From
early childhood into adulthood, young people are constantly bombarded with
media advertisements showing them what behaviors are and are not socially
acceptable. Advertisers push negative gender norms into the homes, residence
halls, bars, and fraternity houses of our college men. Take into consideration
the highly controversial Dr. Pepper 10 commercial, which presents its product
in a hyper-masculine way. This commercial gives a stereotypical view of what it
means to be a man. Thankfully, with some negatively stereotyped commercials,
there are also positive ones that exist. Guinness, a popular beer company,
recently released a heartwarming commercial with positive role models of
masculinity. One way or another, both commercials address the fear of
femininity many young men face today. This blog post serves to provide higher
education professionals a way to confront negative male gender norms with a
group of young men.
Davis, LaPrad, and Dixon (2011)
promote the use of men’s groups on college campuses to educate young men about
male gender norms. The important keys to this chapter are education and
communication in a group setting. Although presenting the Dr. Pepper and
Guinness commercials on an individual basis may be helpful in talking about
masculinity, confronting this issue via media might be more effective within a
men’s group. The authors claim “the men’s group movement has been an attempt to
provide the space for men to reflect on socially prescribed roles and help men
reach a healthier, self-authored identity” (Davis, LaPrad, & Dixon, 2011,
p. 152). This setting allows young men to talk about what they observe in the
two commercials; at the same time, higher education professionals can educate
them about masculinities. According to the authors, a great way to spark
conversations “about hegemonic masculinity is to use commercials, television
shows, and popular movies to illustrate how messages about gender are sold”
(Davis et al., 2011, p. 155).
Davis (2004) states, “using
entertainment media to deconstruct powerful sex-role messages is an ideal
method for promoting learning about gender identity development” (Davis, 2004,
p. 50). Although Davis focuses on this learning in a classroom setting, I
believe his methods could apply to something like a men’s group meeting. By
showing the different ideas of masculinities presented in the Dr. Pepper and
Guinness advertisements, perhaps student affairs professionals can explain
society’s influence on young men, which often reinforces negative gender norms.
Davis (2004) encourages educators to have their students critique the media,
such as our commercials, in order to become “a critical consumer of potentially
dysfunctional messages” (Davis, 2004, p. 52). In order to demonstrate this
idea, I have critiqued and compared the Dr. Pepper and Guinness commercials in
regards to their presentations of femininity.
The main difference of these two
commercials is how they each portray men’s fear of femininity. Kimmel and Davis
(2011) give a brief overview of O’Neil’s gender role conflict, which basically
states that people learn from society how to act based on their gender. They
claim that “at the heart of men’s conflict is the fear of femininity” (Kimmel
& Davis, 2011, p. 7). According to this fear, anything that may appear to
be a feminine act lessens a man’s masculinity. To be a part of the male gender,
men cannot show emotions or compassion and must act tough and strong (Kimmel
& Davis, 2011). Kimmel and Davis (2011) stress that any sign of weakness
makes men seem less ‘manly.’ By watching these commercials in men’s groups,
higher education professionals can show college men how the fear or acceptance
of femininity play out in each commercial.
The Dr. Pepper 10 commercial takes
place in a stereotypical action adventure movie.[1] The
characters are dressed in army fatigues, have ridiculously large laser guns,
flaunt their strong muscles, and yell at the audience in their deep
overpowering voices. The main character directs his dialogue to women. After
asking them if they are enjoying the movie, the character assumes the female
audience is unimpressed. He claims that “this is our movie,” meaning a movie
for men (Jakthelombax mar, 2011). He then goes on to say that Dr. Pepper 10 is
a man’s drink—even with its fewer “manly calories… It’s what guys want”
(Jakthelombax mar, 2011). After a few more explosions, the commercial ends with
the sentence, “Dr. Pepper 10, it’s not for women” (Jakthelombax mar, 2011).
The
main takeaway from this commercial is the constant fear of femininity.
According to the Dr. Pepper 10 commercial, men that drink Diet Dr. Pepper are
more ‘manly’ than those who abstain. The overuse of violence in this commercial
assumes all young men are obsessed with trucks, guns, and big explosions.
