, go check it out with a flashlight.” This implies that women need protection and men are aggressive and assertive, making him able to do a task a woman would not be fit to do. After these stages of his life, the lyrics then say that the man feels at ease and comfortable in his own skin. It also states that “you can take on anything; of course you can, because you’re a man”. I believe that this phrase in particular is offensive to females because gender should not be involved when discussing overcoming obstacles. Trials and tribulations are faced by everyone, and no gender is especially better at dealing with the problems you will encounter in life. The beginning of the commercial shows the man as being uneasy and somewhat awkward. He doesn’t seem very comfortable with being masculine but as the commercial progresses, he beings to conform into a “typical man”. He begins to grow facial hair and carry on the appearance of masculinity. I feel that the man was somewhat forced into this masculinity because he seemed to have learned these traits rather than them occurring naturally. I believe that this shows how people have to conform to what society deems acceptable in order to carry out a respected life. Had he not have learned how to grow into a masculine man, he may not have married and reproduced. He knew what his male expectations were and he followed them whether or not he was comfortable doing so and ultimately grew to be the “ideal” man.
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