This was a billboard of UFC fighters we saw in Times Square. In the picture the men are in fighting stances, are ripped, and are shirtless. Also, all the men are white and none of them are smiling. The irony of the all the fighters being white is that many of the fighters on the show are black. In addition all the men have tattoos and short hair. These details send messages about gender. They suggest that men should have short hair, be physically fit; men should be territorial and defensive. Furthermore men should not be fragile, vulnerable, or innocent. Men are also meant to be the protectors in society. The idea that men are meant to be territorial and defensive has premises behind it. These premises are that girls are physically weaker than men, men have to be the breadwinners in a household, girls have to save their selves for men, and men cannot be sensitive. This message also has implications. It puts pressure on men to fight, suggesting that violence is a means of survival. The billboard's message also implies that women aren't meant to be strong. Finally, it implies that men must be athletic and thus not artsy. This billboard raised some questions for us: Why do men have to be the breadwinners? Do men feel pressured to bring in money? Are men forced into athletics even if they don't want to be athletic? What percent of men naturally fit into the mold the billboard presents?-Alicia, Dan, Zoe
I'm curious who created the ad--a man or a woman?
ReplyDeleteI think the points stated above fit into the blog I wrote about Gilette ads for men. Do men feel presure to fit the mold? Is this whole "man needs to be strong, tough, money making" image unhealthy?
also, what is UFC?
-eva
Wow, great observation about race. The three of you were very observant and keyed into what was NOT there - no black men (although you say that many competitors in the ultimate fighting championships are black - now what is THAT about, that no black fighters made it onto this ad?), no women, no artistry. These are really interesting observations, and I don't disagree with them, although I can't say that I would have drawn those ideas from this ad specifically. But the territoriality, defensiveness, athleticism, aggression - you pointed towards great details that signal this. I'm super-curious about UFC-watchers too, and what sort of satisfaction watching UFC provides. Are there female UFC fans? What are they like and why do they enjoy UFC - are they for the same reasons as male UFC fans?
ReplyDelete-Steph
Wow, great observation about race. The three of you were very observant and keyed into what was NOT there - no black men (although you say that many competitors in the ultimate fighting championships are black - now what is THAT about, that no black fighters made it onto this ad?), no women, no artistry. These are really interesting observations, and I don't disagree with them, although I can't say that I would have drawn those ideas from this ad specifically. But the territoriality, defensiveness, athleticism, aggression - you pointed towards great details that signal this. I'm super-curious about UFC-watchers too, and what sort of satisfaction watching UFC provides. Are there female UFC fans? What are they like and why do they enjoy UFC - are they for the same reasons as male UFC fans?
ReplyDelete-Steph
I do agree that advertisements often throw gender roles in your face, but i believe this is an inappropriate example. It is an advertisement for people to watch a UFC event, and the poster features men that will be fighting at that event. These men happen to be muscular. It would be silly to advertise such an event and not put the fighters on the poster, but instead but the average male who may also be interested in art. Also, there are no black men present because no black men were fighting in that pay per views main event. The ad shows specifically who is fighting and even gives their names. Many UFC posters have black men when there are black men fighting in the main event.Such as http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0d/UFC_78_Official_Promotional_Poster.jpg
ReplyDeleteSo to recap, this poster sends a clear message, watch this fight and these are the guys that are fighting.
Now i think a better example of implying gender roles can be seen in this ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhtO-1oSem4
Here the ad implies that men do manly things like fishing, hunting, fixing cars, sports, and construction. I do none of these things, yet i use that body wash.