According to societal gender norms, all these things are the farthest from
feminine. Through violent acts men step away from the feminine and towards the
masculine. It is upsetting that advertisers believe the only way to get men to
buy their product is by constantly reaffirming it is not a “lady drink”
(Jakthelombax mar, 2011). At every turn of this commercial, there is reassurance
that Dr. Pepper 10 is not a feminine drink. This commercial reinforces the fear
of femininity in two ways. First, the commercial exploits violent acts and
images. Second, it promotes the beverage as ‘manly’ or not for women.
In contrast, Guinness presents an
uncharacteristically heartfelt beer commercial.[2] Viewers
would not know they are watching a beer commercial until the last few seconds
of the commercial. The first scene begins in the middle of a fierce, yet
good-hearted wheelchair basketball game. The young men in the wheelchairs are
shown crashing into one another and falling to the ground, while yelling
encouragements at teammates. As the game ends, all the men but one get out of
their wheelchairs and leave the gym together. This simple commercial has little
to no dialogue between characters, rather there is a man voicing-over with
these simple words: “Dedication, loyalty…friendship” (Guinness, 2013). The
commercial ends with the young men all gathered in a bar drinking Guinness,
while the voiceover continues, “the choices we make reveal the true nature of
our character” (Guinness, 2013).
As opposed to the Dr. Pepper commercial,
the Guinness advertisement seems to reject traditional hegemonic views of
masculinity because the characters embrace weaknesses and emotions. It shows
young men that being disabled is not a form of weakness, while emphasizing the
fact that young men should not be discouraged by feeling weak or helpless. The
young men that are not disabled accept their friend’s disability, and the
weakness his disability produces by playing basketball in wheelchairs. Even
though there is a sense of competitiveness, this quality is not presented in a
negative light. Essentially, the commercial promotes an emotional connection
between close male friends, feelings usually reserved for women. Although
playing basketball and going for beers promote a distinct form of masculinity,
the characters of this commercial also show emotional connection with one
another. This connection is never explicitly stated, but silently understood.
The most important part of this commercial is the statement, “The choices we
make reveal the true nature of our character” (Guinness, 2013). This message
encourages young men to be better than society’s strictly enforced gendered
roles.
With
these critiques in mind, student affairs professionals can present these two
commercials to young men and gauge how they feel masculinity was displayed in
each. Engaging in conversation about the differences between these two
commercials can show young
[1] It must be noted that this
commercial attempts to get men drinking diet soda drinks, which could be better
for their health. Regardless, I think the ulterior message gets lost in the
overbearing nature of the characters and the situation.
[2] It must be noted that the act of
playing basketball and drinking beer depicts a specific type of masculinity,
but I believe the message behind this commercial is stronger than the
generalized masculinity. This commercial is not perfect, but compared to the
Dr. Pepper commercial could be a better model for young men in the long run.
References
Davis,
T. (2004). Using entertainment media to inform student affairs teaching and practice
related to sex and gender. New
Directions for Student Services,
2004,
49-59. Doi: 10.1002/ss.141
Davis,
T., LaPrad, J., & Dixon, S. (2011). Masculinities reviewed and
reinterpreted: Using a critical
approach to working with men in groups. In J. A. Laker, & T. Davis
(Eds.), Masculinities
in higher education: Theoretical and practical considerations (pp. 147- 160). New York, NY: Routledge.
Guinness.
(2013, September 9). Guinness basketball commercial [video file]. Available from
Kimmel,
M. S., & Davis, T. (2011). Mapping guyland in college. In J. A. Laker &
T. Davis (Eds.), Masculinities
in higher education: Theoretical and practical considerations (pp. 3-15). New York, NY: Routledge.
Jakthelombax
mar. (2011, November 30). Dr Pepper TEN action commercial [video file]. Available
from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zza3GqEL5B0
Marie
Elena Castellano is currently a first-year graduate student in the University
of Maine’s Higher Education Program. She graduated from the Catholic University
of America in May 2013 with a BA in History. She serves as the Graduate
Assistant for the Higher Education Program at UMaine. In this position, she
assists with program recruitment and faculty research.You can connect with Marie Elena on Twitter @lenacast91
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